Freedom of what?

 Oh, America, you are sad today, I’ll bet. A recent survey told the horrible truth about many Americans — a truth so embarrassing that some people should be hiding under their beds instead of going to work.

The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members (a popular cartoon sitcom), but just one in 1,000 people could name all five First Amendment freedoms. They are: Freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion and petition of redress of grievances.

Foreign lands often poke fun at Americans and our ignorance of world politics, which is a little more understandable. I could handle a survey that found most Americans couldn’t name foreign leaders in Poland or Iceland.

But when a large portion of our nation’s people can’t recite the basic freedoms given to us by our forefathers in our Constitution, that’s despicable. It’s our duty as Americans to know our government and how it operates. It’s vital that we know by heart the three branches of government — legislative, judicial and executive — and know how they operate, too.

If the folks who participated in this survey would stop watching the Simpsons long enough to study history and basic civics, maybe our country would be a better place today. After all, we are a government by the people, for the people and of the people. Stop and think about that for a minute. If you have a population base who doesn’t know its basic freedoms, and obviously cares more about what’s on the prime time lineup, then why should it surprise us that our nation is facing the problems we are today?

Many blame the president, but guess what? America elected him. It’s time for Americans to get involved in their government if they want it to change. And the first step in that involvement is learning how the government works.

I urge everyone who reads this to go to the library or log on to the Internet and look up the Constitution. Print it out, study it, and understand it. It’s our nation’s bible, and the words inside make us who we are. We can’t sit idly while only a select few take control and speak for us because we are too ignorant to speak for ourselves. Ignorance is no excuse for anything, nor should it be.

But ignorance is, in fact, bliss, as the old adage goes. It’s easier to go home at night, plop down on the couch and watch the tube. It’s easy to get lost in mindless sitcoms and game shows while the world around us is moving at full force.

I know that everyone needs relaxation time, and I’m all for that. But make time for things that are important, such as family, friends and learning about your government from the city level all the way to Washington D.C.

You pay taxes; it’s your money that funds the government. If you invested in a stock or bond, wouldn’t you want to know everything about that stock or bond? I know I would. But our government is far more important than any stock — it rules our nation.