Getting Stupider By the Minute...

About two months ago, I wrote a post highlighting the fact that American high school students lag way behind their peers in reading, science and math. I'm sad to report that some American adults don't seem to be any more knowledgeable than their children. This is particularly alarming when those adults become members of Congress. A freshman member of Congress attended her first town hall meeting today and didn't waste much time before making a fool of herself (H/T to Talking Points Memo):

"A fun nugget buried in this story about Rep. Ann Buerkle's (R-NY) first town hall meeting as an elected member of Congress. Constituents repeatedly asked a puzzled Buerkle about her health benefits. She couldn't figure out why. But her staff sure could.

Buerkle, who voted to repeal the health care reform act, was twice asked about the health insurance she receives as a government employee. At first she said she couldn't understand why people were so interested in her health insurance, and that taxpayers didn't pay anything for it. She later corrected herself after being handed a note from a staffer. Like most employees, she pays for a portion of her insurance and her employer, the government, pays the rest, she said.

As Republicans point out, these are employer provided benefits, which they're all for. So it's not as simple as straight hypocrisy. But there's a fundamental tension between the GOP's naysaying on health care reform and their willingness to accept federally subsidized private insurance -- just as in the health care law. These flubs grow out of that tension."

Rep. Buerkle obviously hasn't got a clue how the American government works. That being the case, how in the world did she get the idea that she is qualified to sit in Congress? Even worse, how did the voters in her district get the idea that she is qualified to sit in Congress? There are days when I despair for the future of the USA.

This is one of them.