Our Ability to Govern

We need to improve our ability to govern. Let's do it. 

Of, By, and For

                We have the responsibility to govern ourselves for ourselves because no one else can or will. Remember that near our beginning we decided to have a government of, by, and for us. Mostly because we did not want to be governed by king or church, but including the reason above.

We

                There are a variety of ways we can begin to learn to govern ourselves better. One is to notice that we are not now doing it as well as could be done. Another is to discover that we can be a better we. Remember that near our beginning we wanted to become a more perfect union. Another way could be to try to better understand the nature of government and governance.

We Can  Take a Step               

                 We could also realize that beginning is just taking a purposeful step. We might also realize the reality of what I said that my aunt said. As I remember she said that "The beginning is the half of the way." This means that beginning is to improve our ability to govern ourselves goes a long way towards actually improving that ability.

The First Step Can be Half the Trip

                That first step need not be perfect. We do need to pay some attention to it so that we can learn from it. It can be a tiny step or a large step in the wrong direction. We can learn from either one and be long way on the way of our purpose. Each little step can serve us well and that first little step is a great doing.

We Can

                We can do much. We can be aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it. We have the ability to learn. We can do.

Questions Can Get Us Started

                We can ask and we can answer. We can notice that one question or answer can be better than another.

                Below are few examples of questions. Any one of them can spark a move toward the improvement of our ability to govern. I believe that you can ask a more useful question I think I might too.

                Make some effort to keep "of, by, and for" in mind as you read these questions:

~ How's our air?

~ What do we (I) know about how our local water problems are being solve?

~ How many minute a year do I have to devote to our governance?

~ Why do bond issues, which increase our common debt, keep being passed?

~ How many hours of mine can I use for government this year?

~ Who knows what is going on here?

~ As we lapse into local ignorance what is becoming of us?

~ Who learns to do that which needs doing?

~ What's democracy?

~ How is democracy done?

~ What's a really good way of doing it?

~ How do you keep in touch with the doings of my town, city, county, neighborhood which touch my life?

~ With whom do we talk it over.

~ How can we develop a common understanding of that which is important to us now?

~ Who are we? 

~ Do you want more questions?

~ How might we get some useful answers.

~ What can we do as a we.

~ What are we doing together now?

~ What important doing, which seems not very difficult to do, are we not doing. 

~ What is a useful step which could take soon, were we willing.

~ Could you think of a real step which you could take?

~ What now links public officials to voters.

~ Do you have any answers? 

~ How do we talk it over? 

                    I have more questions and a couple of answers, but I am getting tired now. On this blog and elsewhere I hope to answer a question and to look beyond that answer.

                    I hope you will find a way to answer or ask a question with the "comments" app a the bottom of a post on any of these related blogs. I haven't been getting comments on content recently and believe that I would enjoy getting a few.

                    There are apps, posts, essays, and videos at this blogsite and on each of the associated sites you welcome to check out.

                    Thank you for reading.

                                                                                            rcs

“The consulting industry has infantilised government” - Mariana Mazzucat...

My Present View of Our Associated Blogsite Readers

 Readers of these associate blogsites seem to be much like this:

                    They seem ordinary, and they are not interested in hashing over the same old stuff. Their minds are hungry.

                    Many have some college. Some have post graduate degrees. They seem to be more curious than most and to be life-long-learners. They have an urge to explore. They even learn to explore certain blogs.

                    They are often interested in some facets of science and to have imaginations which tend to be realistic. A significant number of them are interested in kinds and sorts of history. They want to get to the real story. They are interested in sociology even when they are not exactly sure of what it is. A few have considered the nature of governance. They can also be interested in new thoughts related to world affairs. Others are happily married.

                    Often they are interested in getting the back story of the news and other happenings, and often don't tell me so.

                    They believe in the importance of personal communication and find face to face communication attractive. They are often ready to learn more, to understand much more, and to be interested in meanings of some depth.

                    Health can be an important interest of theirs, both public health and personal health. They are often interesting people interested in personal development. Many love reality, reality, and clear thinking. Some find the possibilities of  interactivity of blogs interesting. An important few are willing to help me to present good content well, to correct my errors, to ask questions, to make comments on content. I appreciate them.

                    Most visitors have used several of the apps available on these blogs to make their searches, explorations, readings and viewing of essays and videos more pleasant and effective. Some find that these applications support their intuitive explorations. 

                    Some few are coming to appreciate the ease of moving back an forth from one of these associated blogs to another.

