Editorial "Pittsburg Tribune Review Feb 2008"

Young voters should have at least some historical perspective to sort through the razzle-dazzle and double-talk of presidential candidates. Sadly, many wouldn't know FDR's New Deal from a McDonald's Happy Meal.

A survey of 14,000 students at 50 U.S. colleges and universities reveals an abysmal understanding of U.S. presidents and key events of their terms. Nearly 54 percent of tested freshmen flunked. Seniors didn't fare much better.

We're not referring to rote knowledge of names and dates but an understanding of U.S. policies -- those that succeeded and those that ended up in history's dustbin. For example, Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal actually prolonged the Great Depression. And John F. Kennedy's tax rate cuts actually bolstered government coffers.

"If these kids don't know what has happened in the past, our history, then we fear they are going to be fodder for sweeping rhetoric," says Richard Brake, director of the Lehrman American Studies Center at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which commissioned the survey.

And to be sure, there's no shortage of empty rhetoric in this year's presidential election.

From history can be gleaned lessons about presidents who "talked" -- and those who triumphed. Especially in an increasingly turbulent world, this nation can ill afford an ignorant bloc of young voters.