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The basics of any democracy is in the peoples' understanding of "civics"

Lafayette

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THE BASICS OF ANY DEMOCRACY IS IN THE PEOPLES' UNDERSTANDING OF "CIVICS"

First a definition: Civics is the study of the rights-and-duties of citizenship. Both the ones you learned as an immigrant and/or the ones you learned (supposedly) as a citizen in High School.

Then a consideration: If, as an immigrant, you fail the test, you do not become an American citizen. In high-school, as an American citizen, failing the test is of no real consequence, except in (perhaps) 8-states that may prevent you from graduating.

About Understanding_&_Learning "Civic Duty", some articles linked below:
*The regulations in your state, here: Education Commission (of the states)

And here: Standard High School Graduation Requirements (50-state) - excerpt:
The information below describes state high school graduation requirements as defined by state statutes and regulations.

*Eight States Add Citizenship Test as Graduation Requirement. Excerpt:
Eight states—Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin—passed laws in 2015 that require students to pass some version of the test given to immigrants applying to become naturalized U.S. citizens in order to graduate from high school, according to a recent article in The New Yorker.

And the Joe Foss Institute, the Arizona nonprofit that has led the effort to pass such laws, plans to lobby to bring that requirement to every state by 2017.

*Why Civics Is About More Than Citizenship. Excerpt:
Only one in five Americans aged 18 through 29 cast a ballot in last year’s elections, marking 2014 as having the lowest youth voter-turnout in 40 years. Some reason that young Americans are apathetic about public affairs. Others argue that cynicism about the electoral process is what’s keeping young adults from the polls: They’re so disillusioned with politics they’ve simply given up on it.
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THE BASICS OF ANY DEMOCRACY IS IN THE PEOPLES' UNDERSTANDING OF "CIVICS"

First a definition: Civics is the study of the rights and duties of citizenship. Both the ones you learned as an immigrant and/or the ones you learned (supposedly) as a citizen in High School.

About Understanding&Learning "Civic Duty", some articles linked below:
*The regulations in your state, here: Education Commission (of the states)

And here: Standard High School Graduation Requirements (50-state) - excerpt:
The information below describes state high school graduation requirements as defined by state statutes and regulations.

*Eight States Add Citizenship Test as Graduation Requirement. Excerpt:
Eight states—Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin—passed laws in 2015 that require students to pass some version of the test given to immigrants applying to become naturalized U.S. citizens in order to graduate from high school, according to a recent article in The New Yorker.

And the Joe Foss Institute, the Arizona nonprofit that has led the effort to pass such laws, plans to lobby to bring that requirement to every state by 2017.

*Why Civics Is About More Than Citizenship. Excerpt:
Only one in five Americans aged 18 through 29 cast a ballot in last year’s elections, marking 2014 as having the lowest youth voter-turnout in 40 years. Some reason that young Americans are apathetic about public affairs. Others argue that cynicism about the electoral process is what’s keeping young adults from the polls: They’re so disillusioned with politics they’ve simply given up on it.
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THE BASICS OF ANY DEMOCRACY IS IN THE PEOPLES' UNDERSTANDING OF "CIVICS"

First a definition: Civics is the study of the rights-and-duties of citizenship. Both the ones you learned as an immigrant and/or the ones you learned (supposedly) as a citizen in High School.

Then a consideration: If, as an immigrant, you fail the test, you do not become an American citizen. In high-school, as an American citizen, failing the test is of no real consequence, except in (perhaps) 8-states that may prevent you from graduating.

About Understanding_&_Learning "Civic Duty", some articles linked below:
*The regulations in your state, here: Education Commission (of the states)

And here: Standard High School Graduation Requirements (50-state) - excerpt:

*Eight States Add Citizenship Test as Graduation Requirement. Excerpt:

*Why Civics Is About More Than Citizenship. Excerpt:
______________
THE BASICS OF ANY DEMOCRACY IS IN THE PEOPLES' UNDERSTANDING OF "CIVICS"

First a definition: Civics is the study of the rights and duties of citizenship. Both the ones you learned as an immigrant and/or the ones you learned (supposedly) as a citizen in High School.

About Understanding&Learning "Civic Duty", some articles linked below:
*The regulations in your state, here: Education Commission (of the states)

And here: Standard High School Graduation Requirements (50-state) - excerpt:

*Eight States Add Citizenship Test as Graduation Requirement. Excerpt:

*Why Civics Is About More Than Citizenship. Excerpt:
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All of us had to take a course in civics when I was in school, lo these many many years ago. Was that dropped, along with everything else that's decent, from the curriculum?

