Educated Citizenry

Policy or politics?

2012-01-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

This is the height of the primary season. Speeches are coming from many candidates and those that are in office. How do you tell whether a speech is an "action" speech
(a speech that is directed towards correcting a specific problem, or a speech designed to address a problem that would be good for politics.
Policy or Politics?
A letter to the editor in January 26, 2012 Arizona Republic, by Dennis Santillo, addresses this very problem
"Whenever there is a major address or action by a politician, there emerges the
conjecture: Is this a political speech or a policy speech, a real effort to
address a problem would be good politics!
People would vote for the politician who did the right thing, right?
Yet, it is well-recognized that there is (sic)a difference between what is
political and policy.
...why is that? ...because the electorate is too ignorant to be able to tell
it.
We vote, not on the basis of an intelligent, well-informed analysis and
judgment, but on some emotional/visceral reaction."

Reference President Obama's State of the Union speech. Was it an action speech, or a political speech. It was both. You need to read the text to find where it turns from one element to the other. Most politicians give speeches that have solutions to problems, but are good for politics also. It is at this point in a speech where a politician reaches into his "party's" platform (things they stand behind and/or want to see changed) You can identify the move when they start to enunciate the party's position, or downgrade the other party's positions. An action speech usually has ways available to those voting on the issue that it can be done in the easiest manner. Remember, if you want to change someone's mind on an issue, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to say "yes". So, if you see that kind of activity within a speech, the politician is making it easy for the voter, congress person, whomever to say yes, usually that is calling for action by the listener on the issue. Political speeches can take several forms, usually it backs up the speaker and his position on the issue. He is asking you for your support, in whatever form.
It is up to you to sort through the speech, see if you can identify with any of the positions; can those positions turn you into a supporter? If so, how much, verbal, monetary, unpaid worker, have house parties for the candidate? Do you want to hear more? Less?

Only One Side?

2012-01-22T17:59:00.000-08:00

Are you only reading, watching, listening to one side of an issue? All people like to feel comfortable with the views they receive. They tend to only read the newspapers, magazines, and/or blogs they have chosen according to their political beliefs. They tend to watch only those news programs that also feel comfortable, for instance, liberals watch MSNBC, or CNN, Conservatives watch Fox News and listen to Rush Limbaugh on the radio.
Do you realize you are only getting what you are comfortable with? You are not allowing new thoughts into your frame of reference to challenge your comfortable thoughts. Perhaps a challenge would change, or at least, strengthen your existing beliefs.
Instead of reading a local conservative newspaper, once in a while, say once a week, read a liberal paper. See what the other side is saying! Are you only watching liberal MSNBC for your news, switch over to Fox News to see what their point of view represents. If you listen/watch Rush Limbaugh, switch over to Rachel Maddow and listen to how the liberal see the same issue.
If you open your frame of reference to other opinions and beliefs you will solidify your discussions with others about the issues. Perhaps you never looked at the issue as the other party before.
When you go into the voting booth to cast your ballot, you want to feel comfortable with your decision.

Primary Election II

2012-01-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

“The candidate of a party becomes that party’s candidate because he or she is the choice of the party’s registered voters. This primary system of selecting the party’s candidates is now either mandatory or optional in all states and is almost universally used. In most states such primaries are “closed,” which means that only the voters who have officially registered as members of a party may participate in that party’s primaries. However, a few states hold “open” primaries, which means that the voter is not required to disclose a party preference but can mark any party’s primary ballot within the privacy of the voting booth. In some states, if no candidate is able to win an absolute majority in the first primary election a run-off election is held a few weeks later. In the run-off election the two candidates who received the most votes in the first primary compete for the nomination. “ Robert C. Bone , American Government.
(A small note: usually run-off election rules are very lax. A run-off election held in Arizona was won by the turn of a card)
Once the winner has been decided for that party, running for the office begins in earnest.
The party involved will campaign what will show off their candidate’s best side. Unfortunately, winning contests have been won using a term
called “mud-slinging”. The opposing party “digs” up “dirt” on the other candidate, such
as: marital infidelity, questionable accounting practices in their campaign, pressure on
certain individuals using various under the table tactics to influence them to “get behind
their candidacy”. The Governor of Illinois was recently sent to prison for 14 years for
attempting to “sell” President Obama’s Senate Seat to the highest bidder. Although this
did not have anything to do with a primary election, it shows what ends politicians will
stoop to for a winning election.
It is your job to find the items you favor and see which candidate has the most trustworthy presentation. Could you vote for that person in the up-coming General election?
This may take many hours of research, or if you are a supporter of a “polarizing” election item such as; abortion, your selection would be easy.
What is a polarizing event? A subject that is so severe in it’s meaning and thrust that a voter will vote for that candidate whether or not they agree with anything else the candidate stands for. With abortion, many people on the far right believe that life begins with the sperm fertilizing the egg within the woman’s womb. If that be the case then abortion would be killing a “person” with all the rights and privileges of an 18 year old citizen. Because the fertilized egg can not think for itself at the moment, the state must do it for the baby. Usually a court takes over and that ensures rights and privileges. It is polarizing because you can’t be a little bit pregnant. Usually abortions are permitted on those women that have conceived via incest, or rape or danger to the mother’s life. Candidates on the right make sure their “constituencies” know their position on abortion.
You should be able to ascertain the issues that you can stand behind and those that you can not. Can you stand up in a meeting and defend your position? Are you able to come back with knowledgeable answers to people’s responses?
What is on the line? If your “opponent” wins the election and the views presented by that person is used in Congress and you will have to abide by his/her presentation and representation. Is that acceptable? Or, will you research a bit more to strengthen your position when you present your side. Look for areas of your “opponent’s” presentation that you disagree with and research why you disagree and be ready for a further discussion with the candidate.

Primary Elections

2011-12-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

“Primary Elections are the selection by a political party of candidates for public office to run for election on the party ticket” The Volume Library.
This article is mainly about the voter’s role. If you want the entire process, check the references at the front of the blog (Principles of Democracy and National center for Constitutional Studies)
This is the first opportunity for you to use your vote for the candidate of your choice. It is assumed you have selected a party based upon your research and frame of reference. You must register with the Registrar of Voters, by whatever name it is in your area. You will be placed into the pool of voters. You will also be placed into the pool of a political party that you have selected. In the year of election (All U.S. Representatives are elected every two years for a two year term; Senators are elected on a rotating schedule. The Founding Fathers believed that there should always be a core element remaining each election that could continue the processes already achieved. Thus, the Senators are elected for a term of six years, with one-third of the Senate seats up for election every two years
Usually the primaries take place just after the start of the new year through March. The political parties use this time to select people they feel will be a good candidate to run against the other party in the “General Election that takes place on the first Tuesday in November. That gives the party time to put all their weight behind the final candidate and have “debates “ with the other party’s candidate.
The “ Primaries” have many views presented and offer good and bad choices. It is up to you to use your intelligence to select a candidate you can “live with” from your party to vote for in the primary. Sometimes, there is no clear choice, so you still need to make a selection, perhaps using the old TV expression, selecting the least Objectionable—the one you can “live with”.
I will continue with the “Primaries” in the next Blog.

2011-12-19T20:16:00.001-08:00

WHO IS READING THIS BLOG?

2011-12-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

Educated Citizenry is being read world-wide. The activity "Arab Spring" has spiked interest in other countries who have similar feelings.
The following countries are reading this blog: Russia, USA, U.K., Germany, France, Georgia, Australia, Canada, Romania, Hungry, Poland, Netherlands, Iran, Ukraine, and Latvia. You might ask; can everyone read English? There is no need. The computer translates to the language the reader uses in his country. One thing I need to mention. The computer does the translation in reverse also. If you want to write a comment in the space provided beneath the blog, go ahead, write in your native tongue and I will receive it in English. Comments are very important, questions stimulate conversation..
A follower. Please become a follower. Place your photo in the space provided so we can get acquainted.
Democracy and a democratic-republic may be strange to you perhaps I can answer your questions.
Ed Cit

Obligations of citizenship

2011-11-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

Do Citizens have obligations toward one another that they do not have toward other people in the world?

We consent to be governed by accepting citizenship in the country of birth (Remember, children of dual birth must make a decision when they reach the age of consent). ( An exception might be the American of Jewish decent born in America may be sent in their teens to help become military personnel in Israel, usually attending a pre-training the summer before actual induction . As long as the citizen complies with the country of origins duties and obligation, they can participate in another country, however loyalty to the mother country must be kept.).

Yes, they do feel as if they owe loyalty and communalty, however, they also remember the amounts of money they pay towards the protection of the country that provide the peace and serenity of the community. When that peace and serenity is interrupted by corrupted government, or lack of enforcement the citizen starts to stop the loyalty. These are the people who start to look to other forms of government or other forms of government or other countries to move to.

If a country is attractive to foreigioners, enough to seek crossing our borders illegally, usually the people of that country “love” the country Patriotically enough to be virutious. However, if a country treats citizens of other countries the same as said countries own citizens, especially of people coming into said country and not paying the same “taxes” a normal citizen pays, the originating citizenry will not accept the incoming immigrants because they have not paid their fair share and are not entitled to the same benefits.

Should citizens be treated differently than other people from other countries? Citizens should be treated differently than other people who live here. Citizenship means that the people who have that position in their country have participated in making the country what it is. They have put the hard work into the council meetings, the physical work of knocking on doors, discussing the pros and cons of issues towards passage, taking part in the government as a citizen. People coming from other countries have been raised in their government’s political contacts, alliances,funding their own political structures and are unfamiliar with the manner in which we solve our political problems and elections.

These people need to be treated differently for many reasons. They have not participated in our political process, including going through the naturalization process. They may be receiving benefits from other countries. They would be bending our citizenship prerequisites such as receiving emergency medical aid, which could be conceived as receiving American Citizenship through the backdoor. Spending the money set aside for American Citizens on illegal migrants could be considered a form of foreign aid without Congressional approval.

The moral answer is the people who take part in the governcy process do not receive the benefits, but outsiders benefit when they are not entitled to it!

Citizens within a country feel a kinship with fellow citizens. They understand that people fall on hard times and sometimes need a hand up. Citizens do not like fellow citizens that “use” the system, like staying on welfare for life, not attempting to find a job, milking hospital emergency rooms, They will the other way when fellow citizens fall on hard times, like a natural disaster, because they are fellow citizens. However, immigrants have another country to fall back on for their emergencies. Why should the current country of their existence pay for discomfort? Usually churches help those people who are in a time of need, however, people who cause the mother country to build expensive fences, provide border guards to help out our country, raise the funds spent by all citizens and make the expenses in the mother country high. Citizens do not appreciate the countries that encourage their citizens to leave their country because they do not have an economy that can assist their own “citizens” with education enough to be able to get jobs that could help their economy. The class system in these countries keeps the uber-rich in charge and keeps most of the remaining citizens mired in an economy that can not be a threat to the uber-rich.

People are more accepting of citizens accepting welfare than providing welfare for non-citizens. America provides foreign aid to other countries world-wide, however, welfare to immigrants become a form of foreign aid for those immigrants. Logically America should be sending a statement of charges spent on each illegal immigrant,plus the cost for giving the funds plus interest. That would have to go through Congress and it would never happen, however, the way it is being handled goes around Congress- takes money from our Treasury and raises taxes on our existing citizens. The taxes our citizens pay for these items are specifically for US Citizens, not for illegal immigrants. The moral significance on resource allocation within national boundaries is those funds belong to the citizens who have paid for the assistance, it is not foreign aid.

This distinction is morally defensible and is not a prejudice of our own kind. No other country allocates foreign aid to our Country- if we do not stick to our policies, our own citizens would not receive needed assistance. Our government has seen the need for assistance and our citizens support that decision both with paying taxes and voting for those people who submitted the legislation.

Who should we care about “our own”? People in America live in the one country where opportunity is a key word. Anyone can work hard enough in America to become a rich-person. All areas of America keep that “opportunity” word at the forefront of their duties – People take pride in helping others, as evident in most endeavors with America.

Factcheck , your source for the truth

2011-10-18T00:08:00.001-07:00

Do you ever wonder if what a politician is saying in is speech, or in his proposed legislation is truth or fiction? Well, the Annenberg Foundation has provided the answer.

http://www.annenbergfoundation.org “ The Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) was established in 1993.” Its’ main purpose sought to increase the impact of the scholarship produced at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication. “By conducting and releasing research, staging conferences and hosting policy discussions, its scholars have addressed the role of communication in politics, and other major fields.” The discussion always meet the high road of neutrality and have searched out the main facts that are true to the issues discussed.

If you want to know if your candidate is speaking the truth, go to http://www.factcheck.org/ the next day and find out what the Annenberg people have to say.

Remember, your job as an educated citizen is to seek out the truth about what is happening in politics and add it to your frame of reference.

"and all the advantages of cool deliberation"

2011-10-11T09:41:00.001-07:00

“and all the advantages of cool deliberation”

Thomas Paine, December 1778

A Serious Address to the People of Pennsylvania

In a response to a letter from Conrad Alexander Gerard, French Prime Minister to the United States, Thomas Paine included material about how the particular form of our” new constitution had not then been made a matter of controversy; so that the members meet unbiased, unprejudiced, and unawed by party influence, and all the advantages of cool deliberation.”

I bring this up because you as an educated citizen, need to strive for your vote in an “unbiased, unprejudiced and unawed…and all the advantages of cool deliberation.

Because you as a citizen need to make an educated decision upon the votes placed before you, being objective about the material is an obligation. Try not to go into any vote carrying the burden of your entire friend’s opinions, TV ads, signs, opinion polls, etc. You need to gather the evidence listening to all the evidence with an open-mind, not a mind that has been charged with political rhetoric, but with facts, hardened with evidence. This takes time. Research is the key element. You must trust your resources, commentators, political news, then weigh the evidence so you feel comfortable about your decision. This is what gives you “all the advantages of cool deliberation”.

What about political affiliation? Yes, people stand behind their party’s convictions, however, by keeping an open mind; you should be able to weigh those convictions against facts and your hypothesis about the issue. It is at that point that you make your decision. The conviction should be strong enough so you feel “all the advantages of cool deliberation”

Build up instead of tearing down!

2011-09-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

I see many articles in the periodicals tearing down existing laws, court cases, items to consider: What I don't see in these articles is something to replace what they want to tear down with workable material.
Somewhere beforehand, elected officials, bosses, whomever, saw a need for such an action. Perhaps after using the action for several years there are flaws apparent. Most of the pundits give reasons to do away with the item all together.
What they should be writting about is the flaws they see, and possible SOLUTIONS to those flaws, perhaps with avenues to make the corrections in the fastest way possible. (i.e. word changes, cuts in the budget for obsolete items, etc.)
It is very easy to criticize someone's work, because they have already done the hard work; to research, write, gain passage, help with regulations, etc. When you add how to correct the flaws, the critics do not want to go through the hard work the original "author" did to gain passage.

Republicans want tax increase!!

2011-08-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

In last Friday's Arizona Republic, there was an article about the Republican party desiring a tax increase. Wouldn't that ruin their "Pledge" ? In their pledge, they say they will not accept any tax increases. The tax increase they are espousing is the increase on wages--of course on the common man only!! This is the kind of material you need to dig up to see which side you want to vote for, be sure of your vote.

