The world is a quagmire right now, so we perspective. Consider the following statements: Heard, Seen, Or Said Recently “How many people are putting themselves in harm’s way so you can be free?” “If you want to know what a country really thinks, don’t believe what they say until you verify what they teach their […]
Power and Money
Power and Money. It’s a citizenship issue, so let’s talk about it. I was discussing this topic with an older gentleman. He said, “Power and money are the root of all evil.” I take issue with that statement. The LOVE of power and money is the problem. As I teach civics, I can trace many […]
Are You an American Thinker or a Follower?
Are you an American thinker or a follower? Our nation can be categorized into two groups: those who think and those who follow. It doesn’t matter what your political, religious, or secular affiliations are. People either think about things and make their own decisions or follow the prevailing “wisdom” from politicians, the press, or the […]
Our American Heritage: It’s Our Duty
Sometimes we have to dig a little deeper to find out about our American heritage. There’s an application for us in Grover Cleveland’s first inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1885. Here’s an excerpt from his speech. My commentary is in brackets. “. . . But he who takes the oath today to preserve, protect, […]
Risk/Reward
How is it that the country’s supposedly best and brightest fail yet again? We don’t need to be financial gurus to understand risk/reward and success/failure. Common sense goes a long way in life. You don’t need a master’s degree to understand it. Why can’t the likes of high end bank executives “get” it? Because they […]
Labor Day 2022
Labor Day– a time to celebrate the fruits of your hard work. How will you be celebrating Labor Day? Hats off to all of you who work or give your support to those who do. I looked at a list of occupations and began thinking about the people who make my life easy. Take, for […]
Strengthening America from Within
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. I have a couple of questions for you. What are you good at? What could you be good at? How could answering these two questions help our towns and restore healthy respect for America from within our borders and beyond? It’s a citizenship issue, so […]
America! Be Who You Are!
Every day seems to bring a new revelation of governments worldwide in crisis mode-either threatening a crisis or experiencing one. What in the world is happening on the planet, you might wonder. I decided to go back to our country’s founding to see what the sentiments were at that time. Perhaps there was some confusion, […]
President’s Day
As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, I think about some of our defining moments in history and leadership. What comes to mind is The American War for Independence, The Civil War, World War II, and now. I call today’s defining moment the War on Freedom. I believe whatever defining moments we have in our American history, […]
Think Like An American
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. This year promises to be an adventurous year, and not for the faint of heart! In order to be prepared for what lies ahead, I will be writing a series of articles on here that pertain to our founding documents. After all, ignorance is not […]
Jobs Jobs Jobs
There’s a lot of talk about changes going on in our country. Have any significant changes come to your city? I’ve noticed for about a month now, grocery store shelves are left wanting with empty spaces to fill—the same as it was in spring of 2020. I wondered about that but didn’t question it until […]
What Now?
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. After we recollect, it’s time to gather our thoughts, strap our boots on, and move ahead. Our first article in the newsletter this week is driven by the seeming sense of sadness and defeat in the culture. There’s plenty of reason to be hope-filled, and […]
Looking for the Courageous
When is the last time you read a story about American greatness? Been a while, no? We may not even realize it, but we are hungry for stories of courage, bravery, success, valor, honor, and outstanding citizenship. We need those stories right now. I believe there are many behind-the-scenes American hero stories that will emerge […]
We Can’t Do Everything; What CAN We Do?
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship’s weekly newsletter. I hope you find today’s articles helpful. In one of the articles, we take a look at the way Americans are communicating. We are arguing to destroy each other rather than win converts. I’ve been reading a modern version of The Federalist Papers. […]
Americans Argue; Publius To The Rescue
Publius (John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay) to the rescue again, as they have wisdom we could use in our current national dialogue. Please stick with me as I set the stage. Heard on the street: Americans arguing about each other’s V-status. In one scenario, two boat owners were screaming and cussing at each […]
