2/3 of Americans can't name the three branches of government. 1/3 can't name one.

[glowing]

65. I think that when you take Civics lessons out of the school

curriculum, you end up with children who don't understand how govt works. I remember the little school house rocks cartoon/ song diddy from when I was a child... There is nothing even like that for kids today.

It's not that people are stupid, it's that people haven't been taught in any meaningful manner as to how important their rights are and how our govt works. I know that we had teachers who did teach this in school. It wasn't exact in a history book or what not... But we had teachers who would teach civics past the droning of 3 branches, and forget the lesson by the next semester.

We had mock govt set ups, debates, current events regarding the differing branches, review of supreme court judicial law... With all of that, I was still one of the only ones in my college, among my friends to actually vote... And even then, I didn't really understand the rules... If I had been registered in SC to vote back in 2000, my vote would have carried more weight than my vote I cast in VT by mail in ballot. I did not know that I could register to vote in SC and still be a resident of VT without it effecting my school financials. There is a huge disconnect with rules and voting and such in college campuses all across this nation, and I think that if more young people were educated and aware of their rights, young Americans, who tend to be more progressive and modern in views, would make a huge difference in winning outcomes. Most of these kids/ young adults really don't start voting or paying attention to local politics until they are settled down in a community after their college daze. And it's a really huge, untapped market of persons who could really effect a change in a community where they reside, work, pay taxes, etc for 4 yrs of their lives (maybe more if they stay on and attend grad school).

I bet if college kids became a large voting block, the amount of money they have to spend attending college would change greatly. Perhaps states would tax progressively to ensure that their colleges and universities could compete with low tuition rates, while offering a sound education.

Our children need to be more informed, more active, more vocal. There should be statewide competitions for schools to achieve a ballot initiative for everyone to vote on. There should be forms to register to vote at the moment they turn 18... Perhaps, even, we could reduce the voting age to 16 like many other progressive countries do. Many European countries allow drinking and voting at the age of 16. Could you imagine if you got these kids in the junior and senior year to begin the process of voting and learning about issues and debating and having politicians come into their schools to try and sway opinion or to debate their opponents. It would be really quite nice if we did move the voting age down to 16... Seeing that children can emancipate theirselves at that age from their parents, that they drive, many are working at minimum wage jobs and in kitchens with spattering fry grease, etc, an paying insurance on their vehicles, having to save money for college or their first apts when they turn 18, and yes, even paying taxes and fees on purchases and other services they must enact. I think it would be more than fair for these young adults to be able to vote... Especially because they are the ones who will be of the age to volunteer to go into military services and they will be the "boots on the ground" that will be fighting wars our politicians send them to. It's more than fair that they should have a voice and a say in who those politicians are that make those types of decisions that could maime or kill them.