Voting Responsibilities

I just read in a Uncle John's Bathroom Reader that an average of one in four Americans is not sure the Earth revolves around the Sun, or visa-versa.

These people have the right to vote.  And they vote for people they would like to have a beer with. (I heard that); and don't use big words (I heard that too).

This reminds of almost a flip-flop as things were at one time.  When I registered to vote at age 18, many years ago, after I filled out the request form the official handed me a printed sheet of paper.  He told me to read it aloud. It was the Gettysburg Address.

I started, "Four Scores and Seven years ago, our...."

He interrupted me saying that was good, I passed.

"Passed?"  I said.  I didn't even finish reading it.

He said, "You didn't say "Fo" instead of "Four". "  That was the key.

I got what he was saying.

He went on saying, "No telling what "they" would elect."  I think the guy really thought he was doing his patriotic duty, keeping the unfit(in his opinion) from elected public office positions.

Later, in the same time era,  I read that a resident of Cobb County, a  professor at Morehouse College failed his literacy test to vote.  I think I knew why:  Because it was the opinion of a snuff chewing illiterate  official in  Cobb County who passed the judgment.