                    More and more are beginning to visit the timeline blogs. Others find a home base blog from which to explore. One may feel at home at Mago Bill, another at Dialogue With RCS and another at History With RCS because they like the pre-history there. Recently I have been beginning at the Governance blog, but I may start using the Writing With RCS site as my home-base.

                    It is my wish that you enjoy your visits. 

           

                   I enjoy your comments on details of content the most, these days.

                  Thank you for reading.

                                                                                    Richard    

They know that their are truly wonders of reality.

Economic Update: The Emerging New World Economy

"Nation" Is Related to Governance

Nation: the word            

               "Nation" was born from a word that meant "to be born'' came to mean "breed" or "stock." 

                  

                 It next came to mean ''that which has been born,'' that is ''a breed." But it soon came to refer to s species or race.

                "Way down yonder in the Indian Nation" is a refrain from an old song which got me to thinking as an America am I of a race or a racist, or both or neither? It seems that most Indian tribes fit the meaning of nation more fully than we do.

Race

                So according to the dictionaries, "nation" came to refer to a race of people.

            "A race of people" people implies a strong blood or genetic relationship.

History

                Our blood and our history seem to have strong effects upon us. A word's history is carried with it, much like your history is part of you. A word seems pretty bloodless, but once one gets into our mind it can get pretty bloody.

                Very recently in our history we started to use ''nationality'' and ''nation" in reference to our country of origin and meanings, if not become confused, certainly began to change for many of us. "Nation" has been taken over as a political/legal concept of nation as ''an organized territorial unit.'' by this notion the United States of America can be called a nation.

Webster dictionary

                My Webster dictionary uses the words birth and race as part of an ongoing part of the meaning of "nation." It goes on to say that nation refers to a group or aggregation of closely related persons. Closely related persons form a "we." How do we form a we? Can co-operation and communication do the job?

Culture

                A common culture forms a we. A culture is learned even though much of that learning is not consciously done. We can learn. It's possible to learn together.

Are we willing to learn together? I think that we create and maintain a more perfect union when we want to. It just takes some doing.

Community

                Another dictionary says that what we have come to call a community of people of one or more nationalities and possessing amore or less defined territory and government, is a nation. I can't remember the exact nature of a community just now. I does seem like this dictionary is trying to describe us. How are we describing ourselves these days? Dictionary compilers keep trying to give a realistic definition to a word we have twisted out of shape.

Language                

                Another modern dictionary tried this. "A nation is is a people, who share common customs, origins, history, and often language." This seems a good try at defining what many people now mean when they use the word, nation. This culture,  union.

Legal and Political Actuality

                Another more modern dictionary seems to lack heart and feels less congenial to me. It says, a nation is a rather large group of people under a single, usually independent government. Looking at the reality it may be a try at the actual reality, but it is not very attractive.

Country

                Well, many of us feel that we have a darn good country. We can be on our way to deciding or remembering who we are and what we are. A country seems an Ok start.

                

                Still, nation, does have a nice ring to it. Could the Navajo nation or Iceland be examples to take a look at. They may be good 

examples for nations, but not the right ones for us. 

                Thanks for reading. 

               Word Power to you.

                                                                                                rcs

                

                

We Can Organize to Take Better Care of Ourselves

Community Organization

From the grassroots:

                    It's about what we want.

Use Them or Lose Them

                                                        The best way to keep our constitutional rights is by using them. The best way to defend our rights is by using them. It is our responsibility to protect our rights. We have a right to co-operate. We do not co-operate well when we are disorganized. Our right to organize includes our working people. We are in this together. We are the only ones around to protect the laws and rights we have claimed.

                                                                                                    rcs

Peon, to Pawn, to Active Citizen?

 

The Russian Revolt of 1905               

                  The Russian revolt of 1905 included mass political unrest, which in turn, included terrorism, strikes, military mutinies, and urban demonstrations. This led the tzarist government to establish a limited constitutional monarchy including a duma which a parliament.

The Use of Democracy           

                The use of democracy is designed to prevent the worst of the above. The educated use practice of democracy can prevent the most of  the negative and bad imaginable.

Nicolas II

                The October Manifesto of 1905 in Russia was issued by tzar Nicolas II. Sergei Witte was influential in its production. I pledged to grant civil liberties to the people including: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly and also provided broad participation in the Duma. No law could come into force without the consent of the duma. The tzar retained veto power.

