Tag: Civics

A Damn Good Idea

This entire country is ignorant on how the government works and that has lead to some silly stuff in government….why is this?

Civics is not a mandatory subject in schools….here in Mississippi a Senator is trying to do something about the ignorance.

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, we must ensure that Mississippi’s students graduate with knowledge of and appreciation for the Declaration of Independence and our state and federal institutions it inspired. Civics knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors are not passed along through the gene pool, but must be built anew with each rising generation of citizens.

To this end, I am proud to author Senate Bill 2292, legislation that would require civics courses in every public and charter school in Mississippi in order for students to graduate high school.

Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously passed SB 2292 with strong bipartisan support. It’s now assigned to both the House Education and Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee, and I encourage my House colleagues to put aside “education politics” of the last couple of years and advance it to the House floor, teeing up its passage prior to our adjournment in April.

Thirty-seven states plus D.C. require stand-alone civics courses for high school graduation, seven of them for a full year. If we pass this bill, beginning with the 2027-28 school year, Mississippi would proudly join this mix.

Civics knowledge is sadly lacking across our citizenry, perhaps most acutely among our students here in Mississippi. Nationally, only 22% of eighth graders achieved proficiency on the most recent NAEP civics assessment — the lowest performance of any tested subject outside U.S. History. For Mississippi students, who largely lack access to a dedicated civics course, the picture is likely no better. Mississippi students deserve better than that national floor.

Sen. Wiggins: Mississippi must require civics education for graduation

This is a stellar idea….not just for Mississippi but for this whole darn country.

Here in Mississippi I do not think this has a chance for state politicians like having an ignorant popular that is easily duped into their schemes and scams.

Hopefully this idea will catch on nationwide…..it is sadly needed for an informed population.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What Happened To Civics Education?

I have been bitching here on IST about the ignorance the American people have on the subject of civics.

Everyday the news is packed full of incidences that illustrate the extent of the ignorance we have on the subject.

This article touches on this problem and some possible solutions.

The week of March 6 is Civic Learning Week, spearheaded by the civic-education network iCivics and marked by a gathering of civics educators and organizations in Washington, D.C. Not only is civics education a worthy cause — it is a critical one. Our nation depends on thoughtful and active citizenship for its very existence.

In a time when so much of our public discourse focuses on what divides us, it is worth remembering that we are all a part of the American political tradition. Left, right, and center — we would all do well to reflect on the tradition that makes us shareholders in a great, diverse, and idealistic nation, and why we should each do our part to keep this tradition alive through civic education. As a self-governing people, we must promulgate and reinforce the central ideas of America at every level of education and in every community.

Yet we have neglected civic education for a generation or more.

First, the progressive movement of the early 20th century challenged traditional American concepts of self-government. Instead, progressives celebrated the administrative state as a solution to the increasing complexity of society’s problems. Rather than solving problems through representative democracy, progressive leaders delegated problems to bureaucracies, and so there arose a professional expert class of civil servants. The knowledge of governing increasingly became a matter for specialized expertise.

Second, in the wake of these progressive innovations, schools lumped much of what was once known as civics and history under the heading of “social studies.” In the classroom, current events and issues often became more important than a deep understanding of our institutions, history, and national creed.

And third, in our haste to make students economically competent, we often overlooked the need for competence in the work of citizenship. In recent years, science, technology, engineering, and math have crowded out other subjects, including civics and history.

How We Lost Our Civics Education — and How We Can Get It Back

I feel without a knowledge of civics our whole system of government is doomed….but that is just me.

30 years ago the stage was set in stone for this wave of stupid…..

“There is a religious war going on in this country,” declared Pat Buchanan at the Republican National Convention in August 1993.   In the impassioned, game-changing speech he added, “It is a cultural war, as critical to the kind of nation we shall be as was the Cold War itself, for this war is for the soul of America.”

With that speech, Buchanan launched the current round of the culture wars three decades ago. Today, white Christian conservatism has matured into a unified religious, political and social movement exercising power at both the federal and state levels.

And “the soul of America”?  This question is, once again, being fought over.  Among those battling over the definition of America in the 21st century is those who can best identified as the new Last Ditchers.

The New “Last Ditchers”

We need to be very vigil or our beloved system will become as the dodo….and without a good knowledge of civics can save us from ourselves.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Civics, The Lost Knowledge

In the last few decades the American people have lost the knowledge of civics….and our elections and government illustrates what happens when this knowledge is lost.

I say this because of this type of report….

A recent survey found America may need to go back to civics class.

Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Civics Knowledge Survey found only 2 in 5 American adults – or 39 percent – could correctly name the three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. That figure was the highest in five years, up from 32 percent last year.

One in five adults couldn’t name any branch, the study showed.

“A quarter of U.S. adults can name only one of the three branches of government and more than a fifth can’t name any. The resilience of our system of government is best protected by an informed citizenry. And civics education and attention to news increase that likelihood.”

53% correctly said it takes a two-thirds majority of the House and Senate to override a presidential veto.

83% correctly said it was accurate to say that the U.S. Supreme Court has held that a citizen has a constitutional right to own a handgun.

63% correctly said it was inaccurate to say that the Constitution allows a judge to insist that a defendant testify at their own trial.

55% correctly said that Democrats control the House of Representatives and 61% correctly said that Republicans control the Senate.

(al.com)

Since schools seems to avoid teaching our students the knowledge of civics…..apparently that chore is delegated to us bloggers…..

Let us start with George Washington…..and carry on from there….

In his first inaugural address, George Washington put the fate of this country’s democracy in the care of its people. “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government,” Washington explained, “are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” 

Yet 233 years later, civic knowledge among Americans is at an appallingly low level. What’s more, a recent Quinnipiac Report finds 67 percent of Americans think our democracy is in danger of collapse. 

None of this is surprising to those of us who have devoted our lives to improving civic education in this country. Americans are finally starting to pay attention to the alarms raised. Thankfully, there are collective calls for improving civic education – not only during school years but as a lifelong endeavor for every person in our self-governing society.

The challenge for those of us in civic education is threefold: (1) there is less classroom time for civics in primary and secondary school; (2) the marketplace of ideas is crowded with misinformation coming from every direction; and (3) there are few resources designed to engage people of all ages.

https://www.realclearpublicaffairs.com/articles/2022/09/16/civic_education_must_innovate_to_deepen_constitutional_knowledge_and_strengthen_the_republic_854000.html

The study of civics is best when we start with the very document that made this country great, the Constitution…..

When we think of the United States Constitution, we probably consider the structure it gives to our national government. We may think of its presence at the center of political controversies past and present. Or we may think of ways in which the document has been neglected.

But as we mark the 235th anniversary of the Constitution’s signing on Sept. 17, 1787, it’s worth noting the positive ways in which our daily lives as individuals – and our shared lives as citizens – are profoundly shaped by that document.

First, the Constitution is a common reference point for American civic life. The Preamble tells us the Constitution’s purpose – one that “We the People” share together. It speaks of the need to maintain our “more perfect Union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” This purpose is as relevant today as it was in 1787. The founding generation certainly bore a heavy responsibility in adhering to these purposes, but each generation must do its part in the ongoing work of self-government. And each individual citizen is a shareholder in the enterprise of democracy. 

https://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2022/09/16/four_things_we_should_teach_children_about_the_constitution_110766.html

We need a more thorough program for teaching civics at every level of our educational system.

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If You Want Democracy Then Learn…..

Since this country is proud of its democracy maybe a good thing to do is learn a few basic skills that will preserve the democracy that we all say we love…..they are much needed skills as we watch the republic slide into disarray.

This is probably not going to happen because most Americans think they know all there is about the Constitution, the very foundation of this nation.

If you truly love the democracy this country has to have and use all the techniques at our disposal…..if not then the slide that started back in 2010 will eventually eat away at the foundations of this country until we are left with nothing….nothing good.

These simple skills will help this democracy survive and thanx to the site courterpunch.org these skills are easily learned and used….even for the thickest dolts out there…..

As primaries roll out around the country, we’re tracking voter turnout. Raised on Schoolhouse Rock’s cartoon civics lessons, I know that being a good American means voting.

Those 1970’s cartoons weren’t wrong. Voting is the most fundamental act of democratic citizenship. That’s why it has been fiercely contested throughout our history.

But now we’re in the 21st century, deluged by information, increasingly divided, with few models of bipartisanship.

Democracy now requires much more than voting. What should a 21st century Schoolhouse Rocks teach?

Finding information

Most fundamentally, we need to be skilled seekers of information. In this era of deepfakes, bots, and fragmenting media platforms, the ability to access and evaluate information is key. Algorithms push us ever more deeply into one point of view. To address multifaceted 21st century issues, we need deliberately to seek a variety of information, including backstories about controversial events, from differing sources to construct the whole picture.

Understanding our own biases

We must process information skillfully, getting around our inherent neurobiological biases. For example, we naturally lap up information that confirms what we already think but ignore information that challenges our world view. We also are wired for double standards: we attribute another person’s bad behavior to their personality (“she’s late because she’s disrespectful”) while giving ourselves a pass for the same behavior (“I’m late because traffic was bad”). Understanding these natural biases lets us challenge ourselves to explore issues more fully.

Having conversations – not arguments – across divides

Understanding biases promotes a third democratic skill: truly talking with one another. Research, including my own, shows that liberals and conservatives alike often experience cross-divide conversations as an assault on their values. Yet most people also believe these conversations are important and would like to have them to feel connected and informed.

Constructive conversations require listening and asking good questions. Political scientist Andrew Dobson describes listening as our “democratic deficit.” We rarely listen closely to the other side. This undermines our ability to create policy which is seen as a legitimate outcome of democratic debate. Nor do we ask enough genuinely curious questions to learn why others think what they do to help find common ground. As Steve Benjamin, former head of the National Conference of Mayors, noted, “We all suffer from some degree of experiential blindness and need to become experts at learning about others’ perspectives.”

Having complicated relationships

Perhaps the most important – and most difficult — 21st century citizenship skill is maintaining relationships with people who think differently. For a democracy to function, we need not only a robust marketplace of ideas, but also the ability to work together for policy that meets widespread needs. A conservative interviewee in my study remarked, “Everybody is so comfortable being polarized – they are not happy unless they’re mad.”

It’s challenging to hold conflicting feelings about people, appreciating their good qualities while disagreeing on politics. But perhaps we make it harder than it is.

Research shows we overestimate both how much the other party dislikes us as well as how much they disagree with us about policy. Asking genuinely curious questions and remembering what we appreciate just might help us find that we have more in common than we think. Our 21st century democracy needs us to develop these skills.

Learn these skills and use them…..it will not be easy but survival is essential for this country.

Next Question.

How many amendments are there to the Constitution?

(I pause here for the dash to the Google machine)

27 and can you name them?

Do not hurt yourself I can help you out…..

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment lays out five basic freedoms: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the freedom to petition the government.

hese rights were important to establish because they ensured that individuals could think, speak, and act without fear of being punished for disagreeing with the government. 

In addition to being arguably one of the most important amendments, the First Amendment is still very much at the center of America’s political discourse today — from questioning whether or not Twitter bots have First Amendment rights to whether or not the White House banning a CNN reporter violates the Constitution.

https://www.insider.com/what-are-all-the-amendments-us-constitution-meaning-history-2018-11#the-first-amendment-famously-protects-freedom-of-speech-1

Learn this stuff!

You must choose….does the republic survive as a democracy or will it divide itself along ignorant useless biased lines.

It is your decision….choose wisely.

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A Quick Civics Lesson

College Of Political Knowledge

Civics 101

These days few people seem to have no knowledge of how our Congress works (granted the term ‘work’ may be a stretch)….so I thought that a quick short civics lesson is called for…..