Loopholes, not for everyone, just the rich

2011-07-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

Loopholes, according to New Webster's Dictionary is: "a textual basis in a document or law for escape or evasion of taxes, legal commitment, or obligation".
For those who would like to read a book about "loopholes" in the Internal Revenue Department, I recommend David Cay Johnston's book" Perfectly Legal--the covert campaign to rig our tax system to benefit the super rich--and cheat everybody else. This book discusses and explains the various dodges the super-rich and their accountants take to insure they do not pay any taxes.
Perhaps you have heard in the Debt Ceiling discussion, the Democrats saying they want to eliminate the private jet exemption. What they are talking about is an exemption for the super-rich, that the normal person does not have the option to take. First, the super-rich can afford a passenger jet, and they get to write off the cost/ maintenance/pilot expense/fuel/ repairs/ you name it, right off their Income. Second, they get to have many houses in different areas, and get to write it all off because they have to entertain their potential clients, same with athletic tickets.

Perhaps you or your parents have participated in the mortgage interest deduction, it brings down your gross income down to less of a tax to pay, that one you get to participate in, " however the strategy to broaden home ownership has instead morphed into a vast subsidy for the best-off Americans. The more the house cost, the bigger the tax subsidy. And the more owners earned, and thus the higher their tax rates, the bigger the subsidies. Combining these two factors created a huge benefit for highly affluent Americans but only a minuscule one for those most in need of help to buy their home."

The "Recession" we are in today comes as a result of lending to people who desired that tax "subsidy", however, did not have the money to pay for any increases in interest raises, nor the backup funds to cover them if they should be laid off.

Currently the debt ceiling discussion has talked about eliminating the "Mortgage Deduction" from the tax code. President Obama mentioned to Boehner that it could be put on the table. That would really hurt the lower 90% of the population, but not the affluent. That looks dead now, because the Republicans would not budge on tax increases.

I won't go into all the loopholes discussed in the book. He has another one out that is newer, I have to get a copy. I would recommend reading this book as a minimum, then get the next one if you want.

Compromise - settle by mutual agreement

2011-07-14T01:18:00.000-07:00

As an educated citizen, you follow the discussions on TV, radio, media. One of the biggest political problems that is facing America at this date, is raising the deficit limit. America has a good credit rating to this point, however, if the deficit limit is not raised so America can continue to write checks to pay bills, America could be faced with defaulting on interest payments to the bond holders that have been supporting our economy. That would be very bad for America.
Currently the Republican Party has a majority in the House of Representatives, the body in Congress that is the only one that can initiate revenues for the government. The President and the Senate are in the hands of the Democratic Party. There is an impasse between the two majorities about the deficit limit. The Republicans are unwilling to have any taxes raised on the wealthy, nor taking away subsidies to corporations, or tax breaks for the wealthy. The Republicans desire the Democrats to make spending cuts in Medicare and Welfare, of which there is starting to have some movement towards Compromise.
The date for the settlement must be struck by August 2nd.
Both sides of this "battle" seem to be weakening, which is what is necessary to reach a compromise. It is up to you as an educated citizen to search out both sides of the issue, study them and be able to support your position to neighbors, letters to the editor and Congressmen, and friends. Up to this point the Republicans have been adamant they were not going to compromise in any way. They are taking a second look, can you find out what they are looking to compromise on? The Democrats? Once they try to "Compromise" can either side get everything they want? Both sides will be able to go back to their constituencies and explain that they fought hard for their positions, however the compromise included what was good for the entire population and the economy. They will have to attempt to get what they were trying to get in their original ideals at some later time.

Best System of Government in the World

2011-07-08T00:48:00.000-07:00

Becoming an educated citizen, takes a long time. Your frame of reference must be large. Your beliefs must be well earned, not just latched on to on a whim. In an article in the local paper, Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post writer, explains, "Our huge national pride which often strikes others as arrogance--rests on economic accomplishments and even more on what scholars call the American Creed: the faith in freedom; the rule of law; equal opportunity; and democratic ideas and political institutions. What defines us (and this differs from most societies) is not ethnicity, race or religion but our bedrock beliefs." (AZ Rep Jul 4, 2011, page B7)
Because our society is so vast, well-educated and ever diligent watching over the government activities, people have tended to move in two basic directions.
Conservatives: "those people who respect existing institutions and traditions that anchor the social order, to them, Change--especially radical change is a last resort, not because today's world is perfect, but because efforts to improve it might make it worse."
What has occured in current politics is the Republican party, the Conservatives, have been endowed by their followers with enough money to legislate, to use their weight in select committees to tip the balance of "tax breaks to their followers, thus the wealthy few are making most of the money, while the remainder are slipping further and further behind in economics.
Liberals: (Reactionaries), "those that desire a return to an earlier system, or order." This is the view of the normal citizen. " They have more confidence in a large government to enhance social justice." "They defend virtually all Social Security and Medicare benefits. Everything can be financed, they suggest by cutting defense or increasing taxes on the rich.
I have just touched the surface about politics in America. You need to start thinking about which way you think, do you want to change? Do you want to stay the same? Are you willing to help the side that you have chosen? Will you go door-to-door to help explain those things you advocate? The only way a Democractic-Republic can change or leave things as they are is in the voting booth. Your vote is very important, but can you convince others to vote the way you support? It takes "bedrock beliefs" to convince people to your way of thinking.

Senator Bernie Sanders: Calling for Shared Sacrifice

2011-06-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

Senator Bernie Sanders gave a wonderful speech in the Senate. It outlines how the United States got into the mess we are in, George W. Bush, then outlines how we can remedy the situation. It is done in outline form and makes perfect sense, however, everyone needs to work for the common good. Please read,or, if you want to see the video you may click into: http://www.commondreams.org/video/2011/06/27-1
The print copy would be a good one to print off and help guide your representatives in Congress to strive for their corrective legislation: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/06/27-11
.

Frame of Reference Example

2011-05-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

Several blogs ago, Frame of Reference was the topic. I received an email from a friend about Thomas Jefferson. It is such a good example of building a frame of reference that I thought it would be good to include it in this blog.
Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
Over the years the world has seen many brilliant people-and then there was Thomas Jefferson. Here is a snapshot of his background. Brilliant does not begin to describe him.
Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life, and never stopped...

At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek, and French
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America" and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.
At 33 took three years to revise Virginia's legal code and wrote a Public Education Bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophic Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello.
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams.

Thomas Jefferson was the finest mind in the colonies, his "Frame of Reference was extensive. How did he obtain such a frame of reference? First, he was fortunate to come from the upper class and had time to read, take part,travel, use his mind, body and senses. When he looked at a situation, because he had worked so hard in his research, his frame of reference engulfed what ever he was receiving and he could weigh the strengths and weaknesses better than anyone, people relied upon his judgement. Jefferson amassed the largest "library" in the colonies( his library would later become the beginning of The Library of Congress) Remember, books were expensive and hard to obtain. A person of wealth could spend that kind of money and he had the time to read and strengthen his "Frame of Reference".
He also studied previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God,his laws and the nature of man.
John F. Kennedy said it best:
He held a dinner in the White House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligent people ever to gather at one time in the White House, with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

Being a citizen in a democratic republic takes education, constant updating of knowledge, travel--America is beautiful, but it also has physical problems that it's citizens need to engulf, an active curiousity and the ability to get involved in civic events. Learn to serve as a volunteer, join a service club, group that helps the homeless , get to see all your neighbors. There is much more, however this example of Thomas Jefferson shows you what made up his Frame of Reference--it took a great deal of work. Are people going to rely upon your decisions?

Empty Exercises II

2011-04-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

Empty Exercises © was originally phrased in 2005 by John Nichols, then The Nation's Washington D.C. Correspondent in an article called "An Empty Exercise in Deceit" on Friday, January 21, 2005. The article was about President G.W. Bush's second inaugural address
It discussed the first term of GWB and he suggested that the second term wouldn't be any better. He discussed Iraq and Bush's deliberate misreading of intelligence information that lead us into that situation, and he thought that there was no indication whatsoever that he had learned from the mistakes and misdeeds of his first term.
Mr. Nichols brought out Empty Exercises by Mr. Bush: "America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling." Sounds great doesn't it? But, "did anyone read that as an abandonment of the doctrine of preemptive war that served as an excuse for the unilateral invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq during the President's first term? The article goes on to explain several areas where Americans were deceived.
The article brings forth several areas that we citizens must watch our politicians and our wallets.
A concept that is common of politicians everywhere: The Hallow Law. A politician's constituency is upset about a specific problem in his district. Let's say, tainted water by a chemical plant that is harming the people down river. The people organize, an interest group, they do everything correct; they bring their problem to their representative. The politician is concerned about the problem and takes their concerns under advisement and will get back to them as soon as possible. What the interest group doesn't know is, the owners of the chemical plant gave the Congressman money for his campaign, the Congressman owes them a favor, so, the Congressman calls the owner of the factory and the owner is asked to write a bill for a law prohibiting the chemical factory from putting chemicals in the river. The interest group sees the bill move forward and moves smoothly through Congress and is signed by the President. After the bill is enacted, the interest group people test the water and see that the chemical plant is still putting chemicals into the river. They are furious--they haven't been active for a while and can't get too many people excited about something they thought they had solved. When the interest group goes to the representative and asks why they are still putting chemicals into the river, the Representative looks over the signed bill and finds a small paragraph explaining that this bill applies to chemical plants with more than 20,000 square feet of operation, the plant up the river from the people only has 10,000 square feet, thus the bill does not apply to that plant because it falls under the 20,000 sq.ft floor.
The people did everything correct, except having a watchdog go over the bill before it was adopted, having paragraphs ready for insertion into the bill and having the watchdog make sure it was inserted, checking on the size of the plant, and making sure their representative worked for them.
The bill, now a law looked great from the outside, just as a hallow log looks, but the inside of the log was deteriorated by ants, termites small and large animals just as members of "Free Enterprise" eat away at perfectly well-intentioned "bills" so that they are protected from the "rule of the citizens". The reason they wanted the chemicals dumped into the river was: 1. It was easy, 2. It was cost effective, 3. They didn't care for where ever or whomever was damaged, all they cared about was the bottom line profit.
If you know any "Empty Exercises" that you would like to comment about, please feel free to discuss them in the comment section below.

Empty Exercises

2011-04-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

Empty exercises, those exercises of political, economic, religious, whatever, that "fake out" their constitency, but show their efficacy in doing a job that they have been put in place to represent their constituency, team, whomever, and make themselves valuable and stay in their positions.
A prime example is the Republican Party in the majority within the current U.S. House of Representatives. Another would be the Republican Party in the House that voted to impeach then President William J. Clinton.
The current Republican Party in the House, has introduced bills that they know will never pass the Senate or the veto process of the President. They are doing what they were elected to do by their constitutency, and their political party. What these political people are forgetting is; they were put in their positions to represent the people. They are supposed to receive the information presented to them in Congress and vote for the greater good instead of taking their preconceived ideas of their constituency and party to vote in a block. They need to acheive the passage of bills that will actually pass through the House/Senate and President. It is ideally why they were put into office. Empty Exercises WASTE TIME!
When you are thinking about who you want to support for a political party, insure you watch their previous performances, their support for legislature, their language in the public. There is a Senator who recently made a statement of fact, in a speech, but when shown that he had made a error, he simply said that any of his public speeches are not statement of fact. I think he needs to re-think that statement, our representation is in those positions to gather in all the data, make a judgement on the issue and state to his constituency what he has found out and why he agrees or disagrees.

Victory does not have to include violence!

2011-02-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

Victory, victory, victory!!! The Egyptian population, led by youth and technology led a non-violent revolution to oust their leader of nearly three decades. This revolution is setting the example for the Arab world. It can be done without weapons!! Congratulations to all the people who participated in the win and the clean-up. Did you see everyone cleaning up after themselves? EVERYONE pitched in!! Yahoo!!!!
Now the hard work begins. With the assistance of the military, the civilian population can now start the very difficult job of organizing political parties, having committees seek out what needs changing within the government/Constitution, organizing fund raising, seeking people to run for office, ensuring safety for all concerned, GETTING THE ECONOMY BACK ON IT'S FEET, putting many of the unemployed college educated people into jobs where they can use their learning as an asset and help get the country back on it's feet. The effort before them is daunting, it will take every fibre of strength within their bodies to make this all work. But, if they can make a revolution go off as well as they did this one, WORKING TOGETHER IS ALREADY A GIVEN!!

Tucson Tragedy demands gun control

2011-01-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

Common Dreams.org is a wonderful addition to the internet. One of the latest articles is from Harvey Wasserman, Jan 13, 2011 "The Second Amendment Demands Gun Control." Mr. Wasserman is senior advisor to Greenpeace USA and the Nuclear Information Resource Service, and writes regularly for http://www.freepress.org/.
The Second Amendment supports the control of guns--not slaughter that compromises our security.
The debate that has occurred during the past few months from Sarah Palin and her "crosshairs" on certain "districts" and the Foxnews opinionists is long overdue. Perhaps a suggestion that may help both sides of the debate.
Here is what the Second Amndment actually says:
     "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state,
       the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

According to Mr. Wasserman: "...the right to bear arms is granted only in the context of a well-regulate militia and thus the security of a free state."
"A National Guard, yes. Heavily-armed lunatics roaming the streets unregulated? Never."

There is a country where all males between the ages of 18 and 65 belong to the "Militia". The largest national celebration is the "National Turkey Shoot", where the nation finds out who is the best shot. To accomplish this Turkey Shoot, all males are issued the latest rifle, army uniforms, helmet, etc. the militia meets periodically in there own "locale" plus serve a "tour of duty, usually two weeks during the summer--there are no exceptions, when your tour of duty comes up, you must go. As a militia member you are expected
to know all about your military, including gun safety. The country is the best defended, best equiped military in the world. Airplanes are hidden in small hamlets and use streets to take-off and land, artillery positions are within false-fronted mountains, supplies are within false-side walls, all roads and bridges are tank-trapped and have hidden explosive charges that can be exploded from a central command post, the entire population takes part in assisting, and the government has planned for the protection of the population.
In all major cities, there are underground shelters fully stocked with rations, beds, hospitals, sanitation,water, you name it, for the entire city population.
This nation has a proud heritage in their military. At one time, their troops were the highest paid mercenaries, because they always won battles. Currently, their troops are still paid warriors, Paid by the Vatican. Yes, those young men standing guard in the black and orange pantaloons with a pike for protection(a long stick with a metal point). These positions are passed from father to son. Their heritage is Swiss.
Yes, Switzerland is the country referenced here. They protect there country so well, that when Hitler was looking to move into France in WWII, he had two choices, one was Switzerland, the other was Belgium. He knew he would never make it through Switzerland because of their preparation, so he chose the other route. Switzerland is known for it's neutrality, banks, wonderful food, and nice people.
Perhaps, our government could glean some of what the Swiss do and apply it to our 2nd amendment situation. It would take plenty of work, however, it would take care of our "gun situation" and it would take care of our "men" situation. All men between the ages of 18-65 would be in the militia. We could still have a voluntary army such as we currently have, however, the only way you could get into the "voluntary army" would be to have served in the militia and obtained skills that could be used in the "voluntary army".   If you let your imagination run away with yourself, this would eliminate many problems. For example: Young men would not be allowed to go to college without serving say, 18 months after they graduate from high school in the militia, then they could go to college, say with money from still serving in the militia, or scholarships from the militia for being the best rifleman, the best mechanic, etc.
Problem youths would be eliminated. The militia would establish military discipline and the young people would come into the college world invigorated and excited to accomplish their next level. Oh, you say, no one does that to their youth. Germany does. German 18 year-olds are required to do just as I have described above. Except for those 18 year-olds that have passed the Arbeitur. That is the exam all German youth's must take to graduate from Gymnasium, or high school. Those student's have their entire college education paid for by the state. Real incentive to achieve!!
All students would have the opportunity to attend college. Rich alumni's children would not be the only ones attending college's.   I think you see where this could continue. You don't have to believe what I have written. I have placed a link for your viewing about the Swiss Army and it's preparation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEOLonBfaD8
The Swiss have the luxury of being able to trust their government and the government has the luxury of being able to trust their people.