                Nicolas II was Nicolai II Alexandrovich Romanov. He was the last tzar of the nearly300 years of the Romanov dynasty rule of Russia. Sergei Witte was a Russian statesman who served as first prime minister of the Russian empire, replacing the tzar as head of government. Witte had a good understanding of the use of republicanism, but may have lacked enough understanding of all the powers extent in Russia.

Organized Powers

                The still well organized powers in Russia brutally suppressed constitutional law, congressional power, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, participation in the Duma, and similar activities.

American People

                The America people still have much to learn about the practice of republicanism and democracy. Americans can still co-operate socially, but are now finding it difficult to organize effectively.

Governance Was Collapsing

                Tsar Nicolas II abdicated in 1917. The Russian people were unprepared to govern, governance was collapsing. Powerful people tried to use war to pull the country together. They failed. The people began to look to the far right and far left. The happy medium, the golden mean, was lost. The had to little practice a self-governance.

The Bolsheviks

                The Bolsheviks were a small well organized group of persons with some understanding of governance took power. They were mostly a small faction of the Marxist Russian Democratic Labor Party. The were well organized and founded the Soviet Union.

Self-Governance              

                We have more to learn about self-governance. The Russians had a lot to learn of republican governance and still do. They have not practiced ongoing self-care. We seem to have forgotten how to practice republican governance much less democratic governance.              

The Russian People

                The Russian people did withstand counter revolution, experimental economic police, rapid expansion, war, Stalin, and more war. It was brutal, brutal do, in great part, to the lack of practice in governance of large parts of the Russian people as much as to any resistance.

                As time went on, imperialism and capitalism did not seem to work for them and they had not learned how to work a republic or a democracy. They seemed to have their idea of democracy a social democracy to make it included all of them.

                The great mass of the Russian people seem to have moved from being peons to being pawns. Oh, when will they ever learn. When will we ever learn to play our own game. When will we learn to take care of ourselves politically, socially, civically, civicly? (civicly should be a word.)

                There is a lot for us to learn and to remember. Luckily there are plenty of us to do so and we still remember a lot about co-operation.

                Thank you for reading.

                                                                                            rcs

                

                

                

We Can Do it Anyway We Want.

Group: Random Considerations On Its Nature

 Self and Group

                    There are those of us who know more about than we know about ourselves. A family is a group of sorts. There are those who realize that knowledge of self and knowledge of group are are, very often, best developed in tandem. Or,   more fully said, that some have come to realize that our understanding in one area can get so far ahead of the other that our development in both is limited. And, that when our development falls enough behind the other, the development of both is hindered. So, that which you are learning about the use of self can help you in your use of group. Also development of your power in the use group can improve your ongoing self development.

                   So it is that most of us benefit by ongoing development of our understanding of self and that of group, without letting understanding in one get to far ahead the other. So I could say that participation in group is good for self development. And that is just the beginning. Group knowledge leads to knowledge of dialogue and co-operation, which leads to the better use of organization. And the practice of these steps seem to lead to the better practice of collective self-governance.

                    A prime injunction of wisdom teachings has been, "Know thyself." This injunction has been up there close to the one Christ taught on the nature of love. Wisdom teachings also suggest that learning which leads to understanding and meaning may be the prime purpose of human being and also that the first important learning is of self. So, gaining understanding in self helps one to gain understanding of group. As we come to improved doing of group we come to better understand ourselves. And, so on. We seem to be creatures of great curiosity who seem to love getting more meaning into our lives.

                    Learning seems to aid our knowing and and understanding. Observation and practice aids our learning. It may be good for us to realize that there is a lot to learn, know, and understand. Learning, knowing, and understanding seems to stroke and stoke our curiosity and to also to feed our hungry minds with meaning. These doings can be done alone and may also be better done co-operating in a group.   

                    You may believe that learning is an important part of being. You may have found that it can often be fun and that it is almost always be satisfying. Others and sometimes our vary selves have made it unpleasant. Some agree that learning is often best when one follows his or her bliss.

                    I believe that learning about groups is a great way to learn about ourselves, our world, and our collective self-governance. My experience informs me that there are many qualities of learning. You might want to consider the quality of your recent learning. Who you are now and the nature of your present situation effects that quality. Right now it may be effected by my writing. 

                    These days much of my writing is affected by the way we are not governing ourselves and the way we are doing so little to help each other to better practice governance. Two ways I see to better the situation were there is the will to do so. One way is centered on face to face groups of less than 40. The other is centered on particular way of speaking among one among one another; it might be called a democratic dialogue.

