As if there weren’t enough evidence that our educational system is failing our youth, a recent survey by Achieve, a national not-for-profit focused on education reform, found that neither university professors nor employers believe that American public high schools are preparing students for the expectations they’ll face in college or in their careers.

The sad fact is that, compared to 2004, the assessment is even more dismal. More than a decade ago, for example, only 28 percent of college instructors stated that schools were doing an adequate job of readying students for what would come after high school. That figure is down to 14 percent in 2015. Among employers, 49 percent in 2004 said that schools were adequately preparing students for what they would need for work; in 2015, the count was 29 percent.

America’s greatness is in serious danger. No, not because of some external threat. Not because as a nation we are economically bankrupt. America’s place in the world is being challenged by a broken educational system. This is not the space to get into the many reasons why this is so. Suffice it to say, we are failing our young by denying them the type of education that fosters a love of learning and prepares them to become effective workers and informed citizens.

Republican conservatives have no problem, or shame, in talking about “American Exceptionalism.” They do this in the face of a plethora of evidence showing otherwise. They do this while at the same time slashing educational spending to make way for more tax cuts for the wealthy. A good way to begin solving our educational crisis is to vote for only those politicians who recognize the problem and have solutions to solve it.

Thomas Jefferson wrote that a well-informed electorate is a prerequisite to democracy.

For the sake of our nation, this ship needs to be turned around … fast.

In the aftermath of the Lafayette, Louisiana theater shooting, Governor Bobby Jindal offered his well-worn bromide to the almost daily, senseless gun violence in this country. “’What we can do now,” said Jindal,” is pray. We can hug these families, shower them with love, thoughts and prayers.” This advice coming from a man who is on record as saying, “In Louisiana we love us some guns;” from a governor who actually loosened the gun laws in his state after 20 children were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut.

Jindal, with an outstanding A+ rating from the NRA, presides over a state awash in guns and gun violence. An official report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a year ago revealed that 45 per cent of Louisiana residents have a gun in their homes. The State ranks fifth for weakest gun laws in the country, according to data researched by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Louisiana has twice the national average of gun deaths, with 18 per 100,000 residents. (Rhode Island, by comparison, has just 3 per 100,000).

Governor Jindal, no, I do not believe prayer will solve our nation’s gun problem. But if it can help in any way, this is what I pray for:

The day when common sense rules our politics.

The day when the Supreme Court is not occupied by right wing ideologues.

The day when the Second Amendment is read as it was intended.

The day when fomenting hatred and division is not a winning political strategy.

The day when conservative Christians heed the teachings and example of Christ.

The day when the United States joins all the other civilized nations of the world.

The day when a Bobby Jindal, and his ilk, leaves politics for his true calling, the priesthood.

So, Mr. Jindal, enough with your crocodile tears. You have blood on your hands, sir. If you are not going to resign your office, at least act like the Christian you claim to be.

Let us pray.

With Pope Francis’ visit to the United States just over one month away, a new Gallup poll shows the Holy Father’s favorability ratings among all Americans taking a big hit, dropping to 59% from a 76% one year ago.

The biggest dropoff has come among conservatives. Just 45% view the Pope favorably, down from a previous 72%.

These findings are perplexing for a country that many believe to be a Christian nation.

“This decline may be attributable to the Pope’s denouncing of ‘idolatry of money’ and attributing climate change partially to human activity, along with his passionate focus on income inequality – all issues that are at odds with many conservative beliefs,” wrote Gallup analyst Art Swift.

What the poll numbers demonstrate to me is the shear hypocrisy among conservative Christians who claim to be followers of Jesus. That the most Christ-like pope in my lifetime would face such disapproval when he speaks out on issues of justice and equality tells me all I need to know.

If today’s so-called “followers of Christ” had paid attention in Sunday School or actually read their revered Bible, these so-called Christians would reject conservatives if for no other reason than their preferential treatment of the very people Christ said had about as much hope of getting into Heaven as a camel passing through the eye of a needle.

John Boehner must be racking his brain trying to figure out what in god’s name compelled him to invite the Pope to address a joint session of Congress. If the Pope’s speech (sermon) is anything as I expect, look for the Pope’s favorability ratings among the American faithful to decline even further. Hypocrites hate to be called out.

Scott Walker’s recent announcement that he will seek the Republican nomination for president brings the unofficial count of candidates chosen by God to four. The other three candidates directed by God to run for the highest office in the land are Ben Carson, Bobby Jindal and Rick Perry. Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich, not yet a declared candidate, has stated he is still waiting for the word.

If you add other God-friendly candidates who are running, but did not get an official nod from The Almighty (Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio) Christian conservatives are blessed with an embarrassment of riches in selecting their 2016 standard-bearer. The question, though, is why would God choose so many candidates to run for the same office?

As a young boy attending Saturday confession at my local church, I once mustered the nerve to ask my priest why God would allow so much suffering, misery and injustice in the world. I still remember his answer very clearly. “My boy,” said the priest, “it is not for us humans to understand God. If we could understand God, we would be God. No one can understand God but God himself.”

My working theory on God’s motive for selecting multiple presidential  candidates is that God just wants to make the nominating process more entertaining; more suspenseful. After all, while God has directed multiple candidates to run, God has not promised any of them victory (as far as I know.)

My other theory is that God is getting on in years and has become somewhat forgetful.

In an effort to better understand God’s motive, I decided to email the Vatican. To my amazement, I received a reply from His Holiness, Pope Francis, himself. “My boy,” said the Pope, “it is not for us humans to understand God. If we could understand God, we would be God. No one can understand God but God himself.”

Say what you will about Republicans: they’re hypocrites, liars, mean-spirited, the embodiment of pure evil, but there is no denying they are political geniuses. How else can the party of big business and the wealthy, otherwise known as the 1%, continually get working class voters, who actually benefit from programs championed by Democrats, to vote against their own economic interest?

For many years, the GOP establishment has successfully used “social issues” to attract voters whose economic interests were really more aligned with the progressive policies of Democrats. These “social issues,” such as abortion, immigration, gun control, gay marriage, war on terror, are also known as “wedge issues,” “hot button” issues, or “culture wars.”

While Republicans have the public and the media distracted with emotional topics, they are free to make the wealthy wealthier, increase the national debt, hijack the Constitution, and take away government social services. Yes, “wedge issues” are a powerful distraction from the real issues that should occupy the political discussion; jobs, income inequality, social justice, equal rights for all.

Another tactic that has worked well for Republicans (and never matched by Democrats) is the art of political messaging. Would the workingman ever be against eliminating the estate tax? Never, but ask that same person if he favors repealing the “death tax,” the answer will always be “hell yeah!” The list of great Republican messaging is long and includes such winners as: “death panels,” “pro life,” “Obamacare,” “job creators,” etc.

But the old Republican playbook is not looking so good these days. With the Supreme Court’s decisions on Obamacare and gay marriage, Republicans have lost two of their hottest “hot button” issues.” Of course there is still an appetite for such issues among an ever-decreasing rear guard, but they are just that, decreasing.

I will not say the “culture wars” are over, but from the standpoint of national public opinion, the Republicans have lost, particularly among young people.

Republicans now face a conundrum. Today when they use “social issues” to appeal to white working class voters, or social conservatives, it drives away, in droves,  young voters and socially tolerant voters of all ages. Many political observers now see this as a sure recipe for extinction.

“The tide of progress will always wash you to shore.”