Nethercutt: America failing when it comes to civics

COEUR d'ALENE - George Nethercutt believes there is a crisis in America, and it has nothing to do with the economic downturn, the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, or what's going on in Washington, D.C.

The former congressman from Spokane calls it a "citizenship crisis."

Nethercutt, a Republican who served from 1995 to 2005 as Washington's 5th Congressional District Representative, spoke Friday to members of the Coeur d'Alene Rotary at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

"Fewer and fewer Americans understand the great story of the United States, how we came to be, how we got started, what our founding principles are, what our founding documents are, what leadership qualities have made this nation great and what sacrifices have occurred to allow us the blessings of liberty and the chance to be free," Nethercutt said.

College-level civics education has declined since the 1960s, Nethercutt said, and it's taking a toll on the country.

"Americans are less knowledgeable about what makes us great, what makes our country special and exceptional," Nethercutt said. "If you don't know that, how do you know what to perpetuate?"

A longtime advocate for fostering civics literacy through education, Nethercutt, who owns a cabin in Priest Lake, founded the George R. Nethercutt Foundation in 2008.

The non-partisan, nonprofit organization was created to support students interested in economics, history, politics and civic leadership.

Nethercutt points to evidence that traditional learning about American civics has fallen by the wayside.

During 2006-07, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) tested 14,000 college freshman and seniors from 50 public and private universities across the country, he said.

The students were asked 65 questions about American history, government, the economic system and foreign policy.

"The results are startling and frustrating if you're an American who cares that these things are important to our young people," Nethercutt said.

Every school in the nation flunked, except for Harvard University where students averaged a D+.

"It's not just college students that failed the exam and are civically illiterate. It's all of us," Nethercutt said.

More recently, ISI tested 2,500 adult Americans giving them 33 similar questions.

The average score was 49 percent, a failing grade. College grads scored 57 percent, still an F.

Nethercutt said more than seven in 10 failed. Fewer than half could name the three branches of government. Just 21 percent could identify language from the Gettysburg address, and about 25 percent think that American foreign policy is set by the United Nations.

The dismal results were found across all demographics - the young, old, wealthy, college-educated, churchgoers, non-churchgoers, Democrats and Republicans all scored about the same, Nethercutt said.

"This killed me. Public officials who took the test scored 44 percent, that's five points lower than the average American. And we wonder why Congress has a single-digit approval rating. It's astounding. It troubles me as a citizen," Nethercutt said.

The Pew Center surveyed 5,200 Americans in 2008, and 82 percent couldn't name the U.S. Secretary of State, which political party controls the U.S. House of Representatives and the prime minister of Great Britain.

"It illustrates, I think, what is all too common in our society, in our culture now," Nethercutt said. "Therefore, that's why I'm dedicating a lot of my energy and my heart to this project of trying to lift the under-education of so many Americans about civics and help them understand the greatness of the country and with all of our flaws, with all of our problems, that it's a great system."

The Nethercutt Foundation awards fellowships to college students, providing five months of academic, civics-aimed education, and then brings them to Washington, D.C., for two weeks.

They meet with congressmen from both parties, corporate and nonprofit lobbyists and members of the national press. The college students have a chance to interact with government officials, and begin to understand the connection between government policy and spending and how it affects them personally, in their paychecks.

As a companion to his educational program, the former congressman has written a book due out in April.

"The book is an overview of American history punctuated by the music of American history," Nethercutt said.

He plans a signing in Coeur d'Alene when "In Tune with America" is released.

Snippets from the book are already appearing on television, giving viewers a 60-second history lesson.

"U.S. History in a Minute" segments air on KAYU Fox television and its second digital channel, thisspokane.

Nethercutt encouraged Rotary members to support his campaign.

He said the message in music that defines an era remains true through the years. "Make your life a good story, for you never know, we might be singing your song," Nethercutt said.