I 'm a sucker for all of those man-on-the-street interviews that late-night shows do to reveal just how dumb Americans are . It 's fun to laugh at the people who struggle with simple math problems or are unable to find any country we 're at war with on a map . More than a few even get tripped up trying to name the branches of government . It 's all fun and games until you remember that elections have consequences , and that many of those people who said they could name the president -- but not the commander in chief -- will soon be standing in a voting booth , armed with a ballot . If you think government dysfunction is the country 's No . 1 problem -- and according to a recent Gallup poll , a third of the nation does -- then maybe we should take those hilarious late-night interviews a little more seriously . You see , while we were busy waving our angry finger at Washington , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) released its findings from the Survey of Adult Skills . The group 's research measured the literacy , math and computer skills of 5,000 adults from 16 to 65 and compared those numbers with that of 21 other countries . The good news is that we did n't finish last in anything . The bad news is that we 're in pretty sad shape when not finishing last is the good news . Trailing every country in the survey except Italy and Spain in math is rough . But how the OECD 's findings may play a role in elections and the economy is disturbing . According to the report , `` individuals who score at lower levels of proficiency in literacy are more likely than those with higher proficiency to ... believe that they have little impact on the political process . '' Also `` in most countries , individuals with lower proficiency are also more likely to have lower levels of trust in others . '' U.S. adults ranked 16th in literacy proficiency . The OECD findings seem to be consistent with that of the U.S. Department of Education , which estimated back in 2009 that some 32 million adults lacked the proficiency to read a newspaper . This was captured by a witty USA Today headline about the findings : `` Literacy study : 1 in 7 U.S. are unable to read this story . '' That was kinder than the New York Post headline after the new OECD report : `` U.S. adults are dumber than the average human . '' An uneducated workforce is a hindrance to us all and an uninformed electorate is the thorn in democracy 's side , taunting us with the words of Joseph de Maistre : `` Every country has the government it deserves . '' While it seems there 's a chance we could be headed toward an agreement that will put an end to the partial government shutdown , we must not overlook the fact that the man most credited/blamed for the disruption was on the Senate floor quoting `` Green Eggs and Ham '' during his filibuster . But this is not just a Republican problem . I ca n't help but notice the correlation between a more partisan nation and a more dumb-ass nation -- regardless of party . Remember Ted Cruz is not the first politician to drag Dr. Seuss into the mess that is Washington . In 2007 , during the immigration debate , Sen. Harry Reid read a piece from the New York Times that contained quotes from `` The Cat in the Hat . '' `` And this mess is so big . And this mess is so deep and so tall , we can not pick it up . There is no way at all ! '' Reid then went on to say : `` Mr. President , some would say that is what we have in the Senate today -- a big mess . But if you go back and read Dr. Seuss , the cat manages to clean up the mess . '' I used to think politicians such as Cruz and Reid quoted from children 's books as a way to insult the intelligence of their political foes . Now I 'm wondering if it 's because they 're afraid using big words would lose the rest of us . When Gallup asked Americans what was the country 's top problem , after dysfunctional government , the top-listed items were the economy ( 19 % ) , unemployment ( 12 % ) , the deficit ( 12 % ) and health care ( 12 % ) . Sadly education did n't crack the top five , despite being the one area that really links them all . `` Proficiency in literacy , numeracy and problem solving in technology rich environments is positively and independently associated with the probability of participating in the labour market and being employed , and with higher wages , '' the new OECD report stated . Educators will tell you the best catalyst for prolonged academic success is early childhood education . Among the 38 OECD and G20 countries that participated in a report released last year , we were 28th in the percentage of 4-year-olds who are receiving early childhood education . Hmmm , those late-night interviews are n't so funny anymore .
LZ Granderson cites recent OECD report showing Americans ranking low on skills . He says lack of literacy , math skills provides a sobering take on U.S. democracy . Comment: LZ : It 's no wonder politicians are reading Dr. Seuss aloud on the floor of Congress .