Sun Lite, Las Vegas Sun, July 21, 2003

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for July 21, 2003 Lisa Ferguson Monday, July 21, 2003 | 8:14 a.m. Historical perspectives Independence Day came and went, yet we at Sun Lite are still brimming with patriotism. Too bad we're the only ones embracing this sense of pride. At least, that's the impression we got after learning the results of a survey conducted in June by Fodor's in honor of its new Travel Historic America series of guidebooks. The publishing company asked visitors to its website, fodors.com., to partake in a pop quiz loaded with questions about colonial America and the Old West. How many states composed the original 13 colonies? Gold stars should have been awarded to those who answered 16. Unfortunately, more than half of survey respondents (54 percent) said 13. True or false: Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from the Dutch. Time's up: That's a big, fat false. Nevertheless, 29 percent of those polled were certain it was true. Actually, the Indians traded the land with Minuit for knives, beads and other items worth $24. Among the survey's other pathetic results: 32 percent of those who participated were certain Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence at his Monticello, Va., home (actually, he wrote it in Philadelphia); a mere 26 percent knew Custer's Little Big Horn battle took place in the Montana Territory; and a whopping 60 percent had no idea Arizona was the last state in the Old West to enter the Union in 1912. Not Judge Judy? Our collective lack of knowledge gets even more embarrassing. In another recent survey this one courtesy of a legal website, findlaw.com it was revealed an unbelievable two-thirds of Americans were stumped when asked to name any of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices. Some of us are paying at least a little attention: 35 percent of the 1,000 adults polled could name one justice, but a pitiful less than 1 percent could name all nine. For shame, people. If it were a popularity contest, it seems Sandra Day O'Connor would win hands-down. Her name popped into the minds of 25 percent of respondents, followed by Clarence Thomas (21 percent); William Rehnquist (10 percent); Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (9 percent for both); David Souter and Anthony Kennedy (4 percent); Steven Breyer (2 percent) and John Paul Stevens (1 percent). Hey, ladies! It's easy to keep tabs on the rise and fall of the presidential approval ratings. It's been tougher for we the people to voice our opinions on how the first lady handles her position of power (or lack thereof). In yet another survey, conducted in June by market research and consulting firm Harris Interactive, nearly 2,400 people were asked to rate Laura Bush's job performance. The results: 70 percent of those polled awarded her "high marks for the work she's undertaking, versus 30 percent who disagreed. Meanwhile 81 percent of those surveyed said the first lady's influence on presidential decisions has improved as opposed to harmed the image of the highest office in the land. That's a lot more yea votes than Bush's predecessor, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, received (50 percent) on the same question. Finally, 72 percent of those polled say they think Mrs. Bush has "about the right amount of influence on President George W. Bush's decisions, compared to the 47 percent who claim they thought Sen. Clinton wielded too much influence during the presidency of her husband, Bill Clinton. archive