Government: We, the People

"We The People," a National Endowment for the Humanities effort designed "to explore the significant events and themes in our nation's history, and to share these lessons with all Americans," includes an "Evidence of American Amnesia" section that reveals that almost two-thirds of Americans think Karl Marx's affirmation, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs," either was, or may have been, included in the Constitution (a show of hands from those who think it "should have been" included). And a recent poll discovered that almost one-third of Americans think that the president may suspend the Bill of Rights in wartime (that third apparently includes the president). Anyway, the initiative gives grants and annually sponsors an essay contest and a Heroes of History Lecture (last year: the founders; this year: Lincoln; it will take them a while to work up to Eugene V. Debs) by a distinguished scholar of American history. <http://www.wethepeople.gov/>