                    

                      Thank you for reading this far. The following will be not

Participation in a Group

                    Participation in a certain group at a certain time can be a pleasure or a pain. At the same time it is nearly always a learning experience. That learning and that experience will be of varying quality. Much of that learning can lead to valuable knowledge of self. Awareness of that possibility can aid the quality of your learning and your life.

    

                    There are many kinds of groups; examples include hobby groups, civic service, political group, self-help group, religious groups and there are many different variations of each kind of group. Recently I have thought of being a participant in two learning/study groups: one dealing with more effective group dialogue the other about the nature and practice of citizen governance.

                Governance group might deal schools and utilities. Another governance group might might be interested in the democratic governance of all kinds of groups, another group may be formed to look at the democratic intent of  the US constitution. You may be interested in new ways of managing a corporation. Or, you might enjoy participating in a fly fishing and fly tying group, a sane dating group, or a music appreciation group.

                You might find your group useful, interesting, and a joy for more reasons than I can imagine. Each group can a learning experience on two levels one can be through  your observation of the nature of the group and its interests and the other your observation of your participation in the group.

                Of course, one group can be more useful, pleasant, or interesting than another is to and to others. Some will be better suited to your personality or to your deeper self then are others.

                Some groups are more transitory than are others. While others prove lasting enough to prove very useful to their members. A significant number of these longer lasting groups can become  social tools as well as well as a sort of schools well adapted to its members.

                The probability of success among these groups is increased by a high level of participation by a large percentage of  a groups membership. This participation has strengthened both the effectiveness and the longevity of groups. Also groups of a democratic nature often prove to be more effective in the long run.

                Surely an important part of being is learning. Learning about the world around us can be an important move toward learning about ourselves, as learning about ourselves can be vital to coming to a better understanding  of our world. I believe that the learning we can do in groups is important to learning about self, our world, and self governance.

                My experience informs me that there are many qualities of learning and that learning in one area is supportive of learning in other areas. You may have become aware that learning of governance, and how to do it, is important to me. My interest includes both that of the individual self-governance of each of us, and our collective mutual self-governance.

                It is fair for you to check to see how much of that which I am writing makes useful good sense to you. If it does seem to make useful good sense to you, take note. You may find that is truly important to your life. If you think that it may be of ongoing usefulness to you, but that you also have questions related to it then please ask those questions. If  the "comments" section just below seems not to be working, use the "comments" section of any one of the associated blogsites available sites here. To do so mention the name of this post and the name of this site in your post to "comments." I will try to respond in the "comments" section or in a post. It may be useful to use your name or a nom de plume. 

                Below you may find more about the nature of group and group participation. 

Participation in a Group

                Participation in a group is a learning experience. The quality of that experience will be of varying quality. However what you learn and the quality of that learning will be very much up to you. Your learning can lead to valuable knowledge of  yourself. Awareness of the possibilities of your learning can enhance the the quality of your learning and of your life.

                Groups can be organizations, very well organized and effective organizations. In groups and organizations it is important to each one that each member knows and has in mind that he or she is important to the organization, to its longevity, to it's value to each member and the collective, to the congeniality of membership, and more. For the good of the group and of individual members it is best that each member has a place in the organization and and valued activity/job. Being a practicing participatory democracy tends to increase the level participation in a group and to increase its value to one and all.

                You have the power to have a group. A local face to face is usually best. You can enjoy the power and usefulness of the group and your strength, growth, and development in it. Its fair to make a group of your own when you become so inclined. You can visit the  dialogue site here for some ideas.

                Let's say that you get info about a group which seems interesting. You can probably attend a few meetings to see what its like. Showing up is an important step. You can join it for a time if it seems congenial. 

                What's next? You could do this: Analyze your group or organization to better know it and perhaps yourself. Doing such an analysis can help you to participate in it more effectively and more completely enjoy its benefits.

Activities to Help You to Better Understand A Group

To start you, or you and a friend, can begin to carry out some of the activities suggested just below:

~ Find out who in the group has authority to implement group plans. Doing so will lead you to many questions which may have illuminating answers.

~ Know the action plan for long range funding of your organization as a group. this leads to more interesting questions.

~ Find out who is involved in developing your strategic plan. You may now be learn some diplomacy; and to have some new questions: What plan? What strategy? What involvement? What's going on?

~ Know your membership trends. Is membership increasing or decreasing? Why?

~ What is the nature of the groups benefits for you and others? Just what are they?

