Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America.
Here are a few things we are grateful for.
We are grateful for the framers of our Constitution. They meant to create a new form of government that loyalists and patriots alike could live with – even if flawed in many ways much discussed since 1789. As Winston Churchill summed it up, they created “the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
We are thankful for the 67% of Americans who agree that democracy in our republic is the best form of government. (Gallup)
We are grateful for the 90% of Americans who believe the three branches of government should be co-equal and the 72% who understand that checks and balances are the way to achieve that. (ABA)
We are equally grateful for all those who understand the importance of free and fair elections, the rule of law, due process, civil liberties, civil rights, and federalism.
We are thankful for the 64% of eligible adults who voted in the 2024 general election and the 46% who voted in the 2022 mid-term elections. (Univ. Florida Election Lab)
We are also grateful for all the men and women who chose to serve America in one way or another, inside or outside of government: armed forces, intelligence, police, poll workers, elected officials, appointed officials, teachers, scientists, social workers, foodbank providers, nonprofit operators, and, yes, even the bureaucrats in the federal, state, and local governments who provide far more services than most of us realize.
We also want to encourage all Americans to help make our system of government even better by:
- showing each other respect;
- being willing to speak, hear, and debate competing ideas; and
- electing people willing to collaborate and compromise to solve problems, rather than warriors.
Want to know why our political system is valuable enough to defend and improve? Our learning materials have got you covered. You can find a lot of answers right here at CFFAD.org to questions like:
- What really is a representative democracy, and how is it relevant to my life?
- What are the advantages of representative democracy over the alternatives?
- What is a republic and why does it matter?
- What do “separation of powers” and “checks and balances” mean, and how do they make my life better?
