Due Process !!!

 The United States of America is losing its status as a republic.

When a judge can be arrested without due process, what have we become. With such lawlessness there is no republic. What hope is there for democracy where the people refuse to govern. There may be a time when it is to late for citizens to learn.

                                                                            RCS

Move Toward Real Democracy

Democracy is Participatory Democracy

            Real democracy is participatory. It is a doing we must do or it does not exist for us. I feel uncomfortable using the term "participatory democracy" because democracy means government by the people and not so long ago we were clear about that.

            This piece is directed mostly to American citizens. Many of them once believed that Americans could take care of themselves together and could govern themselves. Now some of them are beginning to think can they can revive that belief and forgotten knowledge. Some believe that is never too late. Others believe that it is already to late. Still, even you may find in democracy something interesting or even useful. 

            When the United States was founded, mostly by Europeans, the idea of a republic was popular. Some thought republicanism was a good step toward democracy. Most educated Europeans knew quite a bit about ancient Greek democracy and thought that it could be a fine way for a populus to care for itself. Most of those that Americans still call their founding fathers thought so to. However, many of them believed that the present people were not ready to handle a democracy.

A republic with democracy in mind

            Many of those who began to migrate to the New World felt that kings or a "noble" oligarchy was not a rule for them. Many of them knew of republicanism was for a rule  that was not for rule by any particular church and not by king or nobility. Such rule in much of Europe was becoming unpopular there for good reason. It seemed more painful than practical for many. Popular republicanism was also against such rule. However, among them it was not clear if republicanism was not for rule by the people. Many knew the early Roman Republic was pretty democratic, but many of the public was not well up on the nature of Greek or early Roman governance. That was the state of early American republicanism. Some people had the notion that once the unpopular rule was out "we" would rule. Significant numbers of people thought "We can take care of ourselves." But their definition of we was not clear neither was notion of how self care was to be done together. 

            However the notion of citizenship came up and the notion of ''representative'' democracy came up often as a part of modern republicanism of the time. In our new republic interested parties thought. We thought that we would select representatives to find ways to govern as we wish, ways to do as we wanted. This was probably the largest consensus of the republican ideas of the founding fathers and as close as we could get to democracy at the time.

A written constitution

            The founding fathers decided to provide us with a constitution. We did not contest that. It turned out to provide us with a pretty good organization and set of laws. With it we could, among other things, we could check out to see how we were doing. Many of us were not very clear about what this "we" business included. Many felt it meant freedom from church and king. Some felt that it meant freedom to do whatever we wanted to do, including nothing. We began doing a fair job of teaching our children and one another about republican governance and about some notions of democracy. 

Imperialism and Empire

            But very soon we began to develop militarily and economically and felt some joy in this. We began to slip into imperialism without much awareness of doing so. We did not see that it was not a good fit for republicanism. Some of us began to note that oligarchies were forming among us, but we seemed to be doing well. We felt well and strong and even wealthy. We were doing well. We scarcely noticed that some of freedoms and powers were endangered.

            We did not notice that we were forgetting about being responsible for the care of ourselves together and about the uses of democracy. We began to take a little note that some of us were much more wealthy than others. We began to teach our children and to let them be taught much more about how to earn money and less and less about how to govern ourselves. We had good reasons for doing what we did, but we did not continue to work a republic that was not an oligarchy. We were again getting ruled by a few others, but were still pretty comfy. 

            Some did begin to get nervous about our republic and to call it a democracy. They did not see that we had become less of a republic rather than becoming more democratic.

They seem to think democracy meant freedom without responsibilities. Our children less and less either about the nature of a republic or a democracy. Still there remain memories, knowledge, and practices about of democracy. Even so there are indications that we may being left with a failing empire. 

There is much we can do

            We can practice taking care of ourselves and better yet taking care of ourselves together. We can make decisions about doing so. But how many will really decided to practice taking better care of ourselves together? I see a will to do so among us, but it does not look strong.

            We can communicate with each other about what we have the will to do together and try to nurture that will. We can find existen doings of togetherness, republicanism, and democracy and learn about them. There are examples of republican and democratic governance which we can observe and learn from. Much is possible.

            We can organize. To do well, we must organize. Citizens need to practice organization. By organizing we gain the benefit of our numbers. The more the merrier and the greater or effectiveness.

