Are You Stupid?

What's the difference between being ignorant and being stupid?  Merriam-Webster defines "ignorant" as unaware, uninformed.  Their definition of "stupid" is "slow of mind".  

The poll numbers are puzzling:  a majority of people in this country (60+%) say that we're on the wrong track, yet President Obama's job approval rating remains a little above 50%. In my lifetime, presidents have gotten credit for a good economy and blame for a poor economy, regardless of whether they deserved it or not.  Yet, people don't seem to realize that Obama's policies are largely responsible for our being on the wrong track.  

Are people failing to make the connection due to ignorance or stupidity?  It seems that a large segment of the American populace believes everything the president says, even when there's clear evidence that he's lying.  He has backtracked on his previous statements time and time again, yet many people fail to note the inconsistency.  One of the president's favorite tactics is to terrify people with his dire warnings of governmental and societal Armageddon if budget cuts are made, no matter how paltry they may be. It's clear that Obama is willing to sacrifice the well-being of the country and play with peoples' lives to reach his political goal of destroying Republicans.   

Take heart - there is a way to easily raise your IQ at least 10 points: quit believing everything the president tells you.  In fact, take everything he says with a big grain of salt. Actions speak louder than words, so just watch what he does.  

The definitions of "ignorant" and "stupid" as stated above imply that ignorance can be fixed, but stupidity is a permanent state. Gathering good, solid information and being open-minded enough to explore it is a remedy for ignorance. It's one thing to be ignorant, but quite another to voluntarily remain ignorant. That would be, well, stupid.