The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In this post, we discuss issues related to government deficits and borrowing. Some national governments seek balanced budgets, but most run deficits. A fiscal deficit arises when total spending exceeds revenues. That deficit must be financed by money creation […]
Ins & Outs of Government Borrowing Read More »
The following is an excerpt from our short course entitled “What Could Governments Do for Us?” In this post, we discuss issues related to taxation. How much government do we want? For some parts of the world, this question is a luxury – for them, the question is, “How much government can we afford?” Governments
How Much Government Do We Want to Pay For? Read More »
CFFAD maintains a glossary of terms that are used in civics. Our new addition is corruption. Check it out.As with all of our glossary entries, we try to be careful. You will sometimes see more than one definition for a word. This is because words can have different meanings for different people. The meaning of
Political Corruption Read More »
It is possible to live without a government, but few people like to do so. The absence of any kind of government is referred to as anarchy. Some people may believe anarchy is ideal because everyone has total freedom. In practice, our liberty often bumps into someone else’s freedom. Social norms can sort some of
Why Do We Need Governments? Read More »
Could constitutional checks and balances within the federal government impact your bank balance and the checks you write? Yes, definitely! After a brief reminder of what we mean by checks and balances, we will give you two examples from other countries of how that can happen. The Constitution’s framers created checks and balances to make
Checks and Balances: Yours & The Governments Read More »
Sometimes, when a problem gets bad enough, people say things like “burn it all down and start over.” Many people have said that about the federal government. Suppose the “burn it down” people get their way. What kind of government would you like to see built after the fire? To help you think about that,
After the Fire: What Next? Read More »
New evidence from The Pew Research Center (Feb. 14, 2025) is thought-provoking. Many partisan citizens report they are comfortable giving presidents more power when the president shares their political ideology – even while they would prefer to limit presidents who do not share their ideology. We can’t have it both ways. Either we constrain presidents,
Who Wants the Separation of Powers? Read More »
In a democracy, people need to trust that they will be treated fairly. They need to know they can vote like anyone else, that they will be treated just as well as anyone else, and that elected officials will feel as accountable to them as anyone else. It’s a good bet that at least one
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. Why is that important? Back when the Constitution was written, some people did not trust the new federal government the framers created. Those who felt this way, the so-called Anti-federalists, were especially concerned that the new government would tyrannize the people or the state governments. Here is how
Bill of Rights Day Read More »
By now, you know we have a president-elect and many new people coming into the U.S. Congress. But how much do you know about the office of the president the Congress? What does the Constitution say about what they can and cannot do – and is that the end of the story? How do these
What Does the Constitution Say About the President and Congress? Read More »
We are living in almost unprecedented times. Many problems have piled up on top of one another in a way younger Americans have never seen – and older Americans haven’t seen for many decades. Making things worse, many of us feel either very frustrated and apathetic or very angry about what has been going on.
Timeless Ideas for Tough Times Read More »
Some of the stuff on the radio, TV, and social media sounds pretty ominous. But how much of it is meant to deliberately get you scared? What would be the advantage of getting you scared? How can you fight the fear? We’ve got your back – check out the answers here. It’s a short read.
Fear and Fear-Mongering Read More »
It is time for the two major parties to work harder to earn new votes. One-third of Americans have not registered to vote and have not given their allegiance to any political party. Worse, neither of the major parties seems to be making much effort to earn new votes from these people. According to the
The Parties Should Work Harder Read More »
Decide for yourself: is the Office of the President too strong or too weak? Do most modern presidents serve all Americans or just some? Who is the President accountable to, if anyone? Staying vigilant to these issues and the evolving nature of the presidency (and the Constitution itself) is critically important to any American who
The American President: Too Strong? Unaccountable? Read More »
In today’s tight races, it makes sense for both major parties to try to earn new votes. Showing respect for rural versus urban differences should be part of that strategy. At least some of our differences arise quite naturally from geography and demography – rural and urban situations are quite different. We review some differences
Winning Votes from Our Urban and Rural Cousins Read More »
CFFAD adds its thoughts and prayers for the victims of the senseless tragedy of July 13 and wishes a full, speedy recovery to former President Trump. Political violence has no place in a healthy democracy. We condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Rather than violence, we believe the better option is to insist on
The following is the final extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ In the previous weeks, we have covered (1) how elections are essential to your freedom and prosperity, (2) how and why elections can take many forms, and (3) how choices
Better Elections and You Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ In the previous weeks, we have covered (1) how elections are essential to your freedom and prosperity, (2) how and why elections can take many forms, and (3) how choices made
Election Integrity: Tricky Issues Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ In the previous weeks, we have covered (1) how elections are essential to your freedom and prosperity, (2) how and why elections can take many forms, and (3) how choices made
Election Integrity: Threats Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ In the previous weeks, we have covered (1) how elections are essential to your freedom and prosperity, (2) how and why elections can take many forms, and (3) how choices made
Election Integrity: Fraud Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ In the previous weeks, we have covered (1) how elections are essential to your freedom and prosperity, (2) how and why elections can take many forms, and (3) how choices made
Election Integrity: Absentee & By Mail Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ In the previous weeks, we have covered (1) how elections are essential to your freedom and prosperity, (2) how and why elections can take many forms, and (3) how choices made
Election Integrity: Secret Ballots Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ In the previous weeks, we have covered (1) how elections are essential to your freedom and prosperity, (2) how and why elections can take many forms, and (3) how choices made
What is Election Integrity? Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ In the previous two weeks, we covered universal voting rights. This week, we look at the secret ballot. What is it’s history and what problem does it solve? The “secret ballot”
Why Secret Ballots? Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ Last week, we introduced the idea of universal voting rights. This week, we will begin a review of some of the obstacles to universal voting that will always need the vigilant
Obstacles to Universal Voting Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ Thus far, we have covered (1) how elections are essential to your freedom and prosperity, (2) why elections can take many forms, and (3) how choices made by our state legislatures
Why Universal Voting Rights? Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ The constitutions and laws of each state assign elections administration to various people and institutions. There is enormous variation across the U.S. in this regard. Altogether, over 70% of the officials
Partisan Elections Administration? Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ The constitutions and laws of each state assign elections administration to various people and institutions. There is enormous variation across the U.S. in this regard. The Chief Election Officer in each
Who Administers Elections? Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ Elections provide a more peaceful and legitimate way of transferring power than other political systems, provided that everyone trusts that they are delivering a fair and legitimate result. Elections administrators play
The Importance of Elections Administration Read More »
The following is an extract from our short explainer “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.” You can find the entire explainer here: https://cffad.org/things-you-might-not-know-about-elections/ How Winners are Defined Republics and other representative democracies around the world choose from a wide range of options for how votes translate into who sits in legislative bodies and who
How Are Elections Won? Read More »