~ Who is doing the bulk of the work to accomplish the group goals? Just what are those goals? What work?

~ Which people to the work? What jobs are there to do? Who makes the meeting place available and ready to use? Where are the job doers?

~ Consider the nature of the group's for you and for others.

~ Make sure you know the engines of your group. How are members motivated. What keeps them coming back?

Group as an Example of an Organization

                A Group is an organization. Both or or either one can keep you as busy as you like. Your group ought to feel congenial to you.

                You might set out to find answers to the following questions as aids to your growth, pleasure, and power and that of other members of your group:

~ What questions do you have about your group/organization? What questions do you have about your membership in it?

~ How will you get answers to those questions? 

~ What will you do about your questions and answers? What can you do. What would you rather do? What would you do about the questions and answers when you had the help of other members?

~ What makes your group operate? What makes you operate? What makes you and other members co-operate?

~ What motivates you observe the doings of members? Do you consider your motivations for doing so. Do you consider what seems to be their their motives for doing what they do.

                Keep in mind that in a group, it is not mandatory that you search for answers to your questions by yourself. Your group is for doing together.

                Enjoy your growing power and the growing power of your group. You support your group's power and your group supports yours.

                Take, or make the opportunity to learn more about you.

                Thank you for reading. Please feel free to tell me what you got out of it.

                                                                                        Richard S.

   

           

            

        

First notes on Organization: Organize for fun and other worth-while benefits.

  We know that organization increases our power enormously. We know that our organization can informs and educate us well.

                    We are capable of forgetting the pleasures and satisfactions  of organization. I expect that the pleasures and satisfactions I am recalling just now will not be the same as yours. Still among mine you may find one or two of yours.

I have an interest in ad hoc organizations and and those of longer term.

Below are many of my personal likes in organizations. You may find some of your likes listed.

An organization which attracts me often has:

~ members who feel connected, involve, and respected.

~ the motive of helping me and others to thrive.

~ a clear understanding of costs and benefits.

~ members who promote widespread participation and responsibility.

~ members who embrace reality and who are willing to approach the truth.

~ members who value honesty and justice.

~ a mission I find valuable and pleasing.

~ plenty of talk in which all participate.

An organization which pleases me is one which:

~ Keeps me in the information loop.

~ most members feel well connected with leadership.

~ Makes very clear who pays how much and who gets what.

~ moves in the direction of democracy.

~ tends to be inclusive.

~ tends to safeguard that which I value.

~ includes those who study and promote actions good for me and others.

~ advocates and protects people and process important to me.

~ promotes dialogue which leads to appropriate action.

I find an organization congenial when it includes:

~ teaching the process of organizing.

~ the purpose of advocating and protecting me.

~ objectives very like my own.

~ intelligent, respectful, loving ladies.

                I am very interested in hearing of your likes in organizations. I expect to post more about organization and organizing. Dialogue skills are organizational skills for all participants in society

                More as soon as I can.

                                                                                                            RCS

Europeans, Vampires, Republicans, and Democrats.

            Collective Self-Governance   

             Perhaps we are at the point of losing our right to take care of ourselves, which is our right to self-governance, because we do not know who we are. We do not know each other because we do not practice good organization and communication. While we do not talk among our selves well a co-operate well, how are we to know who we are? While we did not do well together that which we were doing together 40 years ago, and do not remember much of what we were doing 300 years ago, and practically less what was happening to us only 2,000 years ago, and are not even sure how we nearly lost it all, what Have we decided to do to take care of ourselves tomorrow? How do we intend to send to participate in our governance to give our next generation a good chance of surviving and thriving? Are we acting like we don't care or pleading ignorance?  I think that most of us do care most of the time. Ignorance is not an excuse. We mostly learn by doing and paying attention to that which we do. Let's do something now. We can attend to or doing and to the results and then use our observations to make our doings good. You and I do not have too much to do because their are millions to help us. We are the people. Even just you and I personally co-operating with 30 or 40 need not have much to do.

                    The more we are careless of ourselves the more we are likely to become slaves of a new kind. The kind that are not valued, even as slaves, because most no longer have any use for slaves. They become almost at type of sub-human who have not practiced self-governance and cannot even imagine self-governance, much less than practice it. I am talking about us. I still have some memory of an us which practiced much more civic organization and who, at least practiced local self governance, and some organization to protect ourselves from some of the natural depredations from farther afield. 

