A Letter to the Editor from Rhino Times Reader Alan Marshall
People have heard and written about how, IMO, one of the biggest problems with our government at almost every level is the curse of partisanship. Small towns, for the most part, don’t have this problem because the elected officials are neighbors and friends who ran for a seat on their local government and care about where they live.
Big cities and up are where you are seeing the partisanship/party politics overshadow the needs and wants of the people. This is where you start seeing those I refer to as “professional politicians”. They’ve become deaf to the People and are more concerned with getting and holding power, and that means kowtowing to a select group of people. People with money and power, people who can do things for them and this include Rs as well as Ds.
If you want the obvious example just look at the House and Senate. (Note…here is where I start referring to the (National Socialist) Democrat Party part of the party.) Both sides are guilty of this but the Democrat side, beaten into line by the (NS)DP wing, have said openly they will fight the Republicans at every turn. And I will say Republicans have been guilty as well. But the problem is me, others, and it should be ALL of us, reminding the elitist “representatives” they work for ALL OF US, not those few they bow down to! Senators, you work for the States, not the Party! Representatives, you work for the People, not the Party! People, you are letting this happen, you are letting these overpaid scam artists play you instead of making your wants, needs, and desires known and HOLDING THEM RESPONSIBLE! And before you ask how, remember every 2, 4, 6 years you have the power to tell them YOU’RE FIRED, but only if you quit whining, get out and vote!
The other thing is to go to the school board and DEMAND that the U.S. Government, not social studies, not world government but U.S.Government be put back in the curriculum and be REQUIRED in order to graduate. Finally, enforce our federal laws. For example, where in our Constitution does it say a foreign country can set up their own police force in our cities? Not enough room to talk illegal immigration.
“… Government of the People, by the People, for the People…” Sound familiar?
Go Galt and Carpe Diem
Alan Marshall
Well said Alan
I think that Government needs to be taught in schools again, however, it won’t be taught objectively by government schools so it’s most likely a moot point. No matter which “side” develops the curriculum standards there will be a bias because people are people.
It would be amazing if kids were taught how our government system was set up, why, how it should work, and give some examples of times it did or didn’t. Then by helping them with critical thinking and reasoning skills, encourage them to think about what changes may or may not improve our system and why they thought so.
People do “get out and vote”, but too many haven’t been properly educated on so many issues that they constantly vote for names that are familiar to them, vote for “good ole boys or girls”, vote for incumbents, or vote for “stuff”. I “whine” a lot about what’s going on because the people in power are kindergartners but my vote for mature adults is overwhelmed by other school chums putting their buddies into office. I’m at the point of letting the rugrats run amuck and ignoring the chaos.
But I’m an educator and think that attempts to teach how our system works, why it keeps us free, that freedom benefits everyone, and it’s worth preserving. Maybe enough will change their minds and we can save our country. I’d like young people to live in a society as free, exciting, and hopeful as the one I was raised in.
Deborah,
I would tend to agree with your point of not being taught objectively, but I believe it could be if teachers are made to understand that their personal and political opinions are to be left out of the curriculum and only teach how the government is organized (I say that tongue in cheek lol) and how the system is designed to operate.
I know there are now some (one name comes to mind) that are saying I’m attacking free speech. My answer is you are more then welcome to express your opinion OUTSIDE the period of instruction. You know, as a teacher, 2 plus 2 equals 4 and there is no other logical answer, but you are more then welcome to advocate otherwise OUTSIDE the period of instruction because you personally believe it equals 5 or 3 or whatever.
Even when I was going to school (dirt floors, wooden benches and desks, chalk boards, walking two miles to school, uphill, both ways, in 3 feet of snow} there are things that are upheld by cold hard facts no matter how some ‘teachers’ try to spin them. And yes, I had teachers that tried, back then, to inject personal political opinions in their curriculum and were shut down by the administration, being told to stick to facts, not personal viewpoints.
And I share your frustration outlined in your “get out the vote” statements. Try to hang tough my friend.