Civics was all about our system of government and the ordinary citizen's role in it. Voting, serving on juries, the draft, serving in the military or in some other form of national service, etc.
 
All of us had to take a course in civics when I was in school, lo these many many years ago. Was that dropped, along with everything else that's decent, from the curriculum?

Civics was all about our system of government and the ordinary citizen's role in it. Voting, serving on juries, the draft, serving in the military or in some other form of national service, etc.

Civics in incorporated into High School History classes, like American Government.
If I'm not mistaken, this is nearly universal in states.
 
Civics in incorporated into High School History classes, like American Government.
If I'm not mistaken, this is nearly universal in states.

Not when I went to HS. Civics was a separate course mandated for all seniors (though you could opt to take it as a junior).
 
Not when I went to HS. Civics was a separate course mandated for all seniors (though you could opt to take it as a junior).

In my state, it's both incorporated into American History/Government and it's required for post secondary education.
This was within the last 15 years.

They teach the civics part along side the history of it's development within our government.
 
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All of us had to take a course in civics when I was in school, lo these many many years ago. Was that dropped, along with everything else that's decent, from the curriculum?

Civics was all about our system of government and the ordinary citizen's role in it. Voting, serving on juries, the draft, serving in the military or in some other form of national service, etc.

Well put, and I could not agree more. I had also a very thorough course in Civics given by a devoted professor of the subject.

It was there that the obvious was made precise to me: Our TriPartite Separation-of-powers (Executive, Legislative and Judicial) the intent of which was to assure that no one could be pronounced "King pro-temporé" and assume all three. Why?

Because our Founding Fathers were fresh from a "Monarchic System" that assumed all three, and many died to defend the nation from said system - whether from abroad or home-grown. And yet, here we are at a crossroads in history, where all three powers are likely to be in the hands of the Replicants, should the Trump Trumpery win the presidency.

And I ask why? I can think of one reason, and one reason alone. In the 1980s, Reckless Ronnie convinced Congress to lower upper-income tax-rates (from 70%, to which they had been lowered by LBJ in the 1960s). Since those fateful days, Income Fairness in America has gone to hell in the proverbial handbasket: Almost half of all income generated by our market-economy goes to only 10% of Americans, whilst the other half goes to 90% of us scrambling to make a "decent living".

So, what's a "decent living", if the Poverty Threshold (for a family of 4) is $23K per annum? Would the median income (around $52K) bring "income decency" or does the decency start at a lower level?

If we can define the Poverty Threshold, then we should be able to define where Income Decency begins. Unfortunately, no economist I know of has tried to do that - but one might say it is somewhere between the Poverty Threshold and the Median Income in America ...
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Children in a lot of our inner city ghettos can't even read at a fourth grade level when they graduate.

Do you think they comprehend citizenship?
 
All of us had to take a course in civics when I was in school, lo these many many years ago. Was that dropped, along with everything else that's decent, from the curriculum?

Civics was all about our system of government and the ordinary citizen's role in it. Voting, serving on juries, the draft, serving in the military or in some other form of national service, etc.


How are leftists supposed to bring low the America they resent so much, if kids in public schools are shown how beautifully designed its system of government is? You can't ruin a nation and its culture by teaching new generations all the things about it there are to appreciate! No, we should keep trying instead to make them believe the whole shameful, rotten enterprise, from slavery, to genocide against Native Americans, to the oppression of women to war crimes at Abu Ghraib, is hardly worth defending or perpetuating. The comrades need to fundamentally transform this sorry place, and making people proud of it by teaching stupid rah-rah civics courses only gets in the way of that goal.
 
How are leftists supposed to bring low the America they resent so much, if kids in public schools are shown how beautifully designed its system of government is? You can't ruin a nation and its culture by teaching new generations all the things about it there are to appreciate! No, we should keep trying instead to make them believe the whole shameful, rotten enterprise, from slavery, to genocide against Native Americans, to the oppression of women to war crimes at Abu Ghraib, is hardly worth defending or perpetuating. The comrades need to fundamentally transform this sorry place, and making people proud of it by teaching stupid rah-rah civics courses only gets in the way of that goal.

I assume they screw civics up the same way they screwed up American history. They learn about how minorities are disenfranchised, how corporations control everything with their money, how the military is composed of murdering psychopaths, and so on.

I don't know where they think they will live once they have destroyed this country. Venezuela maybe.
 
