Lack of civic literacy. Puritan mores, especially worship of the written word and actual literacy, today's retarded redheaded step-sister of visual literacy, computer literacy, financial literacy and emotional literacy, would have helped, but puritans apparently have forgotten what built america. Catholic countries have always been docile retards in that regard, because the emperor and the pope are always right. Reading between the lines, the root of the word "intellect", was never on the catholic agenda.