On the first day of his American National Government class, Prof. Kevin Dopf asks how many of his students are United States citizens. Every hand shoots up.
“So, how did all you people become citizens?” he asks. “Did you pass a test?”
“No,” one young woman says tentatively. “We were born here.”
It’s a good thing. Based on his years of making his students at the University of South Carolina Beaufort take the test given to immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship, most would be rejected.
Most states require some sort of high school civics instruction. But with surveys showing that a third of American adults can’t name the three branches of the federal government, and one in which 10% of college graduates think Judith Sheindlin – TV’s “Judge Judy” – serves on the U.S. Supreme Court, many think we should be aiming higher.
I got them all right, including the number of Representatives, which is something that Jill Stein (who is actually running for president) didn’t know.
I’m now announcing my candidacy. Vote some_guy.
Um… There are 435 members of the US House of Representatives.
If you include the 100 Senators, there are 535 “representatives” in the US.
145 is not the answer to anything.
Whoops, I fucked that up. I meant to type 410. I dunno how I biffed that so badly.