Is America Doomed by Voter Ignorance?

According to recent polls, only 42% of Americans could name the three branches of the federal government and only 28% could name two of the five rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Even worse, 35% believed that “from each according to his ability to each according to his need” was embodied in the Constitution (but it came from Karl Marx!). In short, voters are politically dumb. Yet, their decisions directly affect 300+ million Americans and influence the rest of the world in an ancillary way. From a purely self-interested perspective, spending the time to understand political issues is a clear waste of time, as is voting itself. What does this tell us about the viability of democracy in America? In this episode, Ilya Somin, author of the soon-to-be-released “Democracy and Political Ignorance” shares his perceptive views and insights. Ilya is a Professor of Law at George Mason University, a prolific blogger and a frequent guest on Mainstream Media. There is no more important issue in America, and no better guest to discuss the topic than Ilya Somin.