Republicans signal intentions--but, are they going to be productive?

2011-01-03T23:23:00.000-08:00

The Republican Party will be assuming control of the House of Representatives soon, but their early messages from newly appointed committee chairmen indicate stall tactics and wasted time.
There has been word from these committee chairmen that they are going to call all the Democratic Administration Cabinet Officers in to their committees to explain why they spent so much money in the past two years. In my opinion, this is a waste of time. The Republicans only want a stage from which to present their particular views against what the Democrats accomplished--but notice, absolutely nothing will be presented to "correct" what the Democrats have accomplished.
They are going to attempt to repeal the Health Care Bill, that has already been signed,sealed and delivered. They might get a repeal measure through the House, but won't get it through the Senate, remember, the Senate has a Democratic majority, plus they won't get it past President Obama's veto and there are not enough votes to override the President's veto in Congress (there must be 60% in each house to override a Presidential veto).
This is the kind of thinking you must develop if you going to be an EDUCATED CITIZEN. The Republicans are doing the same thing they did with former President Bill Clinton and his impeachment. EVERYONE KNEW THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH VOTES TO CONVICT PRESIDENT CLINTON in the Senate, but the Republicans wanted to put a black mark on President Clinton's presidency, so they proceeded with the impeachment and trial. The Republicans are going to have their hands full with the new Tea Party members that were elected this term. The Tea Party members are upset with everyone, including the Republicans. Look at their pledge to America last year, they listed many items they wanted to do, but did not list one single way to correct the situation, they wanted to call for a meeting of constituents and have them find out how to correct the situation. That is not leadership.
One other small point, President Clinton's presidency gave GWB $282 Billion in surplus. After eight years of Bush, Obama was faced with the largest deficit since the Depression, you might ask, where did all the money go? Hummmm, let's see, contracts being let to "friends" without the bidding process, two questionable wars--off budget--filling the pockets of lobbyist and friends, the list goes on and on. It will be interesting to see how the Republicans jump on Obama's spending. The Republicans are going to open the proverbial can of worms.

Now, that's more like it.

2010-12-25T23:19:00.000-08:00

The efforts of Congress this past week, passing crutial bills, working together, compromising, looking out for Americans, that's what a Congress is supposed to look like. Look how much they accomplished in one week, what if they would work that hard at what else is on their agenda and actually clean up the legislation, clean up the I.R.S. write-offs, not pay our vendors until the actually complete the work as designed, stop the over-runs. This mid-term election was a wake-up call for all politicians--they still must account to the people. The voters CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

New Leadership, new ideas?

2010-11-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Republican Party. They have regained the House of Representatives majority and will receive the benefits including Committee Chairmenships and Majority Leader ( who is third behind the President) and a whole set of things they want to change/repeal. Almost immediately, they are going after allowing the tax cut on those over $250,000 to be extended and it appears that Mr.Obama is going to go along, as long as no one else has taxes applied. This will be a reprieve for the very wealthy as their tax cut was running out December 31, 2010, as it is predicted, it may be extended 2 or 3 years. No politican wants to raise taxes in this economy, immigration is going on the backburner, a possible trade war is brewing world-wide, currency changes in America and China are also possibilities, cuts to the budget are being directed at sacred cows--a sacred cow is an untouchable item in the budget. An example, defense budget is usually never touched,however, there is discussion about a possible 30% cut, pulling troops out of countries, an example would be pulling troops out of Japan, South Korea, and Europe, think of the possible savings. But, social security benefits are not going to be touched, in fact, there is talk of a $250 across the board, one-time check in January. Why won't they touch the biggest "sacred cow", social security? Social security benefits for the most part, go to elderly people. They are the people who study the elections and VOTE more than any other group. I hope I have whetted your appetite for items to investigate in Congess. This when you start studying for the 2012 election. The stakes will be bigger. The President will be re-elected/elected, all House of Represenatives, and 1/3 rd of the Senate. Depending what the Democrats do, or the Republican do, that election may set the tone for the next four years.

Power Shift--The headline in the AZ Republic Nov 3rd

2010-11-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for voting. This turnout was very high for a mid-term election. It showed that people wanted to get their message out to the world.
The big winners were the Republicans. They took the House majority back, as well as help from Tea Party winners. The loser, the Democrats, losing the majority in the House of Representatives, but retaining the majority in the Senate.
Majority means a great deal in either house. First, the majority party gets to set the agenda, they get the
Chairperson of the active committees.
That Chairperson sets the agenda for the committee. If you are a House member and you want your bill to be considered by a certain committee, you must place
bill in the "hopper" and that bill is then doled out to the various committees that would have oversight on that specific bill. The committee would look into
the possibility of passage and would have hearings to gather evidence to support the passage of the bill. But, if you are not the majority party,
or have made an enemy of the chairman, or the chairman needs a "favor", etc. your bill may end up at the bottom of the agenda and may never see the light of day. All bills must start over each legislative session. A legislative session is two years. If your bill never gets discussed, it may never get voted on, thus is the "game" of politics. Commonly known as "you scratch my back, I scratch your back."
What exactly is going to get done this coming legislative session? Well, the Republicans have an agenda that is completely the opposite of the agenda the Democrats have, but the Republicans do not have any power to get bills passed the Senate, nor passed the President. And, the Democrats do not have the power, nor the votes to get things passed in the House of Representatives and the President has the power of the veto. That means he can stop a bill by refusing to sign it. Now Congress can "override" a veto with a 2/3rds majority--commonly known as a "super-majority", in both houses, which is very difficult to obtain. In reality, there will be a STALEMATE for the next two years, where virtually NOTHING will get done!!

Put it all together--NOW

2010-10-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

In the United States of America, November 2, 2010, elections are going to take place for elected positions. This election has had more advertising dollars spent than any other election year. That is the result of the recent 5-4 decision in the Supreme Court in the Citizen United case, allowing corporations the privilege of the 1st Amendment, of free speech by being able to spend money on political candidates with unlimited funds and anonymity. The political right has used this new twist very heavily.
If you have been following this blog and using the tips to prepare for your vote, you should be ready with your decisions on the candidates and various other ballot votes. Please remember to take the practice ballot and fill it out with your decisions, so it will not be a fearful event, but a triumphal event. You will have looked at the candidates and issues over a period of time and made reasoned decisions. If your candidates or issues don't all win, at least you know why you voted the way you did and can feel good about it. Next time, you might have to work a little harder trying to get others to support your candidate and issues. A small tip: voting absentee ballot is becoming more attractive to voters. They can sit down at a table at home figure everything out, place their responses on he actual ballot and mail it to the County Recorder. The entire state of Oregon now only uses the mail-in ballot. Good Luck.

Readers read Blog worldwide

2010-10-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

This blog was intended for United States citizens, however, a check of who is reading the blog shows, yes, the majority of the people are from the United States, however nine other countries have been reading the content. People in the following countries are reading the content of this blog: Netherlands, Germany, China, Canada, Latvia, France, Moldova, Russia and Brazil.
It is good to see people in other countries desire to find out what it takes to be an educated citizen.
If you desire to make comments, go to the bottom of the blog to the comments section. Type in your comment, or as the case may be a request for a topic that needs explanation, or a request for a new topic. A return comment is written in response to your request.

Mid-term elections

2010-09-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Mid-term elections are those elections, primarily of all representatives, and one third of the senators. These elections can turn the fate of a newly elected president. If a newly elected president has had the majority support of Congress until this point, this election will be a referendum upon his first two years of service. If the people like what has been accomplished to date, they will vote for his party again, placing the Congress back under his party's control, if they are not pleased, it could swing the power pendulum to the other party, or worse, make it a draw, when nothing gets accomplished.
At the local levels, this election may have governors, state legislatures, referendums, initiatives, city, education votes, and any other miscellaneous elections. Usually a phamphlet is sent out to voters on these local issues. It is up to the voter to peruse these items and select the ones they can support. Usually money is involved or something to do with changing the state constitution. It is up to the voter to read, select what they can support, then either take in a list of your selections with you to the voting booth, or place them on your absentee ballot and mail it in. Please do not allow these selections to be only in your brain, take something in writing . That speeds up the voting process and insures that you will be happy with your selection. Of course, if you feel compelled to spread your decisions to friends or relatives, prior to the election, that is your choice.

Educated Citizenry: Will History repeat itself with the mid-term election?

2010-09-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

Educated Citizenry: Will History repeat itself with the mid-term election?
See March 27,2009 Blog, Frame of Reference II

Will History repeat itself with the mid-term election?

2010-09-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

When George W. Bush was running for his second term, intelligent, voters could not conceive his re-election. But, he was re-elected to his second term as our President. Carol Simpson, a newscaster , found that people who voted for G.W.B. were not current with news, legislation, war-items, local news, they just voted, without doing their due diligence.
Will this next mid-term election coming up in November be a re-run? Current news, many pundits, think the Republicans will win as many as 47 house seats and regain control of the House of Representatives, and perhaps the Senate. Again, is history headed to repeat itself?
Evidence: The Democrats have been selling HOPE, in the form of passed legislation, say, the Health Care Reform, Financial reform, the Republicans have been selling the politics of "No" , as an example they stretched out the health care reform legislation so long, this Congress could not address Immigration, perhaps THE most important legislation that needs passage NOW. They have not been bi-partisan in just about everything except an occasional meeting. They have not been for the Greater Good. The Republicans have been selling "No", why would any person in his right mind vote for a group of people that is only looking for the return of GWB politics? Is the only reason Republicans are saying no really about politics or is it about the fact that a black man is President ?

Why emphsize being a knowledgeable good citizen?

2010-08-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

The evolution of citizenry has overcome many difficulties along the way. When the Founding Father's saw an opportunity to make a New World with a democratic basis, they jumped at the occasion.
When they formulated our country they did not desire a country where everyone was "equal" as we have it today. They felt the free enterprise system was essential to an economic success and those people who had the most to say about that were the landowners, retail and commercial businesses, men, landed gentry. People who had a stake in the country based on their investment in the country were the people given the vote. Renters, slaves, indebted servants, and women were not allowed to vote, they usually did not have an investment or stake in the country.
The "voters" usually had time and money to read and discuss the issues, favor one over the other and had time to vote. All others were working people and did not have the time or money to get involved.
Over the years, the Constitution has been added to and stretched via Supreme Court decisions to include "all citizens".
Until the past fifty or so years, voters have been involved because they had enough free time provided by good salaries and benefits to get involved in "politics" and make good decisions. Starting around 1973, when the Lobbyist really "got it", and started to lobby congressional members heavily, hire former congressmen because they can get on the floor of their former "body" and discuss lobby goals, our country has started to move from:
Upper-upper class usually inherited wealth and CEO's
Middle-upper class-- Higher management
Lower-upper class-- Lower management --some entrepenuers
Upper-middle-class Hands on upper management Over all
Middle-middle-class Hands on middle management-some independent contractors - successful entrepreneurs
Lower-middle-class supervisors over workers retail managers
Upper-lower class Upper workers responsible for finished work
Middle-lower-class Team leaders, retail workers, independent contractors
Lower-lower-class Hourly workers

Because corporations have been moving out of the nation, with our government's assistance, jobs have been erased, especially in the middle class. People who have many degrees and a little age to them have been let go in favor of younger more technologically sound employees, also, salaries have not increased for the past 15 or more years, yet inflation and the dollar slide has made what people actually receive much less than they have been accustomed to and had made plans upon. The real estate slide has really been a key as well as the financial world's greed towards lowering the class structure in America.
Our class structure looks more like this now:
Upper-upper class old money, Greedy CEO's, investors scaming
people--financial instutitions scaming people
1% of the people have approximately 92 % wealth
those upper class people being able to take
advantage of a taxation system built for them.

Upper lower-class Old middle class college graduates that still
have their jobs.
Middle lower-class All others looking for jobs that are non-
existent, because people still think there is a
chance at "The American Dream".
Under class People who have given up looking for jobs,
People who are homeless because they lost
job, home, car, everything and are subsisting on government entities, relatives, part-time jobs and charity .
Salaries are deceiving also. A $40,000 salary looks great on paper, however it has an approximate spending value of $10,000--The American Dream is vanishing.
Once the world community figured out how to compete with our juggernaut economy their lower labor costs beat our labor costs all to pieces. If you were a board of a company and were faced with an assembly line worker making (a hard fought for) $75 per hour in wages and $75 per hour in benefits and moving your corporation to a country where the labor costs were $5-10 per DAY and no benefits, and no regulatory commission telling you what you can and cannot do at the workplace, the decision is a very easy, yet harsh. We can no longer compete. America is in the painful process of lowering wages and no benefits for its workers. Even both parents working doesn't cover the expenses. We are not going to talk about the cost of higher education in this Blog, however, it is getting to look like a two "class" society. Those with education and those without.
There was a survey on TV the other day that says our children are not learning cursive writing. They are so into "texting" and writing(or plagarizing reports from the internet) that they see no need to "write" with a writing implement and paper--as in taking notes!!
This Blog has been longer than I intended. This is just the starting to explain, why you need to be a knowledgable citizen. As with money being taken away or stagnating, "rights" are also being taken away. Later.

Be a good citizen based on your frame of reference and knowledge of democracy

2010-08-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

Be a good citizen. Of course, that means following the rules. Being a good example to everyone, be fair in evaluations of businesses and individuals, help your family and friends understand democratic processes, help get out the vote. If you do not fully understand a specific area, say, the electoral college, do research so you can explain it to others. With Goggle and others, you can type in a word and have a pretty good understanding of that word, almost instantly. That assumes you have picked up technological skill along the way to help yourself and others work with and within the democratic process. A democracy MUST have democratic principals deeply engrained within a person's frame of reference. Constant revision of those items and updating them makes you a more informed citizen.
Up to this point, this blog has been explaining what is needed within a citizen in a democracy to function and benefit the society.
In reality, all our lives are becoming full from sun-up to sun-down. Raising kids, getting ahead at work, keeping everyone happy, paying bills, makes it difficult to enrich our frame of reference in democratic activity.
Start your quest by considering what you think is reasonable for you. No, we can't be activitist full-time, just take a small chew of the problem. Choose an issue that interests you most, then start contributing what you can towards progress--contacts, money, time, skills, etc. No contribution is too small.
Try to keep yourself informed. Pick your media to coincide with your beliefs and it will give you insights on any given topic, allowing you to gain a "citizen's level" of expertise so you can talk with others about it.
Use the computer that you have available, in home, in library, use it.
Our democracy is a living breathing thing. It belongs to all its citizens. Join with others, everyone feels better when they're part of a group, a movement, a community (whether real or virtual).
Become the media, write a blog, a newsletter, internet radio broadcast, etc.
Start up a local neighborhood group that meets periodically and discusses the issues. Move the group around, not always at one house, have the group bring refreshments--many successes in politics have come from these type meetings.

Major areas of modern knowledge

2010-07-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

An educated citizen needs to be able to apply concepts and foundations learned in one area to other areas as part of a lifelong learning process. The educated citizen needs to be able to live and work intelligently, responsibily and cooperatively in a multicultural society and to develop abilities to address complex issues and problems using disciplined analytical skills and creative techniques.
An educated citizen checks out the society and his role within, does he see how other citizens fit into that broad overview? Does he obtain knowledge of cultures and civilizations on an overall global understanding? The world is definately going global. What happens on the other side of the world effects our side of the world and what reprocussions does it have for us. Perhaps one of the largest problem confronting America and our population is the job situation. Americans have long been receiving large wages and benefits when you compare the remainder of the world. Now is the time when Americans are seeing their wages and benefits stagnating and declining. The "American Dream" is starting to disappear, the middle class is getting smaller, requirements for jobs are becoming steeper for less money. Expenses are skyrocketing due to world demand for the same supply that had been America's. China, and India have more and more people entering the "middle class" and demanding the same resources, thus prices are increasing. America is having to come to grips with vast changes that most do not comprehend.
An educated citizen needs to absorb all the information and translate that into decisions within. They need to be able to communicate their opinions to friends, neighbors, church groups, civic groups anyone that can help change for "The Greater Good".

