Civility
Two candidates for governor stand together, calling for civility among voters.
The framers decided power was to be divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
The framers agreed to establish a strong, flexible presidency that would be constrained against tyrannical behavior.
Insulating the President from election politics was a big part of the framer’s strategy.
When the framers created the presidency, they were intent on solving two trust-related problems.
Does voting make any difference? Is it worth the trouble? The answer depends upon you. If you and enough other people vote for someone who has pledged to represent your interests and to work with your opposition to solve problems, then, yes, absolutely your vote will make a difference. Politicians are highly tuned to what
The Value of Voting Read More »
In general, constitutions are written by people who expect to live and work together for generations to come. It’s when enough people no longer feel this way that Constitutions are weakened or destroyed. One of the reasons they might feel that way is because they have become divided and no longer trust each other.
Keeping Our Republic Read More »
Clashes in Berkeley and Portland bring to mind an interesting story about two countries where people who felt frustrated with each other and their governments. Citizens in Columbia and Venezuela (both republics) were fed up with the inability of their governments to solve their problems. In both cases, they were willing to try the leadership
A Tale of Two Countries Read More »
The U.S. Constitution provides for nearly universal adult access to the ballot. The pandemic is making that difficult. Most voting precincts had historically depended upon retirees to administer the system, many have to shutdown as this high-risk population is reluctant to participate this year. Younger people need to step up. If you want to
Are You Well Served by the USPS? Read More »
Take this short civics course about trust, distrust, and the presidency.
New Course on Trust & The Presidency Read More »
Consider every citizen in this country to be an American, worthy of your support and help.
Declaration of Independence Read More »
To improve trust in our police, fairness and accountability must be more evenly distributed along lines of race and ethnicity.
Trust and Our Police Read More »
History shows that one of the shortest paths towards dictatorship is to get the people divided against each other.
We get to have leaders who are accountable to us, and we get to choose our leaders peacefully – but only if …
Our Leaders Don’t Want Us to Know Read More »
Thomas Jefferson said “Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.” A free press is especially important in the coronavirus pandemic.
Freedom of the Press Read More »
It is hard to fight the corona virus without a healthy liberal, republican democracy. Urgent attention is needed.
Urgent Attention Needed Read More »
Liberal, republican democracy is precious for the freedom, peace, and better quality of life it can bring, but those benefits don’t come for free. Citizens need to do more to protect and strengthen their democracies – starting here at home.
In Need of Vigilant Defense Read More »
Strongmen for scared people leads to failure. Democracies have the edge when it comes to health care. Read on.
Strongmen for Scared People? Read More »
We provide materials for adult civic education, ages 18 and up.We have two goals: (1) help Americans understand why democracy is precious; and (2) help them understand, protect, and improve the foundations of trust in our republic. Our courses are a great way to build your knowledge. We focus on how the framer’s distrust led
Our Republic needs you. Read More »