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In 2008, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute conducted a national survey testing the basic civic literacy of the American public. The poll of 2,508 individuals asked such simple questions as “What are the three branches of government?” and “What part of the government has the power to declare war?” among others, many of which were adopted from naturalization exams and high school social studies tests. Of those polled, 71% failed the test. Fewer than 50% could correctly identify the three branc

Today's News Tips. Your Independent News Tip Sheet. IVN – Prison Population Grows by 700%, How Much Does it Cost? With a startling increase in the national prison population it should be no surprise that the Bureau of Prisons is one of only a few agencies not to have its budget cut. The FY 2013 budget will likely be over $6.8B to house close to 2 million inmates. TIME – Waldo Canyon Fire Rages on in Colorado In Colorado Springs a wildfire that has been burning for 4 days has forced over 32,0

In what is certainly a novel approach, the Department of Justice has sued two polygamist towns for religious discrimination against non-members and expelled members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). This includes "denying non-FLDS individuals housing, police protection, and access to public space and services".  The joint lawsuit is against neighboring Hildale, Arizona and Colorado City, Arizona, which are controlled entirely by FLDS members. The current

Last week, IVN commented on a lawsuit brought by alleged delegates to the Republican National Convention. The Republican National Committee, while stating that suit was frivolous at the same time organized all the named defendants into a united defense against this litigation. There is no indication yet that the complaint in the action was served on any defendant or that the RNC has voluntarily appeared and moved to take any pretrial actions. What is clear: Ron Paul's delegate count continues to

Credit: websterstyle.wordpress.com State primaries are in a sad state. Many voters don’t understand the importance of primaries. Voter turnout is generally far lower than in general elections. Primaries defeat the principle of representative democracy. Primaries give incumbents a big advantage over challengers. Next Tuesday, New York, Colorado, Oklahoma and Utah have primaries. And, the beat goes on. One reason for poor turnout is that voters are often ignorant of the importance of primaries.

The United Nations assembles this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to host the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as the Rio+20 Summit. The 2012 Rio+20 Summit serves as a follow-up to the 1992 United Nations conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) also held in Rio de Janeiro. The primary goal of the 1992 summit was to create a legally binding convention on biodiversity, a climate-change agreement that led to the Kyoto protocol, a 6,000-page blueprint for ac

By encouraging customers to consume half their daily caloric intake via a beverage with 224 grams of sugar. In a new promotion, a KFC franchise in Utah promises to donate $1 of every $2.99 half-gallon drink it sells to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). One "Mega Jug" contains 800 calories and 56 spoonfuls of sugar. One has to wonder, is this really the best way to promote diabetes research? While the owner had good intentions, Jenn Savedge from Mother Nature Network remarks: "At

California’s state parks are admired by visitors from all over. Tourists come and are amazed at the quality and quantity of the state park system and envy us our bounty. California is also broke, in part because of the many services it provides to its citizens. Well, reality has set in at the state parks, and many may be closing over the next few weeks. As part of the belt-tightening across all of state government, the parks system has been trimmed back by some $22 million. This budget reductio

One of the most enduring myths in US politics is the assertion that there are no alternatives to the candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties. Many would-be voters who are fed up with the forced choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber are undoubtedly more likely not to vote than head to the polls and cast their ballot for a third party or Independent alternative. Given the lack of media coverage devoted to third party and Independent candidates, a large portion of the electorate

Last week voting began in Egyptian elections to choose their new president. After the first round of voting, the top two vote receivers were Ahmed Shafiq, former prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, and Mohammad Morsi of the Freedom and Justice Party and the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood. The initial results surprised observers. According to David Kenner of Foreign Policy: "In Sharqiya governorate, which was suppossedly Muslim Brotherhood territory, Shafiq came out with a 90,000 vote lead