Why People are so damn ignorant

Another article I read that intrigued me today involved why people are so damn ignorant.

I think it stems from our education system, or there lack of. Especially the grade/highschool education systems in much of the "southern" parts of the USA.

• History is not taught well or at all. I barely learned any in school. Perhaps had I went to a public school where 10-20% of the time wasn't spent on religion it may have been different. I read up on historical events myself quite often now a days.
• The cliche goes something like, "if we don't learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it". Well, if the average person now a days knows essentially no history whatsoever, except for perhaps a tiny bit about their own country, what does this portend/foreshadow?
• CREATIONISM only is taught in most schools in the southern parts of the USA, and evolution is banned. Heck, I know there are a quite a few holes in evolution theory, and it's certainly not the full explanation of how life came to be, but creationism has more holes in it than swiss cheese. This type of ignorant attitude by school board systems is the really the reason, if you ask me, why the brainless lead the blind currently in the most powerful country in the world. In the least, both ideas should be taught.
• Even Ancient history should be brushed upon, or at least some history of other cultures. Perhaps if the average person in North America learned that hatred for say, different sexual orientations, is not the way it has always been, things might be different.