                    When we care so little for ourselves that we seem careless of ourselves, might not others finally take advantage of us, or just push aside from the goods of this world and Earth. We remembered ideas of fairness and justice and concepts of governance to support fairness and justice among us. We called those ideas republicanism and democracy and loved them enough to pay dearly for them. Many of us did much toward the development of democratic republics.

                    We had a good game going. It has a kind of great rally. Then, often real reasons, we dropped the ball, then lost it, and then forgot it. Some of our great grandfathers did not learn about about self-governance well. A look at history can tell you why.  Our grandfathers learned a bit about it, but began to see it as something in the hands of others and did not support their schools in teaching its nature and practice. Our parents scarcely imagined supporting our schools in teaching us our history or that which once seemed to be our birth rights. Some us are learning some of our history now, and perhaps a few more are remembering that we are collectively responsible for taking care of ourselves. Some say it is never to late to learn and never to late to value our responsibly. I wonder if one dinosaur ever told another dinosaur that they would never lose their position and perhaps their very being. 

                    Our culture and who we are 

                    Some learned that Vlad was bad vampire. It seems that the truth of the matter is, he represents an example of the best of many of, perhaps all, of us of European extraction. He did much to save Europeans from invasions from the East. But more importantly he represented those Europeans who were not crushed by Greco-Roman culture of classical times after the fall of the Late Bronze Age, but learned from it and learned to adapt it to their own benefit. A part of that new culture to which they adapted seemed congenial to many of them. It came with the name "democracy." "Democracy" gathered and named a whole little bundle of ideas and values they already had, and clarified them. Vlad may have never been a republican or democrat, but he was one of those who adapted Greco-Roman culture to greater Europe. He even came to speak a Latinized language.

                The classical culture of the longish Greco-Roman have been heading toward Vlad by 2,000 BC or not long after the fall of the Late Bronze Age cultures. It continued to reach him and beyond to as recently as the recent 1400s! That culture touches us less, but still with some meaning to this very day. It seems we have had to reclarify the meaning of democracy a couple of time since Vlad's time. Maybe we can revivify it again today. We need to take up our responsibility in some way soon, or it is likely that we will believe that we no longer deserve the power of responsibility and freedom. Our continued loss of the "weness," which we have called unity, will, for a time, be more unpleasant than that we have already begun to experience.

                Civic responsibility is not a part of every culture                

When we fail to enjoy our responsibility we lose our civic strength, energy, and power and finally our being. We could lose our all, even with good use of our power of responsibility, but with responsibility our power to survive and thrive is strongly supported. 

                Please help me to proof read this piece.

               Let hear from you. I love to hear comments on content.

               Thank you for reading!

            

A Few Quotes: Por algo Sera.

                A lot depends upon how one interprets them

                "The philosophy in the classroom today is the philosophy of the government "  by Norman Williams

I am not sure this is true. I believe that parents and citizens are responsible for their schools and that which is taught in the classroom. When they abdicate that responsibility Children and youth begin to suffer. They note promptly that something is not right in school or classroom. They usually do not like it, but usually figure "that's just the way things are, and go through the motions as best as they can. Later many of them figure "there is a reason for this" and the begin to consider the nature of the reason for the way things are. Is it teacher? Student? Those above teachers? Above students? Just who is responsible for the way our public schools are?

"The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world."

by George Orwell

I think that our concepts of honesty, experience, and good evidence could take up a lot of slake. I Orwell meant by ''the world," people. Things like truth fade out of people. I bet there is a reason for that.

"The public will believe anything so long as it is not founded on truth."

By Edith Sitwell

This seems an exaggeration and not quite true. It seems that most of our public is educated in our public education systems. It seems that the public is made up of the ones responsible of our public education systems. What happens when they fail to honor their responsibility. We may believe lies or falsehoods, but that is usually not a favorite doing of ours.

"Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea"

That is republicanism and democracy and the idea that governance is in the hands of the citizens and is their responsibility. When they do not uphold that responsibility the fall into ignorance. What was the reasons for your parent's and your grandparent's reason for the way they governed. What was their understanding of republicanism? democracy? What was the reason for their way of governance? A republic was not to be governed by a small elite, nor by a church. A democracy was the abundant participation of the people in their own governance. The more people the better. The people have usually been considered to be citizens of the state. It was considered by many that the governance practiced be the people was better than rule by a king, most of the time. 

by John Gunther

            What do you think? Who is responsible for you and yours? Who is responsible for your neighborhood? Your health? Your organization. Your county? Your co-operation? Your education? 

                                                                                                    rcs