Our government            

            In our federal government it is possible for us to keep enough track of our representatives in their collective and individual doings. We can also keep a pretty good eye on the doings of the rest of our government. Of course, any one of us cannot do it all ourself. One of us can't do it alone.That is why we cooperate to do so. That is the reason citizens practice organization. There are now a significant number of us that we have the resources to promptly know what our own representatives are doing and to give them prompt instructions as to what to do for us and what they are to avoid doing. Even so, if we do not use our resources well, they can be lost. With our modern communication technology and our appropriate organization, we can easily do that.

            However, we will need to learn to give our representatives abundant and appropriate support along with sufficient vigilance. There are so many of us that no one person that no one person ever feel overburdened. We do need to practice organization and to practice being alert to learning effect effective methods of doing so. The quality of our citizenship calls for our good and ongoing co-operation skills and a common understanding of our government.

Ways of governance.            

            We have chosen the way represented in our Constitution. To many of us that constitution represents a tendency to democracy. Citizen Assemblies represents an example of that tendency. It is a movement toward effective citizen direct participation in democracy. These days it has become necessary to remind citizens that true democracy is one of active governance of all the people. There is some evidence that such Assemblies can move us toward governing ourselves, that they can help us move toward effective co-operation and conditions which we desire. That there is current evidence that we can, as Daniel Stid has written and I interpret here, bring true and and representative citizen perspectives to bear on policy making; that we can refine our opinions through informed deliberations and judgement. Sounds like our improved governance calls for some improvement in our communication and our cooperation.

            So improvement in our governance would call for our learning to better help our Representatives to do that which we elect them to do and to remind and encourage them dailly if necessary. Of course the Executive Branch is helping us to make sure that what we have ordered is getting done, and the Judiciary Branch is letting us know whether, or not, all is being done in accord with our Constitution. Together we can, with some ease and persistence, improve our governance and help our elected Representatives do well making our laws and keeping them straight. It seems there are many who believe we can come to better work our well designed government. There is work to be done. With enough work we can learn more good governance and improved citizen activity as we practice our participation together.

            Citizen Assemblies is one organization working out ways to carry out that which many are suggesting these days. When an organization like Public Assemblies interests you, you are free to check it out. There is much online and elsewhere about ways of keeping our governance good. One way we can have better governance is by showing up where people are doing or trying to practice governance. You can learn much by spending a bit of time at a time and place where government is done. A  meeting of a place like Citizen Assemblies is a way to start. Itis possible to find a way to participate in cooperative governance, in where it is done, taught, or being discussed. You could learn something which interests you at a local school board meeting. Just show up.

            You can tell us here about that which you find out. We can co-operate. 

            I think that the Citizen's Assembly idea got started in England got active in England. spread to Ireland, then to France, and on to the U. S. and beyond. Ireland sort of set the pace. Not all Assemblies relate to the federal level of. For example, in the U.S, they seem to be more active at the state level.That's about it for me now. When you find interesting info or doings related to democracy leaning governance, please feel free to tell us about it. If you just want more, tell me so and I will try to provide more. So, here you can share what you learn or return here to learn some more. Ways for us to democratically cooperate effectively in governance are golden.

            Thank you for  showing up, And Reading.

                                                            Richard

         

The Word Is "democracy"

 How to do it is the main objective, but it helps to know what it is.

            Democracy means government b the populace at large. You and I are part of a populace.

            In a democracy the power, authority, and doing is with and by the people. The people often being the citizens. As a member of the people, you have a lot of company.

            Democracy entails the participation of  ordinary citizens in their own government and is much more than just voting.

            A dictionary tells us that democracy is government by the people, especially by the social class considered the ordinary people. By us that has been considered government by the citizens of the country. As a citizen of a country considered a democracy or a democratic republic you are not doing your duty as a citizen their by voting. That is not governing. Voting can be a part of governance. Holding a public office is another part. Having a fulsome say I who your armed forces kill is another part. Participation in the nominating process is an important part. Participation in overcite of governmental doings is a big part of active participation in your democracy. Democracy must be done by citizens.

            Your dictionary may tell you that democracy is a mode of governance in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly. Government is done directly by the people. Perhaps you do not want the responsibility of governance. That's fair, but then it does not seem fair for you to say you want democracy. Of course there are degrees of democracy to choose from. As a citizen of a "free" country you are free to choose. 

            A democracy occurs when everyday citizens take responsibility for authority. They have the great advantage that they are many and that no one of them has to do everything. 

            Democracy seems proven to be too bothersome for most common people of America. But then even a republic seems to be too bothersome for many of them. Even the running of a republic calls for citizen responsibility.    

            It is very difficult for new citizens to know how to govern when they had grandparents did not teach their parents how to govern. Most schools, primary and secondary, have taught almost nothing about how to govern since a little after the second World War. The U.S. was becoming an empire and it is hard for an empire to be a democracy. It is difficult for an empire to be a republic. It is not easy for new citizens to govern themselves in such a situation. It is still possible. Our Constitution still allows for much self governance.

            There is still much about governance online for those who would learn. There is information about citizen governance, social governance, republican governance, democratic governance, self governance, and more. It may be good to have in mind that those who choose to take no active part in their governance have taken a step toward and there is less use now for even a good slave.

            My newer dictionary says that a democracy is based on democratic rule. It does not make the nature of democratic rule very clear. It may be something like fair and effective rule together. It could be rule be citizen activity wherein each citizen has equal opportunity to participate in rule. I like to use the word "governance" rather then the word "rule." This same newer dictionary also says that democracy is the principles of social equality and respect for the individual in a community. This book does little to clarify this. We can figure it out pretty well, even if we have to recheck the meanings of a few words.

            Interesting stuff. There seems to be a lot more to be learned about democracy and how to do it. Well we have heard that "practice makes perfect." Well it does seem that practicing the doing of something does often seem to help us get better at that doing. We can practice some governance. We could practice some self governance together. We could practice governing ourselves. We could choose to practice democratic self governance together in any way we choose. If we wanted to we could to choose to look alternatives to democracy. We could choose to try find out why so many have been interested in democracy for so long. We could try to find out what the values they saw in it were. We could look for examples of well working democracies today.

            The idea of democracy is active in the minds of many people of the USA from the very beginning. They chose to begin with a republic. Why? We could choose to find out how a republic is well done. We could learn something about how a government is kept going well. We could find out how to do a government well for the most of its members. We could find out more about what makes for good results from governance.

            Could democracy in a group or organization for learning help that group be successful? Why has it been thought that a republic is more practical than a king? Why has it be considered that a democracy is better than one man rule or oligarchy? Why might self governance by yourself be an important aid to self care.

        It seems that when we feel the need to learn something, there is plenty to learn. It is possible to learn together. Democracy might help us learn together better. Now, what are some of the main principles of democracy?

        

            You could suggest a simple improvement for this little and help me correct my errors. You can use the "comments" section just below.

            Thank you for reading.

                                                                Richard S

Schooling Around You

             Here I write with our public schools in mind, but the writing may also apply to most learning opportunities in the republic and to the culture we pass on to the children, youth, and all of us.

            For example each citizen of the republic has some direct responsibility for the schooling the of the children and youth around us. Such schooling benefits each as well as those being schooled. The better that schooling the better the benefits for all of us. To fulfill that responsibility we need to maintain among us a useful understanding of our citizenship, an up to date concept of the doings of  a republic, and a knowledge of the kinds of schooling we want to share among us. 

            Among some of us the word ''schooling" is becoming a "bad word" much as the word "politics" has. A politic is a way of governance. It is up to us to choose the best ways for our governance. We can choose very bad politics, but that does not make politics bad. We can choose very good governance, very good ways of taking care of ourselves, we can each politic we choose an excellent one. Schooling is much like that. Schooling has meant imparting the best ways of doing life that we know. There exists bad schooling but that does not make schooling bad. We have the power of choosing good schooling, and better schooling, and to aim to have the best schooling we can.

            Much good schooling has been done in homes, by parents, grandparents,

siblings, friends, and neighbors. Still some schooling is best done by experts we choose.

            Where we are citizens of a republic we have responsibility for much of what our children and you learn and that which we ourselves learn. And we and the those who come after us certainly benefit from that learning. In our republic each and every one of us has some responsibility for the learning of our children and youth. Paying taxes does not fulfill that responsibility, seeing how those funds are used might. You and I and our fellow citizens have responsibility for the quality of our future citizens. The quality of our citizenship and the quality of our lives depends much on our learning. That learning can be strongly supported by the schooling available to us. We are many so the doing of our schooling need not be burdensome. We may accept the benefits of the schooling around us with pride.

                When we are parents of children and adolescents we often become more aware that our responsibility for their education is more than legal and moral. It is vital for the quality of our culture. It affects the very survival of our culture and species. We often become more aware that we are all responsible for the improvement and maintenance of our society and culture. When the people of that society and culture do not fulfill that responsibility, God help us. A society or culture can die. Some times that death can come quickly. Let's remember that we are the ones to see that the best of our culture is passed on to our offspring and the carriers of our culture.

                We know that culture is more than something found in a museum. Our culture is all that we are not born with. It is all that we experience, learn, understand, remember, and more. We also know that our common culture is all that makes us a people.

                There is a world of practical doings to consider. One of these is assuring that we have competent and appropriate observers of our schools report to us. We must find, train, and keep eyes on observers whom can be well trusted by us and who deal well school officials. And, also who do not interfere with the instruccion they observe. We must also observe school administration. Then we need to support those who help us to interpret the information gathered and then to report our findings.There is plenty for active citizens to do, but we are many and help is available. If we need a boss, we can choose her.

                We can help teachers to obtain that which they need to do their job. That help could include helpful ongoing education for them, small enough class sizes, helpers for them and their students, appropriate help and support from parents and others. what happens and what is done in our schools is up to us and we could use ongoing education for ourselves. It is great that there are so many of us.

                It is up to us together to decide how we want our schools to be. We need to have their purpose well in mind. We may have to school ourselves in that sort of decision making. We do not want to be the responsible many, but want to be smart too. How do you want that particular school near you to be? What is it important for the students their to learn. We may decide how we want the lives of our children, our youth, and ourselves to be, what we want to learn, and what we need to learn. Perhaps there is more to learn about learning to learn! 

                We need  to show up for our governance of our education and that of our children. 

                There is little that we have to do on our own. Our common governance needs to be handled by us together or we may end up in a very unpleasant place in deed.

                We need to show up for the decisions as to what our youth and children are to taught and how that teaching is to be done. We do not have to do this alone. In reality it It may have to be done together. Of course when it is for us it is best done with our participation. We are free to consult with our teachers, our neighbors, our youth, and the best experts available, but we need to show up.

                                                                                            RCS

    

            

Toward Real Democracy

 When we don't use our governance methods we do not have them. We have declared republicanism and democracy as important ways of our governance. Let's begin to consider republicanism and democracy and how they can be used.

This is a quick and sketchy essay at beginning that consideration. So, this piece aims at beginning to clarify our meaning of republicanism and of democracy. Then to consider how they are used and how they are worked to our benefit.

        Participatory democracy is a phrase being used these days. I feel uncomfortable  saying that real democracy is participatory democracy because all democracy must be participatory. That is the word democracy itself means people themselves doing their governance. Once a greater percentage of americans were clear about that. Now in real life there is rarely either this or that, but more often a combination of a lot.

        Republicanism began much as a rejection of the present rule. The rule of the time was rule by monarchy and oligarchy. That was rule by king, nobility, and perhaps a growing merchant class. Than the question was about who should rule. Then as the word republican suggests, the answer was the people. That turned out to be a bit of a problem for those we have called our founding fathers. Perhaps there was a subconscious feeling around that it might be good to be ruled by our fathers. 

        This piece is directed to Americans and is about them doing more of their own governance. However, those of  you who are not U.S. citizens may find something of interest here, perhaps even something useful. Many of the forbearers of present Americans believed that they could take care of themselves together and by doing so could be the governors of themselves. Now numerous present day Americans are beginning to believe that they can revive that belief and forgotten knowledge. It is late for doing that, but I am sure that it is possible.

        When the United States was founded, mostly by Europeans, the concept of a republic had considerable popularity among them. Rule by a king and a hereditary nobility was no longer working well for them/The spread of reading and writing and the actual state of affairs had effected them. A significant portion of educated Europeans knew rather a lot about ancient Greek democratic governance and many thought it was a fine way for a populous to take care of itself.

        A great many of those who began to immigrate to what would become the United States and also to the rest of the Americas were not ready to be ruled to by kings and nobles. They had found that every king had behaved royally and not every noble behaved nobley.

        They got to the new land and found that kings were weak in sway and far away. Many felt that they could take care of themselves and often called that responsibility freedom. The question of how they would do that care taking and freedom, when raised, was seldom well answered. In the back of many minds the thought may have been that someone would take care of that. And they were not wrong. Someone always had, but that someone had not always been careful of everyone. A great many people had little knowledge of many of the factors of self rule and less practice. They had little idea of how to rule themselves together. They did know quite a bit about cooperation in a variety of situations and did have some notion that practice can perfect. 

        A few f them had begun to consider self governance in their present circumstances. They knew about cooperation, and somethings of the workings of the Roman Republic and democracy of ancient Greeks. They knew that few of immigrants had experience with government at state level.

        Naturally the idea of not being ruled by someone else led to the Idea of self rule. The concept of self rule led to some consideration of self-rule together. Thoughts of this sort began to circulate a bit among the general population on both sides of the Atlantic. These thoughts were current among those who would be called the founding fathers of the U.S. Why fathers? Why not patriots or men or just say founders. Is this a hint that many wanted to be taken care of? 

            The idea that rule by others was a problem was a very republican concept and many early Americans. Rule by us became a popular idea, but the nature of who "us" include was, was not always clear. Many said us was all of us, but few included the Chinese in that us at that time. How was this rule was to be done was not clear. It was to be popular rule and we just knew who was popular. I imagine that in early Greece early Greeks were popular. Among early colonial Spanish people it was to gente reason and not every every Spaniard and certainly not some ignorant Frenchman. French said ''us'' was to include every citizen. They knew that a born and bred Turk was not a likely French citizen. For the early greeks democratic rule was not easy, but who was to rule were Greek citizens and the nature of a Greek citizen was agreed on by nearly all Greeks.

        So, this governance deal was not easy to workout. You and I may come pretty close to agreeing who is an American citizen, but just how those should rule you and I or even with you and I could be a problem.

        Among our active ancestors, just before 1776 were some pretty thoughtful guys. Women were not yet consider as strong contenders for citizenship. Anyway some male contenders began to talk things over. Many of them held stronger than usual egalitarian ideas! And their idea of who could be a citizen and man who could speak, read, and write English and not a criminal was certainly a contender. They agreed that not every man who was a citizen was a good person to hold position of power in a new government. Still they thought it best that every citizen be able to participate. So they came to an idea which has been called representative democracy. It is probably not really close to the best idea, but it is still a good one.

            Every citizen could speak for laws, positions, and policies of government and vote for them. Positions in government were to be for limited time and the important and powerful positions were to be held by election by citizens. Good ideas for that time and place. But could every citizen come to any public office and the son or daughter come to any public office? It seems possible.

        

            So, a few men began to consider how to institute such governance in their time and place and the nature of potential citizens. They had the idea of  "representative democracy" in mind. They wanted the will of the people to be well represented. Their reasons for that are important and you can check them out elsewhere or we can review them here later if you so wish. Right now this piece has begun to feel too long for me to manage.

            Back to our theme. States were already being formed so there would be states in this new nation.There could be a senate with men to represent those states. Those men would be elected by the citizens of each state. The people would elect their representatives to express their will and the representatives would write up that will and enact it as the law of the land. A national president would be elected to administer those laws to see that they were followed as the peoples' representatives ordered.

            They began to create a written constitution of this organization of governance. That Constitution was put in effect and today it is still in effect with few modifications. It is still relatively short, but contains many important factors. Among those factors were those put in place to insure that to much power be accumulated in one sector. They wanted national power to be well shared so that the people were well represented and well served.

            Plans worked out pretty well.We had a written constitution which we could use to see how we were doing with our rules in our land. We began to teach our children about republican governance, democracy and our Constitution. Then after a time we began to quickly develop militarily and economically and were pleased, but not very vigilante. Then we began to move into a kind of imperialism which proved to be a poor partner for republicanism. Our population grew quickly, much of that growth was by immigration. 

            As a people we began to forget about our responsibility for taking care of one another politically and for working our Constitution. We began to teach our children, or have them taught, more about making money in certain ways and less about how to govern ourselves together. We mostly had ''good'' ideas for doing what we were doing, but we were losing control of our lives. Our doing did not help us work our republic or us our democracy.Then so of us got so nervous about our republic that we began to call it a democracy and that seemed to lead us to forget the nature of democracy and how to use democracy! I seems that we may be left with a dying Empire if we do not begin to practice appropriate governance. We know that governance has little to do with marching and demonstrating, and not much more with voting. For us it seems to be working the constitution of our republic in a democratic way together.

            We still have an idea that democracy is a good idea, as is republicanism. They are good ideas, but they are unless unless they are worked. They must be used to be useful. They must be used and they ought to be taught. There is much we can do now to take care of ourselves. We can make decisions about taking care of ourselves together. To do that it is best to be among those whom we trust and realize that there are groups worthy of trust. Communication is a key to doing that. Face to face talk is the most powerful communication for us. We can learn to better do that kind of communication. We can communicate with each other and dialogue among ourselves about what we have the will to do together. We can nurture that will in healthy ways.

        In our present government it is now easy to arrange to keep fairly good track of  our own representatives  collective and individual doings and also much of the doings of the rest of our government. We do need some organization as well as some modern technologies. We can learn and act together. There is too much for any one to do alone, but so what? There are enough of us to easily that which needs doing together. We are many. We can cooperate. We already know about co-operation and learn to practice more. Little by little we can learn to appropriately organize our doings. 

           We already have that which we need, take care of the business of taking care of ourselves. We can promptly know what our representatives are doing and to promptly give them instructions as what to do and not to do for us. With the modern technology at our disposal and our appropriate we can easily maintain close communication. Of course representatives will want to know that they are getting our support. They may also know that we are getting close to being able to represent ourselves. Also they know that they have a contract for only a couple of years at a time and may want to get back to their regular job.

            Still, for now, we need to arrange to give our representative abundant and appropriate support along with appropriate oversight. We are getting to know that there so many of us that no one person ever need to feel that they have too much to do. We will find ourselves learning by doing and by practicing our organization; and by becoming more aware of governance in our lives. We will need to practice communication skills and so maintain appropriate trust of fellow citizens. We will probably need to practice our co-operation skills and understanding of the organization close to us. Do not let me discourage you. There is virtually nothing which you really have to do, but much which you can do. Your governance activity is much like being empowered. Also you are the only one who can be you and you are an irreplaceable part of our taking care of ourselves just by being you. Better the best of you than the worst.

            Citizen Assemblies are a  good little example of doing much of what I am writing about. They are a real life demonstration of citizens co-operating to do some of their own governance. Citizen Assemblies are already one movement of effective citizen participation in their own governance. They once in a while seem much like an example of direct democracy. It is evident that these assemblies demonstrate how we can move toward active citizenship and toward the living conditions we desire. We can, as Daniel Stid has written, and I interpret here, bring true citizen perspectives to bear on policy making. We can refine our opinies through informed deliberations and judgements. Deliberations can be a kind of talking together which is much like thinking together.

            These assemblies are demonstrating in a relatively short time ordinary citizens are capable of learning to help their elected representative to help them. Relatively soon they can collectively learn to effectively remind their representatives of citizen needs and encourage them, daily if necessary, to address those needs. They can with some ease and persistence, improve their governance and directly help their representatives to do well. All there is to it is to do it together.

            Ordinary citizens are learning together to help their representatives to do that which they have been elected to do and to see it done or to know the reason why it is not done. Doing it together is the key. They learn to better work their government and we can too. They learn that it is their right and ability to make some changes or additions to the laws of the land. They learn that there are few laws against governance of the people, by the people, and for the people nor in their learning more of good governance and improved citizen activity as they practice their participation in governance of their nation, state, or county.

            Citizen Assemblies have worked out ways to move governments to actions congenial to their citizens. If Public Assemblies and citizen participation interests you or attracts you, you can check out their ways of working.You can check out much online. You can share that which you learn here when the urge strikes you.

            A Citizen Assembly is not the only way for us to work our governance and it is probably not the best way to do so. But, it is an excellent example of a way of doing so. You can find your own way to co-operative governance. Still, right now these Assemblies are worth looking into and learn something of how they work. Citizen Assemblies may be found in your country and online. They can be found in growing numbers in countries calling themselves republics.

            I tend to like co-operating with people who do their best work in clearly inclusive and democratic ways. However, even at my age, I can make some adaptations.

            I believe that this Citizen Assembly idea got started in England, spread to Ireland, then to France and beyond. Mr Stid, and important interpreter of the concept has written that "Ireland has set the pace" in the use of the Assemblies. Not all of the Assemblies are being used at the federal level yet. In the U.S., for example, they have been used at the state level, but mostly in an ad hoc sort of way. I this case I would like to see the organizations have some continuity, but that is not necessary for good work to be done.

            Well, that's about it for me for now. When you find info action related to improved citizen participation in governance, especially cooperative, democratic participation, please feel free to tell us about it. The Assembly way is not the only way. But it does seem that we may have matured enough to govern ourselves, to take care of ourselves together. It does seem time to begin the practice. When you tell me it is OK to publish that which you tell us about doings related to citizen participation we discuss ways of doings. Ways for citizens to democratically co-operate in governance are golden.

    

            Thank you for reading.

                                           Richard Sheehan

            

Who Will "Us" Be?

 What are our protections? How do we keep from being lost in the great world? Family helps. Neighborhood helps. Statehood helps. Our nation helps. But we need a more. Dialogue may help get the needed more.

Keep Our Understanding Bright

A view of democracy and its doing 

            Literally, simply, and truly democracy means government by the populace at large; that is the people rule; that is the people do all the governance, and that governing is up to the people. We have come to call governance through elected representatives democracy, which it is not.It is a short way to express a specific way toward true democracy and is more correctly expressed as representative democracy, a form of republicanism. Where the populace is the primary active source of political power, a people is on the road to democracy.

            By the mid 1950s the simple form of representative majority rule by the citizens of a nation was already referred to as a democracy rather than a republic. In this case representatives were elected by 51% of the vote or more. The percent of votes to gain a representative position could have been another percentage such as 100 % or 72 %. In any case democracy is approached when the supreme power is vested in the people and is EXERCISED BY THEM.

            Democracy has worked better where the people or the franchised people (citizens) maintain an ongoing dialogue so that they they understood one another. Such a democracy is a stable and resilient form of government.

            A well worked republic is a good form of governance. I believe that many of  our founders saw it as approaching democracy.

            I think that we can benefit by discussing a well participated democracy. You could initiate the discussion in the the comment section. Right now I will mention examples of the nature of democracy and its benefits.

            

Using Democracy

            Well worked a democracy can provide a platform for peaceful resolution of conflicts and allows for the protection of human rights a fundamental freedoms.

            Engaging its youth in democratic discourse is crucial for the sustainability and vitality of any democratic society. Young people can bring fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and important understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the modern world. By involving them in discussions about governance, policy-making, and societal issues, we can tap into their energy, creativity, and idealism. This not only empowers the youth but also enriches the democratic process, making it more representative, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of all citizens.

            Youth need not wait to be involved, they can practice involving themselves right now. As youth need not wait to be involved in governance it seems we need not.

            Using democracy to your benefit involves actively participating in the democratic process. Your using can include voting in elections (How is a name chosen to appear on a ballot?), attending public meetings, and engaging in discussions about issues that affect you and your community. By exercising your right to vote, you have the power to elect representatives who align with your values and can work towards enacting policies that benefit you. You can organize to keep an eye on that representative to see that he is doing the work and send him a note of encouragement from time to time.

            Using democracy for one's benefit seems a good idea. One way of doing so is by getting involved in grassroots movements and advocacy groups. By joining forces with others who share your concerns and goals, you can collectively amplify your voice a push for change. This can involve organizing protests, writing letters to elected officials, or even running for office yourself. This is just a tiny taste of the possibilities available to you.

Getting to know the nature of democracy 

            At its core, democracy is about people claiming a voice and ensuring that their collective interests rue in the governance of a nation. It provides a framework for peaceful coexistence and allows for the peaceful transfer of power usually through elections. In a democratic system governance tends governance of, by, and for the people. So the people are largely accountable for their governance and responsible for its quality. This is often achieved through mechanisms such as regular elections, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, an independent judiciary often ruled by a constitution, and through a wide distribution of power.

            The people of a democracy promote the idea that every individual's  opinion matters and should be taken into consideration when making decisions which affect society as a whole. They encourage open dialogue, debate, and the exchange of ideas, fostering a culture of inclusivity and diversity. The people are involved in ongoing democratic dialogue in the knowledge that it maintains enough common understanding to keep their governance resilient and strong.

This tends to ensure that policies and laws reflect the needs and aspirations of the entire population, including the youth.