The House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Each state receives representation in the House in proportion to its population (there is a minimum of one Representative per state). Rhode Island currently has 2 representatives, David Cicilline and myself. Below are answers to some common questions about Congress and links to additional information related to the legislative process. Click on the questions to jump to the answers.

How are laws made?
How many members of Congress are there?
How long do members of Congress’s terms last?
What does a member of Congress do?
How can I tell what is currently happening on the House floor?
How can I watch the proceedings on the House floor?
How does a Representative introduce a bill?
How do I find out the status of a particular bill in the House of Representatives or the Senate?
What is the Congressional Record?
What is a roll call vote?
What is a Congressional recess?
What is the 115th Congress?

This is by no means a complete education on the functioning of our Congress but I will give the reader an understanding of the workings (when they actually do some work)….

If you want this country to survive then I suggest you read and re-read this and all others.

Do not let stupidity destroy this country…you can be the solution….now take it!

More civics lessons to come……

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Screw Civics!

I have personally thought that all this division in our government comes from the lack of civics education….our students have no idea how the government works and why.

I begin this post with a quote from Fran Herbert, author of the Dune series…….“Good governance never depends upon laws, but upon the personal qualities of those who govern. The machinery of government is always subordinate to the will of those who administer that machinery. The most important element of government, therefore, is the method of choosing leaders.”

So far Red States have proven that their leaders are there solely to press onward some out dated ideology…..they no longer work for the entire country just a small portion that they embrace.

I have made my thoughts on numerous occasions about our failure to educate our children on Civics……

https://lobotero.com/2020/07/14/american-mind-civics-class-part-one/
 
 
 
I rehash all this civics stuff because the governor of Florida has just vetoed a bill that would require students to have civics literacy…..
Would have required the state to develop a civics literacy course study that includes participation in outside activities and a research paper describing the experience. The Citizen Scholar Program would have been headquartered at the University of South Florida. DeSantis said the measure would have promoted the “preferred orthodoxy” of USF. Democratic state Rep. Ben Diamond, the bill’s sponsor, said DeSantis was “demonizing” universities. “There is no reasonable explanation for vetoing legislation that had unanimous, bipartisan support and is aimed at improving students’ understanding of government and the importance of civic engagement,’’ Diamond said in a news release.
Here is the letter that DeSantis issued on the veto…..
 
What are these tools afraid will happen when the children learn civics?
 
Apparently these slugs want to keep the indoctrination in place for our children for if they learn more about how this country works then the archaic ideology they embrace will disappear and a more inclusive society will prevail….they cannot have that.
 
DeSantis is embracing the Orwellian concept….”Ignorance is strength”
 
Let ignorance prevail!
 
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I Read, I Write, You Know
 
“lego ergo scribo”

Lincoln Project Educates

I have been beating my gums endlessly about the lack of proper Civics instruction in our school….it seems someone has stepped up to try and repair our ignorance around civics…the Lincoln Project…..

Chasing after your fellow officials screaming at them, staging protests that gum up Congress, and attacks on the U.S. Capitol aren’t normal, but for some young people, it’s all they’ve ever witnessed from their government, Axios reported.

It’s one of the reasons that the GOP-expat group The Lincoln Project is starting a civics education program they’ll call The Franklin Project. They’ll also start doing grassroots organizing around those who are fed-up with “partisan dysfunction and authoritarianism.” It will become their Democracy Corps, a “hyper-local movement spread across the nation ‘that will advocate for and amplify the values upon which America was founded,'” said Axios, quoting the prospectus.

The move comes amid a group of over 100 Republicans threatening to leave the GOP amid Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-WY) expulsion from the House leadership.

“We’re not the megaphone; we’re the convener,” co-executive director Greg Jenkins told Axios.

(Raw Story)

I applaud this attempt….I just hope that it is a good and concise program on Civics and does not sink to partisan BS.

