We have an amazing capacity for deluding ourselves. And while it's not exactly unique to Americans, it seems like we have some special kind of weird need to buy into our own bullshit. Maybe it's because our insistence on Free Speech made the slide into Propaganda unavoidable. Maybe it's because we've allowed Free Speech to mean we can say whatever we want to say without being held to account for its consequences.
We think Foreign Aid makes up 25% of the Federal Budget, and that a more appropriate level would be about 13% - when it's actually less than 1%.
- 48% of Americans believe Healthcare Reform has been repealed.
- 51% don't know The US Supreme Court has 9 Justices
- ...and 54% can't name even one of 'em.
- 78% know Larry, Curly and Moe, while 58% can't name all 3 branches of the US Government.
- 125 million American Christians can't name all 4 Gospels.
- 67% of adults in the US can't find England on a map.
- 80% of us consider ourselves Above Average Drivers.
- 41% can't name the current Vice President of the United States.
- 7% think funding for Public Broadcasting represents more than half of the federal budget.
- As recently as 1999, 20% of Americans thought the Sun orbits the Earth.
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