Word: civics
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...confession of such a deliberate heresy to our civic religion provokes shock, dismay, and sometimes hostility among even its weakest adherents. They accuse me of forfeiting one of my most important rights. Public service announcements equate not voting with not caring about the future of the country. I have been told that I am helping to undermine our democratic institutions...
...Some argue that it is my civic responsibility to vote. But many voters fail to fulfill a far greater responsibility–understanding the issues. Surveys have repeatedly demonstrated the colossal ignorance of the average citizen. A 2004 Cato Institute analysis of election surveys found that voters were startlingly unaware of relevant information. For example, in the 2000 National Election Study, the average respondent correctly answered only 14.4 questions out of 31. Only 50 percent correctly identified which party controlled the Senate before the election; only 11 percent of the survey respondents could identify the post held by William Rehnquist...
...That gut check could have long-term benefits. "Going to ninth grade unprepared for the work is a pathway for failure and dropping out for many young people," says Suzanne Morse, president of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, a research group on community-building, based in Jacksonville, Fla. "This test can help school systems, communities, and students and parents intervene before it is too late...
...that nobody wanted to vote on the Sabbath and voters needed time to travel by horse and buggy. But I've long thought--as have many others--that holding an election on a workday is undemocratic and makes it difficult for people to fulfill their signal act of civic participation. Either change it to Saturday, or make Election Day a holiday...
...neutrality. This does not mean that public schools should be places devoid of dialogue and debate. Rather, educational institutions should do their best to foster discussion of important and topical themes, and the absence of political paraphernalia on teachers is a crucial part of creating genuine engagement with civic issues in the classroom. The provision of public services should never be accompanied by partisan political messages, especially when those involved are young, impressionable children. A politically neutral classroom is an essential component of preserving the distinction between education and indoctrination, and is crucial in allowing students to enjoy real intellectual...