Forget about any moderation in the U.S.; it’s our civic duty to push everything to the point of bizarre. Take freedom for example, now we have a whole new level of freedom — the freedom to be as stupid as we wanna be. “Stupid” is now the new “smart.” If you have potential to be “outrageously stupid,” congratulations, you could go far. You could become a millionaire with your own reality show, or a TV/radio talk show host, maybe a news anchor, or a politician or maybe even president of the United States! The more outrageously dense you are, the more potential you have for hitting it big! Goodness, are you still using your brain? What are you, stupid!?

Turn off and dumb-down. Why do you think when President Obama planned to give school children a pep talk to study hard on their first day of school that some parents and teachers refused to have the children listen to his speech? Those adults knew that being smart would only lead to children working harder! Why work when you can be rich and famous just by being an obnoxious dolt? Barack Obama may be the Commander-In-Chief, but so was George Bush. Now admit it: Between the two, who has more money and fun? Heh, heh, heh!

And speaking of who’s having more fun: Just when you think you’ve seen it all, guess who’s sticking his tongue at us (literally!) on TV — none other than former GOP House Speaker, Tom Delay, on Dancing With The Stars. I had hoped to be entertained; instead I was being grossed out by Tom Delay’s dance stylings of shaking his booty and having his icky hands all over two-time champion, Cheryl Burke. He had to mention that his demands were met to get her as his dance partner. Eeeww. Watching him dance makes me want to shower.

“The Hammer” as he was called in congress, is indicted by a Texas grand jury on criminal charges of conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws. It has been three years now, and the prosecutor has yet to bring the case before a jury. Yes, even he’s dumbfounded, no doubt.

Turn the channel and surprise: Former GOP governor Sarah Palin is on the news. She’s in Hong Kong addressing finance professionals as the keynote speaker at the annual conference of brokerage investment group CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. Previous speakers at this conference were Alan Greenspan, Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Hey, who needs brains when you’re Sarah Palin? The world is her oyster bar to slurp up.

Then the heckler that refuses to get out of our face, GOP Representative, Joe Wilson is keeping us posted on his success. Thus far, he’s collected $2 million for deriding the president in his childish “town hall” outburst. But wait, now he has an action figure too. That’s right, a Joe Wilson doll programmed to utter, “You Lie!” selling for $39.95. Truly a must have for every child: A heckling “You Lie!” non-action action figure.

If you still think it pays to be smart in life, just see how much more it pays to be an absolute doofus. Reality show, soon-to-be-divorced couple, Jon and Kate Plus 8, is the perfect example. They have earned more just by being their screwed up selves, having their screwed up lives with their eight children being filmed in front of millions to gawk and admire. Kate is bent on continuing her Hollywood lifestyle regardless of how it affects the children’s well-being, and Jon is simply running around like a dog trying to be with as many women as possible. Can someone please tell him not every woman is a fire hydrant.

Nonetheless, they have eight children to send to college…wait a second, if dumb is the new smart, the children have no need for college. There you go — more money for mom and Rover.

So stop being a fool asking smart questions when brain-numbing questions are the trend now. Even news reporters know, asking a freaking foolish question over and over again, will eventually land the important, “gotcha!” slip up from the person being interviewed. Catty remarks are always better than facts. Boring facts do nothing for enquiring minds.

Therefore, here’s to us all for pushing freedom of speech and civil rights to glorious heights of bombastic absurdity. So-called values such as dignity, ethics, morals and proper etiquette require too much thinking. Puh-leeze! Stop thinking so much; why waste time? Intelligence is out; stupidity is in. Until people stop being rewarded for being as stupid as they wanna be, acting stupidly holds more promise than responsible consciousness. Oh-oh, I’m starting to feel an urge to heckle already!