The Greater Good

2010-07-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

The Greater Good is a term that is being used nationwide in the past few months. I have looked up the term and going to give you a breakdown of what it really means. The information comes from a great site: http://allforthegreatergood.com/
Basic definition: "All for the Greater Good is a philosophy that embraces the vast-untapped power of humanity to focus collectively on wisdom that improves our world's sustainable quality of life."
"Purpose: To improve our world
Vision: Influence our worldview with wisdom that improves sustainable quality of life.
Basis: Scientific Method
Emerging Ecological Worldview
Greater Good Theory, a.k.a., Greater Good Philosophy--asserting that civilizations whose leaders and people center their worldview around Greater Good values ultimately improve their sustainable prosperity.
Progressive Scientific knowledge and Classic wisdom.
Value-oriented--love, truth & happiness, liberty, social justice, and unconditional mutual respect, tolerance, empathy and patience, synergistic relationships and functional ego, anti-scarcasm, anti-avarice and non-aggression, humanitarianism and Meliorism, optimistic, proactive, and pragmatic attitude, tactiful cooperation and collaborative spirit.(Meliorism def. noun, the belief that society has an inate tendency toward improvement and that this tendency may be furthered through conscious human effort.--The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, third edition)
Key Method: Transform our educational philosophy to foster nurturing learning environments, which inspire love for life, knowledge, and creativity, while emulating our most noble ideals."
Results:
"Vast increase in Quality of life and sustainability for all.
Global security
Fulfilling & harmonious society
Improved educational system
Self correcting citzenship, through a collective purpose.
Broadmindedness & emotional intelligence
Less aggression and lower crime rate
Productivity
World Patriotism
Salvation for our civilization"

That gives you a better idea of what The Greater Good is about. Notice, it is about everyone, not some at the high end of the class structure. Several people send me emails saying that you can't attain wealth, if you have to share it with the entire population. What they don't say is; they only care about "their" bottom line, no one else. It is a very "I" centered situation. The Greater Good is not "I" centered, but doing what is right for the entire civilization.
We are now starting into that era. The Green Earth means we all have to work together to be able to sustain our existence. It also means the people looking only at the bottom line MUST stop looking at the bottom line only. They have to start putting anti-pollution devices on chimneys on factories, safety devices for employees, etc. They have to get their eyes off the bottom line and look at what is best for their employees and the entire population.
If you haven't been following the solar energy movement, it has been a very slow climb to even get recognition. Yes, the product has had to get better, but in reality, the real reason is solar energy doesn't bring in bottom line dollars. It is for the Greater Good, however, not for the financial giants.
The "Populist" party has been using this term for years. Populism is usually used in expressing thoughts from the people in a particular region, especially involving farmers, that protest against depressed economic conditions for example, the Populist Party from 1892-1908.
With the Republican and Democratic parties both falling on their faces with their constituencies voters are starting to look around for alternatives. More and more independents are registering to vote because existing Republican and Democratic voters can not "buy" what their parties are "selling". The Populist party is gaining in this area also. If you would like to see some of their views, check out Jim Hightower's site: Lowdown from our resources section on the first page.
This is getting pretty long, so I will cut it off for now, more later.

BE FLEXIBLE

2010-06-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

14. Be flexible in order to adapt to changing economic and social conditions, new workforce needs and the demands of a multicultural society.
Being flexible is a person who is capable of taking their frame of reference and bending their data to new changes, without bending his/her basic standards.
Being flexible needs to be a portion of every educated citizen's make-up. The world has certain standards that many people have followed for years, however as new data emerges, change needs to be made. An educated citizen needs to investigate those potential changes, and see if those changes can influence a change in his/her frame of reference. Once done, how does he/she make adjustment with new legislation, new representation, or healthy living. Learning that drinking cold water after dinner is not good for digestion, do you check it out and change behavior or not?
New workforce: an educated citizen realizes that change is what he/she has been taught, so someone who has been taught to do something one way, can learn to change their workplace activities to the new style. All these changes need to fit into a new society that is changing all the time.
New identities to be recognized: new ideals to be fit into the society, new products to make life easier, all within a culture that grows ever larger, diverse and fluid. Considering all these items, and more, need to be within and educated citizen's frame of reference as he makes the selections on the ballot.

Be able to think critically, creatively, and independently

2010-05-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

13. Be to think critically, creatively and independently.
As an educated citizen you should be following the various events within our world. As you look at individual political items, you need to look at them, first with a critical eye. Does the item make logical sense or does it send a message that someone is trying to make political gain with your backing. If you back a proposition, or candidate, do you do it with a well-thought-out reason, not just because the party says you should back it? Do you back a person after searching his background, searching his thoughts about the issues--do they fit with yours--if not where don't they, could they be fixed, how--questions, questions? When doing this, try to do it 1)with an open mind, 2)don't be mizzeled into a scam, 3) do you feel good about supporting the issue/person?
Do you use creativity in your search for support? Could you help in the candidate's campaign with a certain skill/knowledge that would support him/her or issue? Could you look at the issue/candidate and the campaign and see how if a few things were changed it would help? Using the brain god gave you and the items you have stored in there to help the Greater Good is what is necessary.
Do you use independent thought in your assessment of your goal? Or, are you a follower, a person who follows what others have already created? Independence in your thinking is something you need to attempt to acheive as an adult. Can you stand before a group that is doing something wrong and say No, I stand for that which is right. That is what courage is all about. America needs people that will stand up for her in times of need , in times of planning the future, in equality of all citizens, in showing examples of what is right in the face of what is wrong. Of course, the next item is how do you turn that group from wrong to right?

Understand that learning is a continuous lifelong process

2010-05-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

12. Understand that learning is a continuous lifelong process.
When you graduated from high school, everyone hopes you were prepared for the world of adulthood. Unfortunately, one of the biggest items that all that content in school neglected was the fact that you were only practicing learning skills that were supposed to be learned to be used in adulthood. Specific examples: outlining skills, summarizing, 5 paragraph essay, vocabulary, spelling, math, problem-solving, identifying problems, etc., etc. The content was only the vehicle to have you use these skills. College was another avenue to use them, to fine-tune them, to make you a better leader, to get along with people, to master one specific area enough so you could get a good job. After enough "practice" you should be confident enough to be given a task in your work and acheive success, by whatever definition. As you get older, you master these techniques. Now, how does that effect our subject, being an educated citizen?
You should have evolved a process of evolution that shows the more you learn the more you benefit. As an educated citizen, you should be able to volunteer for "committees" at your local church, school, etc. You help that committee by using your mastered techiques to help the group to acheive there goal. As you work in these settings, you gain more techniques; for example, you learn how to set up a meeting to acheive the goal you feel is best for the group/organization. You learn Robert's Rules of Order. Knowing these rules puts you in control, because once you have established the committee using the "Rules of Order", you can use that to your benefit. Learning becomes an enjoyable thing. You like to succeed, and knowing things helps you win "battles" The time it takes to know more than your opponent usually takes longer, but it makes you a better person and more knowledgable to help along the rough spots. Because you have spent more time, you have looked at the situation in all kinds of ways and understand better why things work and why they do not work, and you can explain that to your committee to have their support behind you. Always remember, especially in today's technological society, learning is always continuous. You would not like to play a video game using last year's version against someone who has been playing the newest version and plays you on their home court.
A very new change that is in the process as you read this blog is, books.
Books have been the newest innovation in academia since the Dark Ages. There have been some basic changes, mass market, etc., however a book printed in the Middle Ages can still be read today.
Books are starting to become passe. Starting with audio tapes, books have been read to us for years, CD's do the same, but the very latest item is books on line and "readers". Soon you will not have libraries that you go in to check out a book, you will simply order it on line and download it to your reader, then you will read it on the "moniter" and hit a button to turn the page. Don't become frustrated, you have become accustomed to change. You already do most of this with your e-mails, texting, buying on line, etc. Learn to use it to better "The Greater Good."

Bill Moyer's Journal--last show

2010-04-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Bill Moyer's Journal's last show was 4-30-10. His first guest was Jim Hightower. He is the publisher of Hightower Lowdown. (www.hightowerlowdown.org/) Mr. Hightower is a populist. He is not a liberal, he is a populist.--one of his favorite quotes from a friend is, "Everybody does better when everybody does better". The discussion centered on America today. How the rich have taken over our country at the expense of the workers. They discussed the existence today of a Plutonomy, which is how the wealthy uses their wealth to have government do their bidding. Grassroots politics is at the heart, not corporations being allowed to have the same privileges as a person, being allowed to give money to political entities at will. Populists are people helping people, think of co-ops in the farming community. They are not necessarily desireous of making government bigger, only helping the greater good. It is very apparent that Corporations through their lobbyists now control unions, supply, you name it and have help from our government. Congressmen are receiving excessive funding from the lobbyists for their votes that will help Corporations make more money at the expense of the lower classes and for the upper classes.

The New Secessionists

2010-04-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

In the Monday, April 26, 2010 edition of Commondreams.org (it is in your resources area of this blog) there is an article called: The New Secessionists. This article indicates there are as many as two dozen states, but it specifically mentions: Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, and Vermont.
The article does not mention Hawaii'and Alaska's movements, mainly because they have been vocal for years, but it does discuss Texas and Vermont. You might want to take a look to see why these states are upset.

Be Able to consider ethical issues thoughtfully.

2010-04-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

11. Be able to consider ethical issues thoughtfully.

In starting to explain this item, references need to be discussed. In writing this blog, I have no idea what you know, what you do not know. I will write this portion as if you know about the concept of ethics. I will help somewhat, but the following reference can help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics I realize wikipedia is not the greatest source, however, in this case it covers the subject in 19 pages, enough for a better understanding. Wikipedia also gives a pretty complete Notes and References area for further research.

Ethics is not a course in most high school curriculums. It is however a subject touched on to receive a college degree. Ethics can not only be read about, it must be discussed in a classroom- like setting with a moderator that can help direct the discussion.

"Ethics (also known as moral philosophy) is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality; that is, about concepts such as good and bad, the noble and the ignoble, right and wrong, justice and virtue."(Wikipedia)

Examples:

What do you do about the "prisoners" in Guantanamo?

What about abortion?

What about the death penalty?

Do we close the border?

Do the ends justify the means?

If you have been watching TV news lately, you have seen groups that have gathered together to support pieces of legislation, or not support that legislation. People in these support groups have made an ethical decision based on their "frame of reference" about that particular decision and are willing to get in a crowd to voice their opinion, or mail/call their Congressman about the way they feel about "pending " legislation. This is what an educated citizen does. He follows current events, watches TV news, reads periodicals, listens to radio talk shows, WHATEVER HE HAS TIME FOR AND THE DESIRE TO STRENGTHEN HIS FEELING FOR A PARTICULAR SUBJECT.

People who have had religious upbringing usually have been involved with moral discussions. They attempt to follow what their church leadership has already sorted out for them. As you grow older and start thinking for yourself, you will be stronger for having the church up-bringing, however, you must be able to keep an open enough mind to alter some of these learnings if new data is presented. How you value the data in your specific instance will determine your actions.

Perhaps the most polarizing issue in America today is abortion. How do you feel about that issue?

There are two main items to this discussion: Do you feel the woman should have control over her own body? OR, Do you feel the "fetus" has rights and should be protected by the state? If you have not made up your mind, you need to; the reason, in the new book, The Nine, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, he brings out that there are two kinds of appeals that are being brought to the Court today, in a 50/50 ratio, Abortion Issues and All others. As you can see, abortion is a very important ethical issue.

Please, anytime you discuss ethical issues, start with your frame of reference and an open mind. Starting with your frame of reference and a closed mind does nothing to help the greater good.

#10 Be able to conceptualize a problem and solve it.

2010-04-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

#10. Be able to conceptualize a problem and solve it.
This is an item that is very complex, so much so, that it can not fit into this blog. I will try to put the "answer" in as small a space as possible, but I must give articles for you to read to gain the full meaning.
The idea of conceptualizing a problem is a very intellectual term. This is one reason that a democracy is made up of "educated citizens". An educated citizen has a "Frame of reference" that they continue to build throughout their lifetime. This must include organizational skills that helps the individual "see" that there is a problem that needs to be solved and possible avenues of attack towards solving said problem. When doing this, the citizen needs to remember "nothing is set in stone". The answer that is presented as a solution to the problem then needs to be discussed within the citizenry for strengths and weaknesses. The citizen needs to be able to work with other citizens, bringing their strengths to the discussion, yet being flexible enough to bend their position to coming up with a final solution. Learning the procedural ways that work in the political process is a strength that needs to be placed into their "Frame of Reference" so they can call upon items that further their solution to the representation for their consideration.
Resources:
Thinking Object-Oriented, http://jacwright.com/blog/19/thinking-object-oriended/
The Theory of Citizen Participation, http://www.uoregon.edu/~rgp/PPPM613/class10theory.htm
Why is Consumer Involvement needed? http://community.michiana.org/famconn/IIwhyisconsinvolvneeded

Congratulations President Obama for shepherding Health Care through the system

2010-03-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to President Obama for perservering and leading the Health Care Reform Act through the trials and tribulations of the bill passing process.
Further congratulations should also go to the Leadership of Majority party in both houses of Congress for twisting enough arms and making things happen to insure a positive outcome.
But, perhaps the largest CONGRATULATIONS should be handed out to the educated citizenry of America. Your written, vocal and organizational skills supplied the pressure on Congress to realized YOU wanted this legislation passed. Congressmen started to realize they would be history in the next election if this bill was not passed and that message was backed up by your constant pressure.
The minority party in Congress is not looking at a very bright future. Their constant bickering, not really having worthwhile suggestions and their political disingenious discussions and statements.
Let us hope this "victory" will translate into good things for America.

#9. Be able to communicate and listen effectively.

2010-03-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

#9 Be able to communicate and listen effectively.
An educated citizen needs to be able to speak effectively on the issues. Reading on the issues from available sources establishes a basis to start discussion on them. It is from several sources from radio/TV, print media that you start gaining working knowledge of those items that you may want to support.
It is in discussion with others that you practice how effectively you have grasped the main portions of the issues, and listening effectively to others for their point of view, that you had no frame of reference on that strengthens or weakens your belief.
When you listen to others, concentrate on what they are saying and follow their discussion. The best listeners "listen", they are not planning their next talking point and not even hearing what is being said. People who break into someone's discussion because their point is so much better are afraid if they do not get their point into the discussion, THEY will forget the point and not get their point into the discussion. Learning how to listen is an art, concentrate on the people talking. Your eyes and facial expressions give you away if you are only thinking about your next response. Listen to their response, let it settle into your frame of reference, settle accounts with your existing frame of reference and come back with intelligent questions or points about the issues. Listening makes you a more effective educated citizen.