Should we trust Republicans to do the right thing with the proposed program?

This country needs a vaccine to help them get into the Civics of this country…..if we want a progress past the manure of 2020 then we need this program.

Any thoughts?

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We Need A ‘Counter-Revolution’

There those out there (of which I am one) that believes that there needs to be a standardize educational program on civics.

For too long the subject of civics has been ignored and attempted to reign the subject to the dust bin of history (I always like the saying)…. most Americans are ignorant on the use of civics and how the government works….

Look at the last election and the response by Americans…..where about 10 millions Americans think the election was stolen or somehow illegitimate…. which NO evidence has proven the claims of a stolen election….all of which lead to the insurrection of 06 January….

So I agree with a statement from the Claremont Institute…..that there needs to be an educational counter-revolution.

Claremont Institute president Ryan Williams says that American civic education faces an acute crisis. In his estimation, essentially every institution – the vast complex of media, Big Tech, Hollywood, Fortune 500 companies, and education and government bureaucracies – teaches “vicious lies about America’s Founders” and our nation’s “heritage, heroes, accomplishments, and people.”

Williams argues that what passes for civic education today advances “the goal of wholesale revolution and the institution of a monstrous and unnatural tyranny.”

…

In light of these daunting circumstances, however, he counsels hope: “We at Claremont are happy warriors, and there’s no work we’d rather be doing with friends and fellow citizens.”

Williams describes The Claremont Institute, founded in 1979, as a think tank fomenting a “counterrevolution” to recover civic education through teaching, writing, and litigation. Its mission, he continues, is to restore the natural law and natural rights principles of the Declaration of Independence, the “ingenious political science of the Constitution,” and the “popular constitutionalism and reverence necessary for the maintenance of free government” to “their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life.”

https://realclearwire.com/articles/2021/04/16/the_claremont_institutes_counterrevolution_to_save_america_772948.html#

I believe that civics is one of the most important subjects that needs more attention in our educational system.

Any thoughts?

Coming soon is a post on a new civics project….something that is desperately needed….some may ask why….this cartoon says it all for me….

Image

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Civis 101–US Constitution

These days I seems to me that the American people need to get a better knowledge of our government and no better place to start the US Constitution.

I have found that there is a serious lack of knowledge on the workings of our government….many like to reference the Constitution of the United States when trying to make their point….but usually are ill informed about the document.

This series will attempt to reintroduce the reader to Civics and the working of government……I shall begin with the US Constitution…..the document that started this republic on the road we travel.

I would like to thank teachingamericanhistory.org for this post on the Constitution.

We present below the text of the Constitution as ratified in 1787. Text in blue has been superseded or altered by subsequent Amendments to the Constitution as indicated.

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/constitution-of-the-united-states/
 
Too many people spend time using the Constitution without having the foggiest idea what the document contains.
 
If you want to use the Constitution to make your point then maybe  knowledge of the document is called for.
 
And that knowledge should include the amendments to the Constitution….the Bill of Rights…..
 
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States. And it specifies that “the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
 
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Learn Your Civics

The weekend before the general election and I would like to illustrate what the election is and what it accomplishes.

I have tried to get Americans to re-connect with the civics that they need to be productive citizens of the system.

Sadly our media is way too busy trying to influence the election than they are trying to educate the voter…..

This article is from the BBC and could teach the American media a little something about civics.

The US president has a huge influence on people’s lives both at home and abroad, so when the next election is held on 3 November, the outcome will matter to everyone.

The US political system is dominated by just two parties, so the president always belongs to one of them.

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53785985

Since civics is a disappearing subject this type of article should be in every newspaper web site and printed edition for the last month before the polls open.

Maybe then Americans would learn about their system and stop trying to destroy it with their ignorance.

“Good governance never depends upon laws, but upon the personal qualities of those who govern. The machinery of government is always subordinate to the will of those who administer that machinery. The most important element of government, therefore, is the method of choosing leaders.” ~ Frank Herbert

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

VOTE!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”