Democracy does not work, it must be worked

            The citizens of a of a democracy realize that if they do not work it, it  ceases to exist. They know that the must share their opinions if the want them to be known. They know they must listen so carefully to the opinions of others that they come to understand them. This calls for enough democratic dialogue to be ongoing. Public forums and town hall meetings are encouraged, and social media platforms are used. All are free to engage in open discussions about important issues. By actively participating in these conversations, you can contribute to shaping public opinions and influencing decision-making processes. But most have begun to realize this is not enough for a great many reasons. One is not everyone is comfortable enough in public speaking to make themselves understood. Another is that effective collective governance calls for what some call thinking together. In even a largish group of know others, a timid person is often able to learn to listen to others and to take a turn to say a few words. An inexperienced youth among such know others can practice useful listening and talking skills. Such groups are for learning and practicing democratic governance.

            A democratic ambience promotes transparency and accountability in a republic and other circumstances. That democratic atmosphere encourages citizens to hold their elected officials accountable for their actions and decisions and democratic citizens find that it is not difficult to organize to keep closely informed about the actions and decisions of their representatives and other public officials. So may you, by staying informed about the actions of your representatives and holding them to their promises, you can cause your interests to be better represented and protected. Doing so need not take overly much time or energy, but may take a little dialogue to get started.

            A citizen of a government of democratic tendencies can find that a sense of civic responsibility and empowerment develops within him. By actively  participating in the democratic process, he becomes an engaged citizen who has a say in shaping the future of his country. This sense of empowerment can lead to a greater sense  satisfaction and of belonging, and of knowing that you are actively contributing to the betterment of society. Try showing up.

            Thank you for reading.

                                                                                        richard

Governance: We May Need a Better Way to Talk About It.

                        Societies develop. Governance is developed within a society. For governance to exist there must be some common consciousness among some members of society and and government, the more the better. There may be nearly an infinity of tentative kinds of governance, but the kinds which develop within a given society depends upon the histories of the members of that society and their present consciousness..

                    In the U.S. two primary types of governance prevale, republicanism and democracy. Republicanism is the form  actuall practiced. They are still prominent, but the members of the society have lost some consciousness and awareness of their natures. 

                   Americans chose republicanism largely because it seemed the most doable of the two, many had hopes for the development of more democratic governance, but today there is some fear that we are losing our Republic. Too many of us may lack understanding of both forms of governance historically important among us. Even fewer seem to understand the difference between the two.

                    Modes of governance exist because of the awareness and consciousness of  them in the people of the society. The nature of a particular form of governance depends on the quality an prevalence of awareness, the awareness and consciousness of the people. 

                    In a republic, the power of governance is stratified. In the US  wealth, education, and experience of one gives that person a great deal of opportunity to rule. French "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" is less strongly present in a republic than it typically is in a democracy. So, even the French republic had some pretentions to democracy.

                In some parts of  our population, awareness of the values of a republic and a democracy is, at least, a fairly strong memory, but in too many of us there seems too little consciousness of the values of republic and democracy.

                In that we are the ones responsible for our governance(if we aren't, who is?), it seems best that we know how to work our government pretty well. How are we to govern our counties, towns, cities, states, nation, school districts, and more. Or, have we truly chosen to abdicate that responsibility?

                When we choose to govern there are plenty of us to do so, and with  practice improvement often happens.

                So, is it time for us to consider how to govern? Getting informed is important. There is plenty of information among us. It is possible to honestly share that information. An aid to doing so may be found at the associated blog: Dialogue With RCS. The web address  for Dialogue With RCS can be found on this blog on the list of associated blogs. One click there on the Dialogue With RCS will take you directly to the blogsite of Dialogue With RCS.

                   Also there about 90 posts on governance right here on Governance With RCS. It is possible to learn somthing useful without leaving this blog.

                I with little pleasure, let me say that my spellcheck for this site has been lost and also the "comments" app here has also been lost! However, although Dialogue With RCS is also without spellcheck, it does have a working "comments" app! You may use the comments function at Dialogue to make comments about posts on the Governance site. Just mention that the comment, question, or information is for the Governance blog and include the name of the post you are commenting on.

                  I am willing to talk about governance and dialogue. I will respond to your comments. When you tell me that you like, or liked, some post, I will say "Thanks." When you say something about a detail of content I will say more.

                I can say now that I am pretty sure that the more we know about governance to more democracy we can have.

                Thank you for reading and bye for now.

                                                                                        rcs