To the editor:

I made an unpleasant discovery the other day. It occurred during my lunch break where I work. I had occasion to sit with some co-workers, all of whom were younger than me. As a curiosity item, I asked if any of them had read the U.S. Constitution in its entirety. To my surprise and dismay the answer was universally negative. Each of them had read some part of the Constitution but none of them had ever read the entire document.

I then asked if any of them had read the entire Declaration of Independence. Again, I got a universally negative answer. Each, again, had read parts but none had read the entire document.

Now, these individuals had varying levels of education ranging from high school graduate to college graduate. I asked if those documents were still taught in school, be it junior high, high school or college. None of them recalled ever being required to study or know much about either document at any time during their educational experience.

This was very sad news to me, but it explains many things. If, indeed, we no longer teach the founding principles and documents of this country, it should come as no surprise that we have a population who no longer values freedom and who longs for a paternalistic government guaranteeing safety and security from cradle to grave. Sadly, that way layeth tyranny, for an uneducated population is far easier to control than an educated one.