#8 Be open-minded

2010-03-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

#8. Be open-minded. Being open-minded means that when you see a problem, you view the problem without pre-conceived notions about its solution. Of course, you can never be entirely open-minded, you have a frame of reference that you have developed over the years. This is why you need to be selective about what you receive and keep in your frame of reference.
Now, how does that translate to your life. What you read, what you see, who you associate with, what kind of upbringing you have, many other items make up the way you look at life. If you were Adolph Hitler when he was growing up, he associated with Anti-Zionist in Vienna, and read racist material he discussed items of interest with only certain groups of people. All this helps to form the man he became.
What can you do to help keep an open mind:
Listen to all sides of the issue before you, not only one particular side. After you have done this, select your position based on your judgement of the situation.
Read/watch neutral based books and shows. Read the Christian Science Monitor instead of race-based, conservative only books, liberal only books, try to see all sides so you can make a neutral based decision. Don't only listen to one side on the radio/tv. Watch all the news channels, not only one. Perhaps CNN news attempts to be the most neutral, however, they have been charged with liberal leanings. Foxnews is accused with being conservative in their leaning. What do these terms mean? Conservative is usually associatied with the Republican party. It represents the beliefs that free enterprise should not be burdened with governmental regulations or infringing on their profits. They are strict constitutionalist in interpreting the constitution. Liberal people usually try to keep an open mind. They feel that government is necessary to help the less fortunate and to watch over free enterprise for wrong doings. Of course there is much more to these, however, as you develop your frame of reference please read both sides of the issue. I am leaving this open for your questions. Please comment with your specific questions and I will try to answer them to your satisfaction.

#7. Be able to lead.

2010-02-26T22:43:00.000-08:00

Continuing with What should an educated citizen be able to do: BE ABLE TO LEAD.
Leadership is something that is a learned activity. Most people start out in life as a follower. After many experiences they "learn" that they have already accomplished the new activity and know the best way to acheive it. So they help people acheive the goal. In helping others, they learn what works in acheiving success and add those success activities to their frame of reference for future use.
The most important item in leadership however is: LEAD BY EXAMPLE. As a parent, if you want to instill character in your child, you show the item all the time in your activity. For example: You and your 13 year old go to the movies. You get to the ticket seller. You see that children 12 and under pay less for a ticket. Do you pay the lesser amount for your 13 year old because he looks 11, or do you pay the rate for a 13 year old. When you pay the lesser amount you are showing your child that you: 1) Have no character, 2)should bend the rules to meet your pocketbook. You are not leading by example. If you pay the higher fee and child asks, "Dad, why didn't you pay the lower amount, I look 11?" That is when you go into your lead by example speech.
Leading by example is important in all ways of life, including political. The people of America are finding their elected representatives are not leading by example when they fall behind their "party" and voting in a bloc to stop legislation. Representatives are supposed to vote for the Greater Good, not for how much power their political party gathers.
Leading by example is what a leader does to have others follow. Officers in combat must have the confidence of their men for them to follow his orders. He must lead them into battle and show courage if he expects his men to follow. Would you follow a leader into battle if you knew he did not know what he is doing?

New resources

2010-02-25T18:22:00.001-08:00

Please look at the resources area of the Blog. It is on the left side. I am trying to remain "neutral", so I have placed an assortment of links for your research. The links are all multi-link links.
NBC News = MSNBC = Moderate leaning
Fox News = fsnews = Conservative leaning
National Center for Constitutional Studies= constitutional materials
Common Dreams = Progressive leaning
Tom Paine Common Sense = moderate/liberal leaningd
Legislative information from the Library of Congress: Congressional activity
Center for Responsive politics--lobby groups and influence

Each of these links have many links to choose from. If you want Rush Limbaugh, click on Fox News. His website is within. If you want Bill Maher, click on NBC News, his website is within. If you want to check on what is going on in Congress, click on the legislative website--its official name includes" Thomas Jefferson that is". Many sites including; Constitution, Amendments, current legislation, past legislation that is going into law, and to existing new laws. Tom Paine Common Sense=discussions about how our government has evolved. Another source is the Federalist Papers, explaining how the Founding Fathers thoughts progressed in the writing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Center for Responsive politics is a multi-link site that discusses lobbyists and their activities.
If you know of a site that we need to include, please write a comment with the website on it and your explanation as to why we should be using it.

What are voters to think?

2010-01-24T00:46:00.001-08:00

Massachusetts voters have changed the scene of American politics with this last special election. It brings out what voters are thinking.
1. Government is becoming to intrusive.
2. Perhaps Health Care should be the responsibility of the states, as Massachusetts already has it. They cover 98% of their state already, why take on another burden?
3. They are upset at the constant spending, trying to right several sinking ships, perhaps it would be better to allow them to sink.
4. The identities of political parties are becoming fuzzy. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are all looking alike.
5. Can you honestly believe Coakley. She was an arrogant JOKE.
6. Perhaps the Administration should pare down their agendas to less items, mainly the most important ones. You know, little things--LIKE JOBS,people do like to eat in a warm home. Remember, FDR within 100 days of his first election came up with the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and had 250,000 young men out in the forests WORKING. What is Obama going to do?

Next subject: Haiti's Earthquake

America and other nations have come to the rescue. They are pouring money, services, medical aid, rescue crews, security, aircraft carrier, helicopters, you name it. The American government has spoken up with $100 million in aide, and the American people have donated over $57million in the recent tele-thon, and $35million via a new device--dial a specific number on your cell phone and $10 will be donated (don't you think that won't be used this fall in the coming elections).
What is going through American voters minds who have been out of work sometimes up to one year, had their homes foreclosed on, may even be homeless, as they watch all this money and effort put into a sovereign nation who is so poor that they have no funds, no infrastructure, working government, you name it, they don't have it, yet everyone is pouring assistance into this country. They seem to project a feeling of entitlement--that America, especially, and all others OWE them all this aid. Yes, citizens of the world have generous hearts, but what of our own people?
Questions that come up? Why are we in at least two wars, spending approximately $1 Billion a week, why are earmarks still being used on legislation when belt tightening tactics should be in effect? Why are people in Wall Street and banking giving BILLIONS in BONUSES when they should not be allowed by SOMEONE to do that. Do I remember a promise by then candidate Obama that he was going to get us out of Afghanistan's--humm, 30,000 more troops are being sent to Afghanistan?????? Something is definitely wrong. It needs to be fixed--but, unfortunately we are not getting any support from the Supreme Court!!!!!!

#6 Be able to engage in discussions...

2010-01-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

6. Be able to engage in discussions about political and economic issues that affect his or her community.
Do you discuss political, or economic issues in your family? Personal friends? Church? If you do, then you are on the way to engage in those issues that affect your community.
You need to supplement those discussions with constant vigilance of talk show news, for both local, national and international news, local TV/radio news, mail from your political party, whether it is via the internet, or snail mail. Of course any of the material you hear, read, see needs to be placed into context and into your frame of reference to see if you accept or reject the discussion points. If you reject, why? If you accept, why? You need to know the reason so you can substantiate why you believe as you do.
Some aids:
1. Watching TV shows that discuss issues such as Meet the Press, Chris Matthews, Glenn Beck,Larry King see how they discuss the issues, how do they substantiate what they are saying, what do they use for evidence, do you value that evidence?
2. Listen to radio talk show about politics. Favorite hosts include Glen Beck, or Rush Limbaugh.
3. Reading the editorials in newspapers, magazines, internet news.

Remember, any of the above must be taken with a grain of salt. That salt is what is the viewpoint of the speaker. Rush Limbaugh is a conservative, so his information is usually conservative oriented. Chris Matthews is a liberal, so his information is liberal oriented. Also, both TV and radio suffer from processes called SELECTIVE ATTENTION(the citizen sees and hears only what he or she wants) and MENTAL TUNE-OUT( the citizen simply ignores or gets irritated by messages that do not accord with existing beliefs) Citizens tend to listen to those shows that reflect their Frame of Reference.(American Government, James Q.Wilson, pg283)
Do you keep up with the business section of the media? Do you understand economics? If you do not, you need to do some homework. An example: The Supreme Court made a decision this past week that cancelled over 100 years of legislation and court processes. The decision: INTEREST GROUPS AND CORPORATIONS MAY SUPPORT POLITICAL CANDIDATES WITH AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY DESIRE. In the past, it was found that those entities have had too much influence on candidates and receive special attention on government regulations and contracts. They would buy their way to profit. The government went about to stop these practices with legislation and and Supreme Court decisions, they did and the practice was curtailed. Since 1973, special interest groups have formed at an amazing rate. Their effect has been great. They went to the Supreme Court this year and said that spending money on a candidate was their "right" to free speech. This was a new tact. By spending money for advertisment they should be allowed to support a candidate as much as possible. The Supreme Court decision was 5-4 in favor.
This was a win for business. Now, go back and read the Founding documents. This country was not based on freedom for all Americans, it was based on protecting the business community/property. The Bill of Rights were AMENDMENTS to the Constitution, within those "Rights" are those things having to do with individuals.
How do the economics of the nation, state and local entities affect you?

Change is in the Wind!!

2010-01-23T12:26:00.001-08:00

The election in Massachusetts seemingly has changed the political agenda for the democrats.
It does not seem that the Democrats are getting it. They can not even control their own people to get a meanful piece of legislation through in a reasonable amount of time. Perhaps, one should look inside their party to see if they really wanted the camel that started out as a horse.
That election in Massachusetts was a scream from the independents, the moderate democrats and republicans to get back to normalcy, to quit spending, to get a significant Health Care Bill passed, that everyone wants and that won't break the bank.

Government depends upon informed, involved citizens

2010-01-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

A newspaper article in the Arizona Republic, January 8, 2010, written by John W. Greco discusses why he feels the end result of poor governance comes from "an uneducated and undereducated public..." "When voters do not know how government works and do not get involved, our system simply falls apart."

"This is the case in our state (Arizona) and in America today, where increasing frustrations with bad economic times have resulted in all kinds of proposed solutions, many of which are dangerously based on ideology rather than fact."

"The public must monitor what elected public officials do, and knowledgeazbly participate in the political process. And there must be a state and national commitment to educating everyone in what we used to call "civics".

"Even competent political leaders are no substitute for a well-informed citizenry. We have been told this time and again, beginning with Socrates and continuing with Thomas Jefferson. It's about time we listened, learned and reformed, because today we are part of the problem"

Mr. Greco is a former interim city manager of Tempe and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mr. Greco's article brings out exactly what this blog is talking about. It may not necessarily be the fault of the citizenry. Their lives are jammed with work, responsibilities, child care, salaries deminished, etc., however, being a citizen has certain responsilities that are necessary for a democratic-republic to exist.

The Founding Fathers founded this country based upon people who were responsible citizens in the society. Initially the term "men" in our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, meant exactly that, men. The term Freedmen was defined in 1639 in the form of the "Freeman's Oath". A Freedman was defined as: A person of Sworn Alligance to the Crown, 21 years of age, male, owned personal property generally valued at 40 pounds or 40 shillings per year, must be of a quiet and peaceful manner, must have membership in a duly recognized church, and other Freemen in the area endorsed him. Those were the responsible members of the society and were the only ones eligible to vote because they would know the issues, because they had a vested interest.

"Being a Freeman brought certain duties and rights among others:
1. The right to vote in town meetings
2. The right to hold public office
3. The right to elect deputies to the General Assembly
4. Required to pay taxes
5. The right to elect new Freeman.
These people were the ones that were entitled to vote etc. in the new Government as of 1787. Over the years the term "men", through legislation and judicial review, has changed to mean "a people above the age of 18. People above the age of 18 does not necessary represent those who have a vested interest in the government/society. Politics has caused this problem. The two major political parties want more voters in their party. An example is the Democratic party pushing for illegal immigration rights, because they have found people coming across the Mexican border generally register as democrats, thus the Democratic Party has the immigrants on their agenda, because it has more to do with the numbers.
People entering most industrialized countries are required to have an occupation that will allow them to live without falling back on welfare, health care, etc. An example is New Zealand. You must take a preparatory citizen test online, answer many questions, usually finding out if you will be a burden on the society and how much money you are bringing into the country. They are not really interested in a business man unless he is bringing AT LEAST $100,000.00. College degrees are usually required and how much time you can use the degree in their country.
Early immigration into our country had a list of requirements, including funds, contact people already in country, clear bill of health, and usually an occupation that could allow you to NOT to be a burden on the society.
Our requirements were altered in legislation moved through Congress by Democrats led by Ted Kennedy,in 1973, to remove the occupation requirement. This lowered the requirement and established many of the problems we currently have in our country.

What is our direction?

2009-12-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

With the way things are progressing in our world, one wonders which direction America is headed.
1. The American people elected a President by a 70% popular vote TO GET THINGS DONE.
2. The American people elected a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress to insure important matters made it through Congress, and the President and into law.
3. The American people did this because eight years of Republican leadership has lead the country almost to bankruptcy, surely very deep into a recession, and Wall Street collapse.
Of course, there are plenty of other matters that needed to be corrected, however, that is enough to discuss correction.
1. Our President has made good and bad decisions in his first year. He has laid out a very impressive plan to be accomplished in his first year. Unfortunately, many of his plans are about to slip through his hands, i.e. Health Care Reform. Even his own Democratic party cannot deliver

#5. Be able to think for himself/herself.

2009-11-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

Continuing with "What should an Educated Citizen be Able to do?
#5. Be able to think for himself/herself.
When the Founding Fathers decided upon our form of government, they were looking at the educated, land owners, males, non-slaves, and no women. They wanted the decision-makers and the stake holders who had something to lose if their decisions went wrong. Things have definately changed in today's society, economically, socially, governmentally and decisive decision makers. The vote has been widened to qualified citizens over 18. When a person goes into the balloting stall he must have his decision made up on the people and issues, based on research, discussion, reasoned thought, personal feelings, etc. But, more importantly, the voter needs to think for him/herself.
You know, the ballot didn't used to be taken like it is today. Back at the turn of the 20th Century, voters voted at an open table infront of individuals. It was not a secret ballot. Many/most of the times, your boss, the mob boss, the union boss, the precinct captains were the ones that were on the other side of the table watching you make your marks. If you wanted to keep your job and your job supervisor was on the other side of the table, you had better vote the way he wanted you to vote, or you did not have a job the next day. There was enough abuse to have entire cities run by "Tammany Hall" in New York, or the "Daily Machine" in Chicago. This abuse came to Congress' ears and they changed the way the ballot was marked. The did their research and found what is known as the "Australian Ballot", or the secret ballot as it is done today. A person receives their ballot, goes to a closed stall where his votes can be marked in secret, without intimidation.
So, a person today does not have the fear of earlier ballots and is dependent upon his own research, intuitions, pressure received, feelings, whatever is the makeup in the person's Frame of Reference, and faith. When it comes down to it, you have to think for yourself, make up your own mind, live and defend your particular decision when challenged. You should realize you do not have to explain your vote to anyone. What goes on in the voting booth is completely secret, only you can let the cat out of the bag.

Obama considers Afganistan strategy

2009-11-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

President Obama is considering his stategy for Afganistan. Since the retake of the Presidential election resulted in one of the two participants backing out, the country does not appear to have a stable government.
President Obama is correct in taking his time considering whether to move more troops into this country, or start the process of moving out.
Iraq, is different. It has a stable government, that is working towards helping its' citizenry. We have helped to settle down the war-like elements so the Iraqi troops can take over. That option does not appear available in Afganistan.
In the past few weeks, pundits and supporters, have indicated an area that seems to be overlooked. Where is the vital interest in Afganistan? It is very close to anarchy, terrorist filled, and its only major crop is opium poppies, that supply most of the world with heroin, their civilization is still living in the 13th century and it is a theocratic minded state. Where is the value for the United States in becoming involved with this "nation".
Do you have any solutions, comments?

Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-10T23:32:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama, after only 9 months in office, becomes only the third sitting President to win the prestigeous international award. He was shocked, and unaware that he had even been nominated. The Nobel Committee does not release reasons for the award for fifty years, but the feeling world-wide was because he offered the best chance at peace in the world. His foreign policy trips to other countries seemed to have turned heads.
Another news flash, it appears that the Health Care Reform Plan will be passed and signed before the turn of the new year. The Democrats have given every opportunity to allow the Republicans to help form the plan, however, their best efforts have been directed towards stopping the plan, scare tactics, shout-down tactics towards elected officials trying to gather their constituents input for the plan. The President has decided to move forward and have his majorities in the Congress speak for the 70% popular vote that elected him to get this plan passed and implemented.
War news. It appears that Mr. Obama's view on the Afganistan "war" is perhaps what should have been the first take on any war movement after 9/11. There is talk that our efforts are not going to be directed towards the Taliban, but towards Alquida. The Taliban is a local Afganistan problem, whereas the other group appears to only have approximately 100 members in country. It doesn't look like a complete pull-out, however, our money, time and people can be better directed to our homefront.

Put your viewpoint aside and work for the Greater Good

2009-09-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

There has been a great deal of rhetoric going on this past month. Much of it damaging in some way to the health care reform program. President Obama has made a fixture of himself on TV trying to gain more strength to get the legislature passed. Unfortunately, his constant, urging is starting to turn the people and legislators off. One of the legislators made an analogy that fits, "If you throw a single rock in a pond you get many ripples on the pond, but if you throw many rocks in the pond at the same time, all you get is a bunch of waves." People have time to catch the ripples, but not the waves. Perhaps Obama's strategy of allowing Congress to formulate the bills has backfired.
One of the things I learned early in life was how to control a committee, if you are trying to get something passed. You know you have to allow them to make the decision, so they will support it. So, you structure three alternatives for the solution. By you doing this, you eliminate any other items for consideration. The first alternative sounds good, however it leaves out a major item for the solution. The second alternative sounds good and everything seems to work out, however, with investigation, there is a killing flaw. The third alternative sounds good, everything works out and there is nothing wrong, no major flaw, no killing flaw, and oh, by the way that is the alternative you want them to select. 10 out of 10 times the committee will select alternative three. They made the selection of their own free will and will stand behind it upon scrutiny.
Perhaps, if President Obama had followed this way of politicizing he would not be in the situation he is now, looking at a bill that may not pass!!Then what will happen to his Presidency?
A note aside: It seems like everyone in this debate sees the need for change, but they are not willing to give up their particular position --FOR THE GREATER GOOD. Legislators are not remembering what they are supposed to do--vote for items that are for the betterment of the PEOPLE, not themselves or their lobbyists.

Is America's "Democratic Republic" becoming too difficult for it's citizenry?

2009-08-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Health Care Reform package has 4 bills currently up for consideration in the Congress. One of those bills has 1,038 pages. Does the average citizen have the time to read and comprehend all that material? NO. Part of citizenry is knowing when to allow your elected representative to make the decision. Yes, you can send him your opinion, after reading, discussing, etc., however, you are going to reach a point where you are going to have to allow your representative do the job you sent him to the legislature to accomplish.
That is why you have to establish people/newsgroups/TV news/discussion groups whom you value their opinion, whatever it takes to help you reach your opinion about the item. Remember, our form of government only allows you an opinion that you give your representative/senator and you have to be ready to support his decision and the congressional process after the vote. If you are not happy with the vote, you will get another chance to correct the situation, by working harder for your position!

Citizens come out to speak to Congressmen about Health Care

2009-08-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

President Obama's Health Care initiative has sparked the citizenry to come out and fact find with their congressmen. Congressmen are on their summer break and will return in September, so they have been using the time to meet with their constituents and find out what they feel about Government Health Care for the Nation. There have been repeated shouting matches, organized people shouting down the other attendees, rude planned behavior to everyone, it is not a pretty thing. It appears there are many concerns that need to be explained, however, it is become difficult to get a word in edge-wise. To the benefit of congressmen at these meetings, for the most part, they have been courteous, and have tried to answer the questions from the electorate.
There are several areas that need to be touched on:
1. It does not appear most people have really read the documents involved, not even summaries, but some appear to have been coached with aids. There is nothing wrong with this, it is their first amendment right. If you are faced with such a situation, you need to be prepared to respond and learn from your experience.
2. It "appears" that the Republican Party has coached with instructions, handouts, placards, people to vent their emotions towards the congressperson and members of the audience. Tactics such as "Ramsey Clarke and his 'rent-a-mob' is using is staged and organized to disrupt. It is not being positive.
3. People appear to be worried about more than just health care. They are worried about where this country is headed, the lack of leadership, the high debt, it is a ground-swell of people that have always been in existence, but have not had the readily available venue and access to express themselves.
4. There does not seem to be a modicum of energy towards working together!! " It is my way or the highway" Health care for all citizens has been attempted for over 70 years. The lobbyists and the free enterprise system has arranged to win the battles. In the movie "Wall Street", Gordon Gecko, investor tells a board meeting, "Greed is good". This seems to be the theme throughout America's version of free enterprise, however, "Greed is NOT good. The only reason Greed appears to be good is because only a few can participate at the top. No one cares for the remaining population. Now is the time where this equation needs to be changed and people at the top are going to have to adjust.

4. Be able and willing to regularly engage in questioning

2009-07-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

4. Be able and willing to regularly engage in questioning the forces, institutions, and belief systems that shaped not only his or her own values and beliefs, but those of teachers and classmate, the university and the larger community as well.
Questioning during "debate" is a very central portion of such a "debate". Shouldn't you question those entities within our society that helps form and shape daily activities and decisions? Yes, you should, however, you need to have a background in those areas that you question. Perhaps you have taken classes, or spent much discussion with peers, done research, had experiences that bring out those real life items that explain what you are trying to clarify. Experience usually includes, success, failure, partial failure and incomplete success.
To have your opinion counted in a "discussion", you need to make your point offering reasons for or a cause of your case. Usually people that have done prior research in the topic for the evening, say for a town council meeting, will be listened to more than those who do not know what they are talking about. Our democracy demands that people keep abreast of current, statewide, national and international events so we can understand the activities of our government and contact our representatives with information that may help them with the decision making process.
Representatives in a Democratic Republic such as ours are dependent on "public opinion" to help them vote. Citizens do not have a direct vote on these matters, only the representatives which interpretate what the citizenry wills.

#3. Understand their values and Moral beliefs...

2009-05-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

3. Understand their values and moral beliefs and how and why they may differ from those of others. Be able to accept and address criticisms of his/her values and beliefs.
Part of your growth and frame of reference is a development of values and moral beliefs.
VALUE: ...to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance. What do you value within your makup? What makes you have worth? If your interest is academics, do you "value" a "A" grade, or is a "C" acceptable. The higher your value, the harder you work towards that goal. That is why grades are representative of your efforts. An employer likes to see those kind of values, because it indicates you will be a hard worker, independent, organized, loyal, etc. College recruiters always say that high school grades are the best indicator of success in college. Establishing goals early in life and striving to acheive them makes you work and find out how to acheive things that you may never thought you could.

MORAL BELIEFS: Of or concerned with the principles of right and wrong in conduct and character: teaching of conduct standards of good behavior; conforming to the rules of right conduct: sexually virtuous: judged by one's conscience to be ethical or approved: capable of distinguishing between right and wrong.

Moral beliefs are taught by parents, the village, the government, church, and the friends developed over years. The main portion of moral beliefs is knowing the difference between right and wrong AND ACTING IN THE CORRECT MANNER. Politically speaking, do you vote for a person of proven good character, or someone of lesser character. The church provides morals and ethics that are examples of proper behavior.
Your values and beliefs will not always be the same as others. Do you know why you have your values and beliefs? Can you justify your beliefs in the face of criticism in a "debate" about questioning those beliefs and having people try to change your position? Can you accept others position with their values without making enemies? Remember, if you are entitled to your values/beliefs, so is everyone else . This is an area of political discourse that gets out of hand. Several religious entities become overzealous about their views and attempt to "convert" those that they evangalize. They think if the potential convert does not agree with their position they will go to hell. If you think this is not a big thing, rethink the Iraq war situation. The Muslims think Christians are not a respectful religion because they do not do church-like things everyday like the Muslims do. Christians only go to church once a week. Look at World History, most of the wars through-out history have to do with "religion".

#2

2009-05-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

An educated person should...
#2. Understand and evaluate their own and other's decisions.
"Understand and evaluate..." To understand beliefs and values that you accept in your life, you call on reserves first. An example would be: Your frame of reference. This has been discussed in earlier blog messages. In your "frame of reference", you have amassed a tremendous amount of "education", that you call on everyday. It depends upon how diligent you have been in your life to accumulate a good "stockpile", of information. It is good information if you have received it, hashed and rehashed it, and accepted it into your existence as a belief or value that you stand behind. For instance, if your parents were/are conservatives, you have been privy to their discussions and beliefs and have accepted many into your "frame". To you, that becomes the way you look at current happenings and reports. After many challenges to those beliefs, you feel comfortable with some and uncomfortable with others. This is now starting into the "evaluate" portion. You need to see how strongly you believe in those comfortable ones, what makes you comfortable, and why you feel uncomfortable with the ones you can't believe in--and why. You are now starting to weigh what you can support and what is needed for that support and why you can't support an item. One of the most polarizing issues is abortion. If your religious beliefs feel that the mother should carry the fetus full term--NO MATTER WHAT, then that is what you would choose. However, if you believe that the mother's rights to free choice, supercedes the rights of the fetus, then you will desire a mother the choice to have an abortion or not.
New evidence:
Once you have established your value system, you then need to keep current on all the latest technological,current events, local, national and worldwide, Congressional events, your federal political subdivisions (House of Representatives) and Senators for your state , State government members and city government representatives. You should be able to read about an event, enter or not enter it into your frame of reference and be able to stand up and voice an opinion on that event. You also need to keep current on world events and be able to support or not support what is going on and be able to get involvled in discussion about the way you feel about what is going on. How does this effect you? The George W. Bush Presidency made so many "errors" that the public rose up and elected a Barak Obama as President. The people were so insensed that they took their "well-formulated opinions" and put them into action by electing a new political party to the Presidency with new ideas, similar to their own. Those original opinions were ideas that people saw didn't work, they accepted new ideas to alter their "frame of reference" and put that new altered opinion into action.

What should an Educated Citizen Be Able to do? #1

2009-05-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

An educated person should be able to do the following:
1. Be able to make conscious, informed decisions in the public sphere and in their private lives and be able to explain their reasons for the decisions.

Be able to make conscious, informed decisons...
A person needs to keep an open enough mind to hear all sides of an issue, make a decision based on his/her frame of reference, plus new evidence that your research has uncovered, and be able to formulate a decision backed up with well-thought out reasoning for your belief.

...in the public sphere...
A person needs to be comfortable enough with that decision to discuss his/her belief so when "threatened" by outside critical opinions, that decision will stand the test of time. That would include being able to talk in public groups, such as a city council meeting, or a planning and zoning meeting. It would be up to you to convince the public entities that you are dealing with that your point of view has: Sound reasoning, the latest available data...that is researchable, and you do it in such a way that people want to be on your side...not against you. When you are talking in the public sphere, you are trying to convince someone to your way of thinking about an issue.

...in their private lives...
Sometimes, there are private entities that need the benefit of your "research", that you need to bring on your side, or just explain, your point of view. All of the above would apply.

...and be able to explain their reasons for the decisions.
When a person "cries Wolf" too many times, people do not listen after being burned. If you tell data in a conversation/debate/ whatever, that is unsubstantiated, people will listen until they find out that it is unsubstantiated. After that, it will take many attempts to gain their "trust" in anything that you say. When you make a statement based on a newspaper/magazine, make sure you remember the date, issue, etc., so people can go back to it and look it up in total. They are entrenched in their own opinion/belief and it will take substantial evidence for them to come to your way of thinking. If you cannot deliver a date of the article...etc....it is the same as being without value.

What should an Educated Citizen Be Able to do?

2009-04-29T22:06:00.001-07:00

An educated person should:

1. Be able to make conscious, informed decisions in the public sphere and in their private lives and be able to explain their reasons for the decisions.

2. Understand and evaluate their own and other''s decisions.

3. Understand their values and moral beliefs and how and why they may differ from those of others. Be able to accept and address criticisms of his/her values and beliefs.

4. Be able and willing to regularly engage in questioning the forces, institutions, and belief systems that shaped not only his or her own values and beliefs, but those of teachers and classmates, the university and larger community as well.

5. Be able to think for himself/herself.

6. Be able to engage in discussions about political and economic issues that affect his or her community.

7. Be able to lead.

8. Be open-minded.

9. Be able to communicate and listen effectively.

10. Be able to conceptualize a problem and solve it.

11. Be able to consider ethical issues thoughtfully.

12. Understand that learning is a continuous lifelong process.

13. Be able to think critically, creatively, and independently.

14. Be flexible in order to adapt to changing economic and social conditions, new workforce needs, and the demands of a multicultural society.

15. Be able to explain and use the ideas and principles underlying the major areas of modern knowledge.

16. Be a good citizen based on their knowledge of democracy.

The above items were taken from "Summary of Comments Made on the Educated Citizen List Service, Fall 2003" Some of those items were taken from the California Education Code 66050 and 66070, also from an article in September/October issue of Change: "Teaching students to think."

I will continue the Blog going through each of the above trying to give examples for easier understanding.

Frame of Reference II

2009-03-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

In the last blog, it was explained how a persons "frame of reference" was that a person is the sum total of all experiences, mistakes, successes, etc. How does that effect an educated citizen? Example: If you lived in the south all your life, you call the War between the States, just that, but if you are from the North, you call it The Civil War. Even today people are very touchy about where you are from. As a southerner, you have been raised with a certain value and ethic system, that sometimes taints your viewpoint towards people of the North. Ditto for Northern raised people. Your frame of reference helps make you decisions. Similarily, if your parents have always been Republican, because you have been raised in their house, you are probably Republican when you acheive voting age. Similarily for Democrats, etc. The way you look at things!!
Other socially oriented frame of reference "decisions": People define truth for themselves and will rationalize away any failures. Everyone puts a spin on the truth. A perfect example: "Don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness." You have learned that you can get away with things if you don't ask for permission and if you get caught, ask for forgiveness. "Reality is not as important as perception? What is true is not as important as what people believe to be true." A perfect example: When George W. Bush ran for his second election as President. Europe, the remainder of the world and all thinking Americans could not even phathom him being elected again--but he was elected to a second term. Why? 1) He was a sitting president at a wartime. 2) the average voter really did not follow current events. After the election, newscaster Carolyn Simpson, went around the U.S. on behalf of a major TV network, talked with people and students. The result is better stated in one sentence, "People thought Heusin was still in power in Iraq" In other words, people were too busy, making money, having fun, NOT DOING THEIR CITIZENSHIP DUE DILIGENCE to keep up with current events or reading about their president to make an intelligent decision in the polls.

Frame of reference I

2009-03-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Frame of Reference. A term that is used all the time in conversations. What does it mean? Earlier I mentioned this phrase and explained that it is the total sum of all that you have retained in your mind. That is too small an explanation. So I will expand upon it.
Frame of reference includes all that you experience, whether you physically experience it, read about it, learn from failure about it, learn from success about it, travel, experimentation, everything that goes into your brain.
Why does an educated citizen need to know about frame of reference?
First, you need to know what is in your frame of reference. What you have retained within your experiencial level. The more experiences you accumulate, the wider your frame of reference. That is why people that are only readers and not "doers" are not as qualified in what they are doing. A person that ratchets a bolt and nut together "feels" when to stop, a person that only reads about it doesn't know about the "feel". You need to know what you need to "work" on to make your frame of reference more rounded within your "world". The word compentency comes into play here. People who remain curious until they die are always interested in widening their "frame of reference". A person that is an educated citizen is always searching to benefit the country, government, community, thus will listen to all available sides of a controversary before making a stand. More on the next blog.

Where can you find those items you need to be a citizen?

