I fear that the day will come when technology will surpass human interaction; on that day, the world will have a generation of idiots. (Einstein)
The word “idiot” has to be euphemistically defined for cognitive idiots, because they get aggravated, even aggressive, when told the truth: that they are limited in civic values, decision-making proficiency and education. Since 2016, a large percentage of Americans have shown that they cannot recognize evil when they see it; and cannot distinguish between moral, effective, and ethical political leaders and their Treasonist counterparts.
There has been a significant decline in the quality of education, strikingly in reading. (The New York Times, May 19, 2026). The educational deprivation of Black children has been especially onerous; a very low percentage are rated college-ready at the end of high school.
George Orwell, 1984, dreaded despots who would ban books, deprive us of information, conceal the truth from us, and make us a captive culture. Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, feared that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. He worried that we would be given so much information that we would be reduced to passivity and egotism; and that truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance (likes).
In spite of spectacular strides in science and technology, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. (Martin Luther King Jr.)
Does the Internet Make one Dumber? The cognitive effects are measurable: We’re turning into shallow thinkers. Recent research shows that the average time spent on the internet per person is 6.7 hours a day. Sound-bite messaging produces the much preferred micro-wave “intelligence” which is anathema to effective decision-making skill building. This portends well for Fascism as we have seen.
On November 8, 2016, nearly 63 million voters believed that America’s problems would be best solved by Donald Trump. Tragically, 112,000 votes, 0.03% of the population, swung the Electoral College in his favor.
Comparing Clinton’s and Harris’ votes with Trump’s among educated voters is conclusive with respect to the correlation between educational levels and democracy. Clinton beat Trump 55% to 38% among white college graduates; and Harris bested him 65% to 33% among post-graduates and 55% to 43% among white college graduates-plus. Remember: Harris had both of the major obstacles American women face when vying for election – race and gender.
The Principal Requisites for Democracy are:
1. LEADERSHIP — Moral, ethical, and competent leaders at every level and across all entities in the nation, government and non-government.
2. CITIZENSHIP — Knowledgeable, involved citizens, broadly representative of the entire population.
Leadership failure is the only truly enduring bipartisan condition I know. If we are going to save America from Fascism, the old political model based on bipartisanship rather than non-partisanship must be modified or discarded. We have to effect “creative destruction,” whereby the overall plan for a new and better operational political model is inextricably appended to the demolition or modification of the old. Unfortunately, prior knowledge seems to be preferable for maniacal political partisans for it spares them the agony of thinking and changing. When confronted with new information, no matter how fact-based, their default to their status quo mindset is instantaneous!
The power for effectiveness is in the leaders and programs closest to the American people – e.g., the local level. The founders made clear that leaders’ most important moral, ethical, and civic obligation is to get the nation’s children to the age of maturity with the education, expertise, wisdom, and virtue as necessary to achieve and maintain freedom over their lifetimes. The formal and informal education during their formative years must prepare them to cope effectively with the changes and challenges they, and, consequently, America may face in the future.
Education words must be put to work — Positive Perseverant Action Steps start with written intentions that clarify the purpose for which a specific endeavor is undertaken and relate clearly to the US Constitution. Great harm derives when we lose focus on what we set out to accomplish, the mission. Intentions, including those embodied in oaths, must include Plans, Execution, Perseverance, Assessments of Outcomes, and Actions based on Assessments of Outcomes – e.g., modifications, continuation, or stoppage.
Given American’s generally low level of knowledge and inferior information processing proficiency, and the fact that voter-turnout composition does not reflect the whole of the American population, the onus for national salvation falls on leaders’ competence in motivating the 190 million adult citizens who did not choose Trump in 2024, particularly the 111 million self-disenfranchisers, to vote in November, without specifying candidates or political parties.
