There is a Civics drought in America. (Can you tell ??!) Facts, not “feels,” are needed. Who is with me? Let’s start down the long, narrow road to understanding. First, we are not a direct democracy, so the popular vote and Electoral College tabulations by the media do not make a President. Not one state, […]
America Has A Job Opening
How would you answer the following ad? Wanted: millions of citizens who are willing to stand up for free, fair, and legal elections. Requirements: patience, courage, calmness, concern for the Republic, love for the Constitution over candidate Note: The unscrupulous, angry, win-at-any-cost, or “fed up” need not apply. Ready to fill out your resume”? Here […]
Now What?
Where do we go from here? Things are happening so fast in these post-election hours and days that we aren’t sure what is going on. Seriously. Remember: the first story is never the real story. We follow that rule here at Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. Patience is your friend in this election of 2020. […]
Election Day Is Upon Us
Election Day is upon us. It’s not the names of the candidates for me. It’s about our 240+-year-old American heritage. Will we vote for freedom and put socialism far away from us? Will we vote for individual self-reliance? Or will we vote for a nanny state? Will we vote for the Bill of Rights and […]
Freedom vs. Lockdowns
What extraordinary thing would you do to save your life? Most people are inclined to preserve their lives. So why the rebellions across the world against coronavirus lockdowns? Here’s why: We love freedom. All humanity yearns for it. If people believe in a cause, they will lay down their lives for it. Recently, I reflected […]
The Constitution Belongs to You and Me
Presidents come and go. They make their mark. For sure, not all had perfect personal lives. Take, for example, Grover Cleveland. He legally paid an immigrant $300 to take his place in the Civil War (legal for the sole supporter of a family at that time). He had a child out of wedlock when he […]
Presidential Debates Need a Makeover
This article isn’t a ploy to get “my” candidate elected. It isn’t yesterday’s topic, for we elect a President every four years. I think The Commission on Presidential Debates should be dissolved. It was a good idea at one time, but the times have changed. The Commission has not. I haven’t been satisfied with the […]
A Day with the Declaration
Americans may have learned about the Declaration of Independence once upon a time, but what they really want to know about is its relevance to today. Recently, I conducted a workshop on this very subject. A few cups of coffee on a cold, windy Saturday morning, and a huge framed replica of the original document […]
If You Pack It In, Pack It Up
Bad things happen when we get our civics from secondary sources. Let me illustrate a principle: If you have a 6-pack of beer and drink 1 can, you no longer have a 6-pack. If you replace that can, you have a 6-pack. You are replacing the can. If you have a 6-pack of beer and […]
About the 25th Amendment…
When it comes to civics, we’re on it. Let’s brush up on the 25th Amendment since that is one of the “October surprises” that has everybody talking. Why the 25th Amendment? At the dawn of the 20th century and as the nation grew in population and prominence, the President’s responsibilities increased. The world became more […]
There’s a Process For That!
Any well-run organization has a great process. The United States is such an organization. We have a great process in place for presidential succession. This topic continues to trend. Did many Americans ditch civics class when this was taught? Wait. Maybe there was no civics class. ? If the President is unable to assume the […]
The President is Ill
Our President is ill. Will one of our enemies take advantage of this situation? Before 6:00 a.m., when I heard the news that the President and First Lady contracted coronavirus, the commentator’s very next sentence was speculation about U.S. vulnerability to our adversaries. What might Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran view as an […]
Presidential Debate Makeover
By now, you have heard and seen it all about the first presidential debate, which many Americans are struggling to call a “debate.” It’s been called a lot of things, mostly negative. Americans instinctively know what debate should look and sound like. For sure, the debate did not follow the rules for civility that we […]
It’s An Issue
Our citizenship is not just a piece of paper. It’s how we live. Since this is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship, let’s apply what we intuitively know about a citizenship issue facing us. My antennae went up early this morning when I heard Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, called various names for adopting two children […]
The Peaceful Transfer of Power
Do you think this election is contentious? Got a few minutes? Look up the election in 1800 between the Democrat-Republican Thomas Jefferson and Federalist John Adams. Being free ain’t easy. America was divided in the election of 1800 between those who wanted a strong central government that emphasized a healthy manufacturing sector, and those who […]