2009-03-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

My last blog discussed morals and ethics needed to be a good citizen. There is a two volume set of books by William J. Bennett. The Book of Virtues and The Moral Compass. These books are not the definitive books on morals and ethics only the books that help explain them so everyone can understand them. They came out in 1995 and 1996, so you should be able to find them in any bookstore or book sales by non-profit agencies.
As I said, they are a very easy read. He explains what he is going to discuss then gives very good examples. He breaks it down in the various areas of society, so you can go to that area and it discusses those standards that are applicable.
In the area within The Moral Compass, chapter six, "Citizenship and Leadership", he starts out by explaining that," we are all members of groups, clubs, churches, school organizations, civic organizations and political parties in order to better ourselves and the condition of others."
"The success of any organization depends on the character of its citizens. Good citizens
are those who know and live up to their duties by exercising virtues such as responsibility,
loyalty, self-discipline, work and friendship."
He also reminds us of other virtues required to hold such positions as team captain, club president, state representative, member of a student council, vestry, or board of directors. Such virtues are: "compassion, courage, perseverance, wisdom and sometimes faith." Leaders are ultimately judged in terms of how well they serve their followers and by the examples they set..... They lead not just by command, but by the force of their good character. Good leaders are also good followers. They know how to help shoulder a load and share hardships. Good leaders are also grateful for the gifts and opportunities given and work hard to preserve and improve them. Gratitude counts, "especially among a people blessed with an inheritance of political freedom and material wealth unmatched in the history of mankind."
Have you ever had a leader that is not cheerful? We all have. Cheerfulness is also a necessity in a good leader.
"They all knew him! He was the man that cannot steer, that cannot splice, that dodges the
work on dark nights, that, aloft, holds on frantically with both arms and legs and swears at
the wind, the sleet, the darkness; the man who curses the sea while others work. The man
who is the last out and the first in when all hands are called. The man who can't do most
things and won't do the rest. The pet of philanthropists and self-seeking landlubbers. The
sympathetic and deserving creature that knows all about his rights, but knows nothing of
courage, of endurance, and of the unexpressed faith, of the unspoken loyalty that knits
together a ship's company." Joseph Conrad
Whiners, grumblers and complainers are not simply unattractive, they are symptoms of selfishness. And an overriding concern with the "self" is not the business of citizenship.
You sometimes wonder what kind of citizens our leaders are. Many are only out for themselves, fortunately for us we also have others who are out for the common good.

What is inside you?

2009-02-20T14:50:00.001-08:00

Do you have the items it takes to be a citizen of America? Do you have the desire to be a part of this wonderful experiment?
Morals and ethics, the strength of any society must be passed on by each generation with VALUE/MEANING.
My son and I were taking trash to the dump. He is moving to Hawaii. We were talking about the different cultures. He related a story to me about a buddy that visited Tokyo last year. During his visit, he got off the subway and found that he had lost his wallet, funds and all. Fortunately, he had his passport. He looked everywhere, but could not find it. Finally, he went to the police and asked if someone had turned it in. Their response was, "Have you checked with lost and found at the subway terminal?" He had not thought of doing that, so we went back to the terminal and asked if they had his wallet. Yes, they had his wallet, funds and all. Someone had turned in his wallet. A nice gesture, a daily occurance in Japan. Their upbringing would not allow them to even think of keeping the wallet or its' contents. Their parents instill what is right and wrong and the community backs it up. They could not live with the shame such an event would bring upon them and their family.
America used to be like that. The values of right and wrong were deeply instilled with our heritage, until the past 20-30 years. It is now fashionable to rip people off, take advantage of the weak, use the faith people place in stock brokers to their advantage (The Murdoff scandal $50 Billion) real estate developers, bankers, financiers, the very wealthy, America is becoming the scam capital of the world. We need to become a part of bringing back strong character building. If you know what you are about to do is wrong, don't do it. Would you like it done to you? Our judicial system is being "used" by the bad guys. The good guys have a difficult time receiving a fair hearing/trial. A lawyer isn't worth his salt if he can't get you off of a DWI, SOMEWAY. What ever happened to just pleading guilty and taking your medicine? What about the people that drink and drive, receive multiple-DWI's then end up killing an innocent? THEN instead of throwing the book at this person, the lawyers/court system allows him probation, shortened sentence, whatever. How do the relatives of the dead person feel? THE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK.
Many people have fought against the system to right the wrongs. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, or MADD, have valiently won a battle against the establishment and have brought some sanity to the drunk driver issue. Probation, but with a system hooked up to the car, that requires the person to take a breathalizer test before the car will start. This kind of change was brought about by people fed up with the system and diligently working for change. Attending meetings, protests, writing legislation, getting signatures on petitions, contacting those in authority and making pests of themselves, NOT ACCEPTING NO FOR AN ANSWER.
Yes, it takes a lot to be an educated citizen in a democratic republic. What do you think you can do to change things?
There are some who think that the infusion of the diversity of peoples that have immigrated to America over the past 20 years , many from third world countries, used to much less bounty, think it is okay to break our laws, not have loyalty to America, get ahead at any price, including criminal activity. People who accept jobs in our retail stores do not see the need to learn our language and customs, product information to help the customers, be punctual, don't be absent for any "reason" or "blue flu", just because they don't want to come into work, but demand the "pay" they are supposed to receive. Customers still gravitate to those stores that have clerks that know what they are talking about and can help.

Hollow adjudication

2009-02-19T21:51:00.001-08:00

I attended a court action this morning. It was a matter of a zoning violation. Many people supporting the plantiff were in attendance, fully expecting the matter to be settled so everyone could be done with it. Legal maneuvering occurred that enabled the defendant to have the court move the hearing to an alternative date. This gave the defendant more time to settle the matter outside court.
It also took the wind out of the sails of the plaintiff's support. Will that many people be in attendance for the next court date? Maybe, maybe not. It is an example of how people use the legal system to lean things in their favor, perfectly legal--Hollow adjudication, it looks great--solid on the outside, however, the inside is "Hollow". Amazing. It is something you need to prepare for in our society. Perservance--a necessary item in a democratic republic!!

2009-02-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895...Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina , Kansas , USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina , and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

8th Grade Final Exam: Salina , KS - 1895 Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.

2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications

3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph

4. What are the principal parts of a verb?

Give principal parts of 'lie,''play,' and 'run.'

5. Define case; illustrate each case.

6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.

7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. For tare?

4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. Coal at $6.00 per ton

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft.. Long at $20 per metre?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton , Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849,1865

Orthography (Time, one hour)[Do we even know what this is??]

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals.

4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)

5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis-mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.

9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?

3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?

4. Describe the mountains of North America

5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers

10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete. Gives the saying 'he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it ?! Also shows you how poor our education system has become and, NO, I don't have the answers!

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This was just sent to me via e-mail. I thought you all would get a kick out of it. What are the questions mostly about? Anyone up for the challenge to get the answers? You don't have to take everything, just take a question, or two, or more. After we receive all the answers I will publish the answers for all to have. How did you like the photo of the graduating class of Salina, Kansas, 1895? What career path did they have before them? If most of the questions are concerning that career path, shouldn't our educational system have most of our questions oriented towards the career path's of the day--and how to acheive them?

How Governmental agencies can help citizens

2009-02-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

Becoming an educated citizen in the U.S. society needs assistance. The electorate, registered voters, do not necessarily have time to attend refresher classes about governmental entities. National representation questions by citizens usually entails writing, either using cursive handwriting, typewritten, or e-mail , phone conversations, or personal discussions with representatives or their staff. The web site for the Congressmen is usually helpful in the bills their representative or senator is sponsoring and his reasons. They are staffed with plenty of people who can see to the needs of the constituency (the voters within their specific congressional district or state) and respond with proper responses. Some items actually get to the elected official. Congressmen actually have machines that copy their handwritten signature to make it look like they signed the return letter, usually the answers are within computer data banks and the staff insert the response and the signature is applied via the machine. To attend a Congressional Meeting, you need to send ,many weeks in advance, to your representative or senator for passes to the gallery on the day you desire to attend. The staff members will either mail your passes, if there is enough time, or have them at the Congressman's office for you to pick up.
The state level is less difficult to contact legislators and attend committee and legislative meetings. Each state is different.
Local government is a little more difficult and requires more attention to detail. If you check their web sites you will find licensing requirements, how to pay water bills, how to register for Parks and Recreation classes, how to get a building permit, how to report street maintenance problems, etc. What they don't tell you is such items as How do you get something on the Agenda at a County or City Council meeting? How to initiate,if you can , a rule or regulation. What State ordinances apply and how to get copies? What does it take to speak to the council?
Governmental personel are not very excited about allowing the public to know this information. That is their way of eliminating people who may be opposed to what the council is trying to get passed. People are basically timid. If they have to jump through too many hoops they will just walk away and not try to oppose whatever it was they were opposed to.
I would like to suggest that Local government entities establish checklists on their websites that would walk citizens through these type of items so citizens would not be intimidated as much by all the "red-tape" placed before them to talk to the council., etc. These checklists need to be clear enough and easy enough to follow that a "normal" citizen could follow them. When employees are writing these checklists, they have common terminologies they use in the office all the time, but a normal citizen doesn't. So, the explanations need to be in the most basic format, perhaps defiining words when needed. These check lists need to be present at the front desk, easily seen, for citizens coming into the office. These employees also need to remember that citizens are the ones' paying their salaries and are to be respected at all times.

Political cartoons say it differently

2009-02-12T21:57:00.002-08:00

The Stimulus package proposed by President Obama is getting closer to signing and going out into the economy to help stimulate our economy.
The most surprising aspect of the Congressional movement towards passing this bill has been the lack of support by the minority party, Republicans. President Obama has made numerous overatures; visiting Congressional Republicans in Congress, having them over for an informal evening at the White House, discussing various options with them on an individual basis, none has worked. When the House Bill came to a vote, none of the Republicans voted for it: so much for Bipartisanship. When the Senate Bill came up, only 3 Republicans voted for the bill. The Republicans are not aiding the attempt to help the American Citizens.
The Arizona Republic editorial cartoonist, Steve Bensen, put out a cartoon in today's paper that said it all. He had a man named "W" with a chain saw just finished cutting down a tree named "The Economy" with W saying, "There, try to fix this one" The Republicans took 8 years to ruin our economy, and will not aid in getting it back on track, even when asked to help. Obama was only asking them to help, not blaming them, which he could have done for it is true, only asking for them to aid our economy get back on track. Instead they come back with weak responses such as: "Tax and Spend", "They're spending our children's future". I don't think they have looked in a mirror lately. Isn't there something about two wars costing over $1Billion per month, of money that is OFF BUDGET, yet threatening our children's future, or something about at the beginning of the 43rd Presidency he was handed a very large surplus and left with AT LEAST $1 Trillion deficit and continuing to grow--the list can go on and on. All Obama did was extend his hand in fellowship so America could see that everyone is working towards correcting the situation, it just didn't happen. That's okay, Obama already has the votes--and the way things look, the next election in two years there are going to be more Democratic votes in Congress.

Doing the right thing, even though no one is watching.

2009-02-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

Doing the right thing, even though no one is watching is at the heart of character building. America has spent 230 years instilling character into it's citizens. For the most part, to receive a planning approval at city hall, you don't have to bribe the official, or two or three others prior to the final person. When we hire people to be in our governmental structure they are to adjudicate the rules and regulations as written, not bend the rules to help someone have an advantage over all others. Fair play for all citizens is the rule, not the exception.
A prime example in today's news is the Wall Street Bailout by Congress. When Wall Street financiers asked for an injection of money to save the financial world of the USA, Congress believed they needed to act quickly to save the U.S. economy from failure. Congress passed a bill in unheard of time and the President immediately signed it. That is what the American people wanted, Congress and President responded quickly and fairly.
It is now coming out, that Wall Street is not putting those funds into saving the financial world by getting the funds back into the economy to save it--they are hoarding it, buying up weaker banks and paying their executives excessive "bonuses". One executive received $11.7 million in bonus funds and stock options. Wall Street has not played "fair", by the rules, nor following the intent of Congress. Their actions have infuriated both the executive and legislative branches and worse than that--you the public. Perhaps, the financial world has a short memory. They have already forgotten that President Obama was put into power by people who were fed up with those in power, both in government and the free enterprise system, who took advantage of the publics' "fairness" and trusting nature.
People keep anger inside. One definition for depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
People get depressed about constantly being taken advantage of by those who should be watching out for them.
People are getting angry by having someone receiving an advantage over them simply because of their ethnicity, the color of their skin, their gender, their religious beliefs, the list goes on and on. Remember my earlier statement, "When Obama was elected, victimocracy, died" Everyone is now at an equal level. You must stand on your own two feet, everywhere. The first place people look, is character. How is yours?

The Greatest Danger We Face

2009-01-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

In the Parade magazine within the Arizona Republic, July 25, 1993, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Daniel J. Boorstin, wrote an article "The Greatest Danger We Face". He warns of a menace to our society--the emphasis on what separates us rather than on what brings us together.
Mr. Boorstin, was the Librarian of Congress, the highest intellectual honor the U.S. Government can bestow, he was the editor of the 30-volume "Chicago History of American Civilization, his trilogy "The Americans" (The Colonial Experience, The National Experience and the Democratic Experience. Two hugely successful "The Discoverers" and " The Creators."
Yes, I agree this article is dated, however, what he says in 1993 has become prophetic in 2009.
Mr. Boorstin says: "I am wary of the emphasis on power rather than on a sense of community."
"The separate groups in our country are concerned about their power--whether it be black power or white power, the power of any particular group."
"I think the notion of a hyphenated American is un-American. I believe there are only AMERICANS. Polish-Americans, Italian-Americans or Africian-Americans are an emphasis that is not fertile."
We can see that in today's society. Minorities are vying for political positioning so they can have an edge--an edge on whatever they desire. If you read Mexifornia, by Victor Hanson, you will find that Americans of Mexican heritage are very well organized in an effort to move into the USA without any intention of assimulating into the American culture. Their goal is to retain sovereignty over the entire Mexican Cession that took place after the Mexican-American war. That would include such notable states as California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, just to name a few. The invasion of Mexican nationals into America has bankrupted California once it may happen again in a few months. Working with the Federal Government, who says that a hospital may not turn away anyone, plus the U.S. Constitution granting citizenship to anyone who has been born on American soil, the invading Mexican population uses up the tax payer money, that they have not paid into, to have the child on American soil, thus the child has American status, and must have an accompanying parent to watch out for the rights of the child. Once here, they receive welfare benefits, again, not paying into it. This quickly drains the state budget.
The last school I taught at had a 60+% of Mexican immigrants. When asked why they do this, the response was "because we can, your government isn't making us go back, so why not?
What about one of the Viet Namese tribes that helped American in the mountains. They did not have any written language, nor any technical skills. A church group in Maine decided to foster one family to their small town of approximately 2500. The first family was very happy to leave VietNam and come to the USA. Asian families tend to have many generations within one household, so year after year that one family grew to approximately 500 people. The Federal government mandates that the local school board has to provide interpreters for anyone not speaking English. This school board had to hire someone to come in and write out their verbal language, then make a curriculum based on that as well as have it taught in their langage. It bankrupted the school district. Then to add insult to injury, one of their number was elected to the school board and demanded more curriculum for these immigrants.
I agree with Mr. Boorstin. Assimulation into the community is the key. He says, "There has been so much emphasis recently on the diversity of our peoples..I think it's time that we reaffirmed the fact that what has built our country is community and that community is not dependent on government. It's dependent on the willingness of people to build together."
Today, with the election of Barack Obama, with the rise of multi-cultural /racial relationships
with a trust that is growing amongst old adversaries America is reaching down into it's soul to come up with a new America. All groups are being treated more fairly than ever before, that doesn't mean there still isn't a ways to go, but we are striving in the right direction.
I further agree with him about the hyphenated American. Blacks are called African-Americans, which was a phrase coined by Jesse Jackson back in the day because he didn't like the term Blacks. A more politically correct term would be Americans with African heritage, Italians, would be Americans of Italian heritage, etc. By doing this, the community comes first, which is what he is saying in the above quotes.

