Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. It’s back to school time, and so we begin with lessons in civics basics. This week, I’m using personal experiences to make my point. I know your time is valuable. I hope you find the articles on this site to add to your knowledge and enhance your understanding of your role as a citizen. Let’s begin!
While discussing news options, a man said to me, “I’m not watching political news. It’s just a soap opera. I’m only interested in economic news.”
Contrast this statement with what I teach my adult and high school students. I ask them, “What are your dreams? What do you hope to accomplish with your life? What is the biggest factor determining whether you can achieve your goals?” Then, I explain that knowing your rights and pursuing freedom through studying the founding American documents, voting, and citizen involvement in your country has everything to do with making your dreams come to life.
You may want to own a business, but if too many laws and regulations restrict your dream, you will need to move to another location or give up on your idea. Think of it. Whether or not you are free to pursue happiness (i.e., own your intellectual and physical property) is determined by the form of government under which you live.
That’s the blessing of living in the USA. We the People DO have a say in how our government runs. If you have never paid attention to law and government, you will be subservient to those who govern unopposed by you.
The man who basically labeled national news “a soap opera” boiled his country down to political personalities and their respective parties. He sees politics as bickering, and it weighs him down. Being an American is so much more than that! It’s one of the reasons I don’t allow mentions in the comments about political parties or popular personalities. As you see in my caveat at the end of each article on this page, those comments lead only to emotional, not educational, discussions.
Being an American involves electing people who best represent your views. It’s about the pursuit of liberty under law. To be free to pursue your dreams, you have to live in a moral society and elect people who understand the value of morals in a free society. Without this, we operate within a hierarchy of tight control, never true liberty under law. There would be too many laws; generally, they are too restrictive, benefiting some but not the common good. One of my mentors says it’s not Church running the State but Church working side by side with the State to teach morality. As we have discussed before, what you believe is how you will behave. Our Founders understood that apart from instruction, we all drift into selfishness. Selfishness leads to bondage, not freedom. They clearly said that the purpose of civil government is to protect our God-given rights.
“…that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
-The Declaration of Independence
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸
