Dumb and Dumber

Oh my, oh my, we do have a problem in the good ol' U. S. of A. This calls for another rant. Apologies in advance for it not being particularly funny.
Information
What is the most popular news channel in the US today? Fox News. Fox News has been cited by a recent poll as the most trusted name in TV reporting. Particularly Republicans like what Fox presents; a whopping 74% of Republicans think that Fox News is the most trustworthy of the TV news disseminators.
Another recent study done by the University of Maryland concludes that Fox News makes its viewers stupid.
OK ...
maybe that's not fair. It COULD be that stupid people watch Fox News and that Fox News only brings out the "best" in them.
And what exactly IS that "best" in the nation that wants to claim world leadership? Well, a full 40% of Americans believe in creationism, that is to say specifically that they believe humans were created by God within the last 10,000 years. (Let's just say the Paleolithic Period never happened, OK?) 52% of Republicans have this view while "only" 34% of Democrats or Independents do. Clearly we have a serious failing in our schools' approach to science education if 40% of Americans believe something that is simply not supported by scientific investigation.
In addition, international awareness – especially important for a super-power – is abysmal. Two thirds of college-age Americans cannot find Iraq on a map, and despite a compelling need for speakers of other languages, only about a quarter of our elementary school pupils and less than half of our high school students are exposed to a foreign language. In addition, Americans are outscored by most other developed nations in internationally accepted tests in math, science and reading. This failure cannot be explained away by the diversity of our nation.

Denial
According to the Center of Disease Control, roughly 30% of Americans are obese. Not pleasantly plump, not well-rounded, obese. This contrasts sharply with the public view which, according to one poll, indicates that 90% of Americans think they eat a healthy diet. When First Lady, Michelle Obama, came out in support of better eating habits, she was snarked by Sarah Palin for trying to impose governmental controls on us. Sarah Palin is a Republican leader. She also works for Fox News. She also believes creationism should be taught in our schools.

Defense
The United States spends more on "defense" than all the other nations in the world combined – more than 6 times as much as its nearest competitor, China. It costs around $400,000 per year to support one soldier in Iraq. $400,000 would pay for the following:
1. annual tuition at Harvard University for 10 students with money left over, or for the total costs of almost 20 students to attend the University of Washington, or
2. annual rent for a two-bedroom apartment for almost 60 families of four, living below the poverty line in a city like Seattle, WA., or
3. 160,000 free lunches for children going to our schools, or
4. almost 8 police officers' annual salaries, or
5. pay the total cost of 8 Peace Corps volunteers for one year (includes all administrative costs and volunteer stipends etc.).
Only one soldier. For only one year.
It is harder and harder to be audaciously hopeful.