That's why we are the trouble we are in

2009-01-28T20:39:00.001-08:00

Yesterday President Obama, realizing there was uneasiness with Republican Representatives over the stimulus package. So, The President of the United States, head of the Executive Branch came to the House of Representatives for a sit down conversation with the Republicans in the House. I made mention in my last blog how neat an idea I thought that was!
Well, today's vote, which passed with 188 nay votes, ALL THE REPUBLICAN Representatives and 11 Democrats voting against the measure. So much for attempting to work together. It shows the collusion within the GOP that has kept the legislative branch at checkmate for the past eight years, except for what they want to pass. In this particular case, President Obama already had the votes, he just wanted a BIPARTISAN vote indicating a joint effort to get the country back on its feet. Instead it shows the real inside of the Republican soul. They want everything for them, nothing for the rest of the country. Well, they better take a second look at this position, the people have already spoken about what they think of what the Republican party has already done to the country, President Obama was trying to allow them to be "Man" enough to dig in and help.

Obama really means what he says

2009-01-27T21:36:00.000-08:00

This week, President Obama means what he says. Calling a meeting of Republicans in the House and in Senate with him proves he wants to have his programs on a bi-partisan basis. The Republicans were given something special, a face to face with the President, the head of the Executive Branch, seeking their input on his proposed legislation to help American climb out of the hole we are in. I would venture to say that this will not be the last time this occurs. What a great idea.

Being an educated citizen shows your character

2009-01-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

Character, what you are made of. Doing what you know to be right, even though no one is watching. An educated citizen must have strong character. The rules, regulations, obligations, responsibilities within a nation must be intrinsic to a person. When you are driving the streets, your knowledge of and following of the traffic rules shows your character. Your traffic record shows a person whether or not you follow rules. Multiple DWI's shows that you cannot hold your alcohol and you put everyone else on the street at risk. How many defenseless people are killed on the highway because of DWI drivers? Sweden, the beginning of the designated driver era, has such strict DWI laws that no one wants to be arrested for that crime. In our country, people can have multiple DWI's and still drive on the streets. The government is responsible for any deaths these multiple DWI drivers commit. Remember, driving is a privledge not a right, it can be taken away at any time. They are coming up with items for DWI people, such as breathelyzers before the key will work in the car. Ask any DWI person how they like having to pay for such a device and using it for 6 months. It is your obligation as a citizen to stop people that you know have drank too much from driving home. Drive them home, get them a cab, have a designated driver--or have a party where there is no alcohol served. When a drunk gets behiind the wheel of a car he becomes all of our problems.

Burning desire

2009-01-26T08:54:00.001-08:00

Today, I want to discuss something that is a must in all people. I speak of a burning desire to do something. A burning desire drives you towards an objective you seek. As an example; When I was in high school, I as a pretty fair baseball player. I never worried about becoming a good ballplayer, because I had a burning desire to acheive that goal. That desire drove me towards that goal. It helped me with decisions--if I was to acheive that goal, I needed to take more batting practice, take more fielding practice, play more games against good competition, that burning desire kept me going. The same with college, I new I was going to acheive a college degree, a new burning desire allowed me to acheive good grades. I never waivered from my goal of acheiving a college degree, and did.
American's need that burning desire to help America be strong. Our citizens need to take the responsibility on their shoulders to accomplish the things citizens are expected to do to such as, being an informed citizen about the various news items, political items, bills being written, voicing your opinion to your representatives in government be it local, state or federal. Taking an active role in rallies, letterwriting, knocking on doors, letting others know how you feel.
Barack Obama's election is a perfect example. The electorate (those registered to vote) became upset at the previous administration for their actions. They made sure others of like feelings were registered and voted. They acheived their desired goal. Their burning desire was the leading element towards winning. Yes, it takes work, citizenship is a work in progress.

Immigration song 1920's

2009-01-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

I just had a friend of mine e-mail me a You Tube video-song, with words flashed upon the screen. It seems immigration has had it's problems for a long period of time.
This is a video and song about immigration that was very popular around the late 1920's and early 30's. Remember, this song is from another era when politically correct was not present and prejudice was accepted. The website for this video is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay_z5ad1mg8

Civics ed, learning experiences, practice goverance, et.al for adults and new citizens

2009-01-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

I have been a part of the educational system, teaching government and U.S.History. Most school systems wait until students are in their junior and senior years for these courses.
I looked through Ms O'Connor's website: Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools -Educating for Democracy. It appears that most of what is there is for students on their way to becoming adults. What I have found in my teaching experience is that students do not really take what they receive in the courses to heart. They are too busy with hormones, testing for college, graduation state testing, working, whatever. Most of the time they do not read the assignments and understand them.
What this blog is about, is the adult population that is out in the world, making a living, raising a family, trying to fit a little of the American Dream into their lives. Voting, elections, candidates, democratic principles, what are these things? The adult population needs to have "renewal" classes, new citizens need more than the naturalization test. They need coursework during the time they must be here to achieve naturalization and beyond.
In The Civic Mission of Schools report, it identifies six promising approaches to civic learning.
(Remember, these are directed towards students)
1. Formal instruction in government, history, law and democracy
2. Guided discussion of current local, national, and international issues and events.
3. Active learning experiences where students perform community service and/or service/learning.
4. Co-Curricular activities to foster engagement with schools and communities.
5. Student participation in school governance.
6. Student participation in simulations of democratic processes.

Why can't we apply these items, if in fact these can apply to the after-school and new citizen crowd, to the existing electorate? This would enhance the electorate in participation in the democratic process. But, does the government/political scene really want the electorate to be better informed/educated?
1. Governmental people know the ins and outs of the governmental process, for the most part unless people have been involved, they do not know correct procedures, when they can speak, where they can speak, etc. These little things stop most people. For instance, people attending a City Council meeting may be upset about a certain item, however, because they did not know that could not do more than request that they be put on the next meeting's agenda about the item, because the rules say the council people can only listen to what new items can say, but they can not speak, or act upon anything not already on the agenda. So these people that were upset and came to the meeting, may not come to the next meeting in any strength, because they aren't going to give anymore time to the item.
2. Elections. Parties control elections. Example: say a bond election comes up for citizen passage so a school can receive more funds to meet demand. The side that wants the election to succeed finds out how many people voted in the last bond election, that is their target number:
a)have their side get absentee ballots. One for each member and have each member give out 5 absentee ballots to people of like thinking. An absentee ballot will be sent to those people. What an easy way to vote, at home! The target number from the last bond election is usually low,,say 10% of the registered voters. The group ensures victory for their bond election in two ways.
b) they get the names and addresses of the registered voters who voted in the last election and they send their literature to ONLY them. They save money in a small mailing, and a more direct mailing to those who voted last time. They will receive a larger percentage from that mailing. At the election eve, there is no surprise that the bond election passed!! If you are not aware of this tactic, shame on you. This group just "burdened" the entire electorate for the new bond money, by using their heads, absentee ballots and voter apathy.
3, Congressmen do not want you to know too much. Watch the movie "Distinguished Gentleman "for a better understanding. Hallow Laws: these laws are like a log laying in the woods for a while. It becomes hollow on the inside, yet stable looking on the outside. Let's say that people live near a river. Upriver from them is a plant that is polluting the water that goes down stream. These downriver people find that many of their population are dying from the pollution. They become very angry, gather together fighting for their rights. They call their Congressman, he is very courteous and understanding. He tells them that he will get right on it. The downriver people are excited that they have their Congressman working for them. In fact the Congressman calls the manager of the plant, who's parent company has spent many dollars in the Congressman's campaign funding. They discuss the issue. The plant manager says he will write up a bill for the Congressman and in fact, does just that. The Congressman swiftly gets the bill passed and signed into law. Wow, the downriver people are elated, they used the system and the system worked for them, and oh, by the way, don't forget to vote for your"helpful" Congressman. Time passes, the downriver people see no depreciation in the number of sick people. They go to the Congressman and ask what is the deal, didn't he pass a bill stopping the plant from polluting. The Congressman comes back saying the upriver plant was exempted from the law. The law said any plant of 50,000 sq ft had to stop polluting, but the plant upriver is only 20,000 square feet, therefore exempt. A HOLLOW LAW, it looks good on the outside, but there is nothing on the inside.
The Congressman quelled the crowd by listening to them, therefore they broke apart and awaited action. When action was received, they THOUGHT their wishes had been put into action by the Congressman, however, because the Congressman was beholden of the parent company's lobby money into his campaign fund, his loyalty was in fact with the parent company, not his electorate.

Sandra Day O'Connor advocate for civics and community service

2009-01-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

In a January 19th Arizona Republic editorial, Sandra Day O'Connor asks the question: "But what happens after Tuesday, Jan 20th, when we go back about our busy lives?" Her responses brings about how easy it is for citizens to take democracy for granted and stop keeping our democracy healthy by being an active informed citizenry.
Active citizenry takes constant vigilence of their representatives, economic policies, foreign policies and community issues. The ability to think critically and enter into dialogue on the issues that you may have different perspectives.
O'Connor desires our students to take the next step beyond understanding civics; to actually exercise the responsibilities of citizenship. Examples would be: helping your neighbor, building your community, or making a contribution to the life of your country that leaves it a better place for future generations. Examples would be Teaching Corps, Job Corps, and Habitat for Humanity.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor served as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and is co-chair of the Campaign for the Civic Misson of Schools. (www.civicmissionofschools.org)

A new President upon us.

2009-01-18T21:34:00.001-08:00

Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States January 20, 2009. His election took place because the citizens became involved in the political process and made sure their candidate won the election. Congratulations to everyone. Your views appear to have won the day and the new administration shall try to follow your wishes. Remember, the political process is not an easy road. This new group will attempt to do all that you desire, however, there are still elements of society that do not want what you want. Economic interests, lobbyists, other political parties, various group that are opposed to your wants. President-elect Obama has his hands full, be patient, be helpful with your opinions, your support and let your representatives and senators know what you feel about the issues as they come up. Oh, did I forget to mention, make sure you let them know if you disagree--not just that you disagree, but have a reason for the disagreement and a possible solution. Remember, if you tear down, you must help rebuild.

Handy reference guides to educating citizenry

2009-01-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Becoming an educated citizen requires knowledge of the political system you are working within.
The democratic-republic we have in America is guided by written documents. Everyone thinks our English heritage gave us the idea of a written document for governing, but alas, the English do not have a written document similar to ours. We made our written documents because the English did not have any! The guidance for the government needs to be written down, for people to read, reference, use and understand. We are fortunate to have The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and The Federalist Papers. Of course there are many more, however a knowledge of these documents is essential for an educated citizenry. The first two of these documents can be found in a concise 160 page book by Dave Kluge The People's Guide to The United States Constitution, my copy is a 1994 edition, I am sure there is a newer copy. I like the book because it is at the normal citizen's level.
"Nearly anyone can read this easy-to-understand annotated version of America's founding
documents. Every difficult word or phrase is followed by a simple definition; every complex concept or clause is fully explained."(Inside leaf description of book) The third document The Federalist Papers is a handy reference to understanding what was in the mind-sets of the Founding Father's as they wrote the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
The Papers were written to encourage ratification of the new United States Constitution to replace the existing Articles of Confederation. "They appeared in New York newspapers between the end of the Constitutional Convention in September, 1787 and New York's vote to ratify the Constitution the following spring."(The Federalist Papers introduction) There is a very well-done edition of these Papers . It's title is: The Federalist Papers In Modern Language Indexed for Today's Political Issues Edited by Mary E. Webster. "Ms Webster has broken up long sentences and long paragraphs (numbering the original paragraphs), substituted words more commonly used today, titled each Paper and subtitled each original paragraph. The titles and subtitles create an outline of the Papers."( Editor's Preface.)
These reference books help citizens learn who, what, why and where, these documents came from and explanations for their existence. Getting involved in America is a right most other nations do not have. We have everything in writing, so we can always reference it and everyone is on the same plate!!

What does it take to become an educated citizen?

2009-01-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

An educated citizen follows the happenings of the day. If that means listening to the radio, example, NPR, CNN, Rush Limbaugh, whatever fits for you, but you need to try and listen to:1) the issue involved; 2) both sides of the solution or discussion 3)try to fit your answer into your frame of reference. What you are familiar with in earlier decisions. 4) Does the proposed solution need support? Then, you need to search out that support, from whatever side of the issue--try to keep an open mind--make up your decision that you can comfortably support. Are you able to explain the issue and explain your solution to someone who is opposition and win your "argument". Remember, the other person has his reasons for his decision. Listen with an open mind, see if it alters your decision, if it does, make an alteration, if not stick to your opinion.
If you watch TV, watch at least one national and one local tv station, so you can keep up with national and local events, at least enough to discuss them until you have gathered enough evidence to make a reasoned decision.
Read newspapers. National, like USA TODAY, or CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, or National newspapers like THE L.A.TIMES, OR NEW YORK TIMES, OR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Follow Online newspapers, national or local. Follow Blogs.
Remember: before you decide which source you read/watch/listen to, you need to establish that source's bias.
On the whole, most media generate liberal views--keeping an open mind is part of liberal viewpoints, however, many media sources are conservative in their presentation. For example: CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR is generally considered the most neutral of the newspers, Fox News is conservative, USA TODAY is generally neutral, the WALL STREET JOURNAL is somewhat unbiased, however with conservative leanings. Rush Limbaugh is conservative, Larry Elder is a libertarian, Hillary Clinton is a liberal.
Your "frame of reference", or what you have accepted into your brain over your lifetime, will help direct you to accept or reject people's viewpoints.
You need to make decisions on such active issues as: Abortion, racial issues, affirmative action, civil rights, immigration, taxes, etc. You will hear a term: Polorization. Usually a polorized position is one in which there is no middle ground. Abortion is an example. You are either for or against abortion. You can't be a little bit pregnant. You either believe that the woman has the right to abort her fetus, or the state needs to step in and deny her the right to abort the fetus. Of course, there are more to these issues, but you need to study the issue and make a decision. If a candidate supports abortion on demand, and you are against it, will that make your decision against that candidate, just because of that one issue? Watching MEET THE PRESS, LARRY KING LIVE, other talk shows that discuss the pressing issues, helps you see both sides and make up your mind.
As you can see; all of this takes time---but remember, a democratic republic gives it's citizens the right to help make decisions. An autocracy, or a one ruler government does not. The ruler makes the decisions for the people and they have to live with that decision. Do you want to allow someone to make these heavy decisions without your imput and discussion? Comment?

2008-12-26T00:42:00.000-08:00

Why ed cit?

2008-12-23T00:37:00.001-08:00

Educated Citizenry--What a democractic republic is based upon. The voters must be diligent enough to become educated about the issues and candidates to make good voting decisions within the voting booth for democracy or a democratic republic to work.
Democracy: The electorate vote for the issues and candidates in an election. One person, one vote. Usually, a small number of electorate, perhaps enough to fill a church, would fit this defination. A single person reads, hears, discusses the issues, and meets the candidates, then makes a decision based upon his judgement.
Democratic Republic: Similar to democracy, however the voter votes for a representative to represent them in a legislature or executive setting. The voter inputs their feelings about issues, and the representative takes that data to make a decision within the legislative body or the executive position. Representatives and Executives are not necessarily bound to the opinions of the electorate.

Why ed cit?

2008-12-23T00:37:00.000-08:00