Here is the top-ten list of quotes, mostly ignored by the media, by 2016 Republican presidential candidates. OK, only one is real. Can you guess the actual quote?

“Of all the candidates, I’m the richest, smartest, have the best hair and best-looking wives.” – Donald Trump

“I know I would just be another Bush in the White House but I can promise you there won’t be a Dick for Vice President.” – Jeb Bush

“Some say my youth works against me, but no other candidate can rock a conga line like me!” – Marco Rubio

“I want to do for America what I did for Hewlett-Packard.” – Carly Fiorina

“Remember me? I helped engineer the government shutdown of 2013 and that is why I am asking for your vote.” – Ted Cruz

“People who say I’m a bully really don’t know me so they should just shut their f**cking traps!” – Chris Christie

“Good lord! People are starting to ask about my health just because I suffer from “the vapors” now and again.” – Lindsay Graham.

“I really don’t want to do this … I feel fingers” from God to run for president.– Ben Carson

“We’ve got to take this country back… the further back the better.” – Mike Huckabee

“I think the Pope should just stick to his popely duties and let us politicians worry about our 6000 year old Mother Earth.” – Rick Santorum

Did you find the real quote? Extra points for those quotes the gullible might think are real.

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.”

Good news! According to a recent report by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), most Americans reject the idea the United States is a theocracy. Only about one-third (35%) say that the U.S. is a Christian nation today

Bad news! About one-third (35%) of Americans think the U.S. is a Christian nation today!

A closer look at the numbers reveals some more startling news. Nearly 45% of the public believes that the U.S. once was a Christian nation but is not any more. Among Americans who believe the country is no longer a Christian nation, almost (61%) wish it still were.

“This just proves my point,” noted famed ‘war-against-Christians’ conspiracy theorist, Bill O’Reilly. “This myth of separation of church and state, a modern invention created by communists/liberals/atheists and shoved down the throats of a Christian America, is taking hold.”

“For Christ’s sake,” fumed O’Reilly, “what about our Pledge of Allegiance? It’s ‘One Nation Under God,’ not ‘One Nation Under Karl Marx!’ And what about ‘In God We Trust’ on our currency’?”

Papa Bear O’Reilly should have taken the time to study-up on his American history

The Pledge of Allegiance, written in 1892, did not originally contain the phrase “under god.” The phrase was added in 1954, at the height of the Cold War. It was another way for Americans to separate themselves from the atheistic Soviet Union.

“In God We Trust” is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution. The words did not appear on our currency until 1864 and didn’t become our nation’s motto until 1956 (once again Cold War inspired.)

Mr. O’Really, now let’s get real. Any honest reading of American history does not suggest a Christian nation forcefully secularized by the liberal left in recent years, but quite the opposite.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: …” – U.S. Constitution

Polling news for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been encouraging. Some national polls show Trump in a solid second place position behind Jeb Bush. But, businesswise, it has been a tough stretch for Mr. Trump. First NBC gave his reality show, “The Apprentice” the ax; then Univision dumped Trump’s “Miss USA”; then Macy’s stripped Trump’s clothing line from its shelves.

But things may soon be looking up for Trump. Comedy Central has just announced that, “in the event Donald Trump does not become our next president,” he will be the host of a new reality series, “I Really Did Run For President.” A Comedy Central spokesman, on condition of anonymity, confirmed that production for the new series is already underway. “We believe it’s a good bet. “The Donald’s” chances of being our next Commander in Chief are as good as that thing on his head being real.”

The new show’s format will feature Mr. Trump interviewing other failed presidential candidates. Each will be asked the same question, ”What on god’s good earth made you think you were presidential material?” First on the guest list will be “The Hermanator” himself, Herman Cain. The plan, as it stands, is to follow Mr. Cain with Michelle Bachmann.

As there are currently more than one dozen declared Republican presidential candidates, the show will have many colorful candidates to invite to the show. The producers believe they will have enough guests for at least two full seasons.

The list of misguided 2016 presidential wannabes will most likely include: Carly Fiorina, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Lindsay Graham, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Scott Walker, Marco Rubio and Rick Santorum.

If the producers decide to go back a few years, they may have enough guests to go beyond two seasons. Who wouldn’t want to hear the following former presidential candidates answer Trump’s question: Roseanne Barr, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Tom Tancredo, Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan?

Just like many Americans like to talk about the Bible, even though they have little familiarity with the book, Americans love to talk about the U.S. Constitution when they have very little knowledge of its actual contents. It’s a sad fact but one in three Americans would fail the citizenship test given to immigrants wanting to become American citizens, who, by the way, pass at a 97.5 clip.

Below I am re-posting an article from the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. At the end of the article is a link to a test containing actual questions asked on the citizenship test. Do you have the nerve to take it? Are you smarter than an immigrant?

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Americans failing Citizenship test again

A new study by the Center for the Study of the American Dream at Xavier University confirms what we already know: Americans perform poorly on the U.S. Citizenship test. The new findings reveal some pretty alarming statistics:

• One in three native-born citizens fail the civics portion of the naturalization test, in stark contrast to the 97.5% pass rate among immigrants applying for citizenship. (To pass, one must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly.)
• If the pass rate were 7 out of 10, one half of all native-born citizens would fail.
• While native-born citizens do well on basic questions related to history and geography, the results reveal a low level of knowledge concerning the principles and features of American government that underlie our civic life.
  • 85% did not know the meaning of the “the rule of law.”
  • 82% could not name “two rights stated in the Declaration of Independence.”
  • 75% were not able to correctly answer “What does the judiciary branch do?”
  • 71% were unable to identify the Constitution as the “supreme law of the land.”
  • 68% did not know how many justices are on the Supreme Court.
  • 63% could not name one of their two US Senators.

As the Center explains, “the survey found that native-born citizens do best with elementary school level questions such as: ‘What is the name of the President of the United States?’, ‘What is the capital of the United States?’, ‘Where is the Statue of Liberty?’, ‘Who was the first President?’, ‘When do we celebrate Independence Day?’, and ‘What are the two major political parties in the United States?’. However, the highest incorrect scores consistently concern the US Constitution, and the governmental, legal and political structure of the American republic and basic facts related to current political life and identification of key political decision-makers.”

These findings are hardly surprising when, according to our 2010 report High Schools, Civics, and Citizenship: What Social Studies Teachers Think and Do, fewer than two thirds of social studies teachers believe it is “absolutely essential” for students to understand the principles of American government, such as federalism and the separation of powers, or to be knowledgeable about key periods of American history, like the American Revolution and the Civil War.

Think you can pass the citizenship test? Take it here.

Copyright © American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 2015.

In a related story,

Idaho Highschoolers Must Pass US Citizenship Test To Graduate