I assume they screw civics up the same way they screwed up American history. They learn about how minorities are disenfranchised, how corporations control everything with their money, how the military is composed of murdering psychopaths, and so on.

I don't know where they think they will live once they have destroyed this country. Venezuela maybe.

No they don't do that.
It's just that with most things in school and having to do with school, the majority of people forget it.
Why aim for malice when stupidity is more plausible?
 
Civics in incorporated into High School History classes, like American Government. If I'm not mistaken, this is nearly universal in states.

Where it becomes "important" is in states that requires passing a Civics the exam in order to graduate. Not all do.

Is Civics as important as, say, a drivers-license? I should think so, especially in a functional democracy.

Don't we pass an exam for a driver's license? Not all states have this as a requirement for Civics.

Most important, however, is what teachers themselves think:
Civics Teaching.jpg

In general, it is apparent that they are very concerned about how and what to teach as regards Civics. Bravo!

PS: Sorry for the bad definition of the photo, but that's this web-site's fault and not mine.
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Where it becomes "important" is in states that require you to pass the exam in order to graduate.

Is Civics as important as, say, a drivers-license? I should think so, especially in a functional democracy.

Don't we pass an exam for a driver's license? Not all states have this as a requirement for Civics.

Most important is what teachers themselves think:
View attachment 67204619

In general, it is apparent that they are very concerned about how and what to teach as regards Civics. Bravo!

PS: Sorry for the bad definition of the photo, but that's this web-site's fault and not mine.
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Well there is the graduation exam, which is required to pass before you can leave high school.
It includes civics.

It already exists, it's just that most people don't remember a lot of it after they leave.
Same goes for university based material.
 
Well there is the graduation exam, which is required to pass before you can leave high school.
It includes civics.

It already exists, it's just that most people don't remember a lot of it after they leave.
Same goes for university based material.

Were it only so.

I posted above the web-site that shows for each state whether it is a requirement or not. In most Civics is taught, in some it's an elective and in around ten is it required to obtain a diploma.

Let's hope that changes in the coming years. We need to get our electorate participation up from the pits in which it finds itself especially in midterm elections. Not voting is a cop-out. It simply perpetuates the status-quo, along with the bitterness. (I have rarely seen the country so divided politically.)

If the majorities were stronger, I suspect there would be far less disgruntlement regarding politics in the population. Once you've had your say at the poll-booth, it's done - and we move on to the next one.

There is also another factor, and it is economic. We've got unemployment down to 5% from 10% when Obama took office. That's eight long years that people have been undergoing "hard times".

Which does not favor high voter turnout. Besides, we are not traditionally a high voter-turnout country. See here 58 countries with a higher voter-turnout...
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Were it only so.

I posted above the web-site that shows for each state whether it is a requirement or not. In most Civics is taught, in some it's an elective and in around ten is it required to obtain a diploma.

Let's hope that changes in the coming years. We need to get our electorate participation up from the pits in which it finds itself especially in midterm elections. Not voting is a cop-out. It simply perpetuates the status-quo, along with the bitterness. (I have rarely seen the country so divided politically.)

If the majorities were stronger, I suspect there would be far less disgruntlement regarding politics in the population. Once you've had your say at the poll-booth, it's done - and we move on to the next one.

There is also another factor, and it is economic. We've got unemployment down to 5% from 10% when Obama took office. That's eight long years that people have been undergoing "hard times".

Which does not favor high voter turnout ...
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But it is so.
High school exit exams incorporate civics based questions into the test.

I really don't care if more people vote or not.
 
No they don't do that.
It's just that with most things in school and having to do with school, the majority of people forget it.
Why aim for malice when stupidity is more plausible?

Between the time spent on indoctring students in cultural sensitivity, political correctness, and the litany of this country's sins, and teachers often leaving early to go to pointless meetings, I doubt there's time to teach civics any more. Something had to go, and for the America-resenting pseudo-liberal dopes who dominate our public school districts, all the better to sacrifice a subject that might tend to make people proud of this country.
 
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What with the time spent on indoctrination in cultural sensitivity and teachers leaving early all the time to go to pointless meetings, I doubt there's time to teach civics any more. Something had to go, and for the collectivist dopes who dominate our public school districts, all the better to sacrifice a subject that might tend to make people proud of this country.

Here it's a state requirement.
Again don't attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity.
For the average person, knowing that stuff is unnecessary.
 
For the average person, knowing that stuff is unnecessary.

It may not be necessary for the run-of-the-mill pseudo-liberal clod, who resents most thinks American to begin with. But if we want to preserve our self-governing democratic republic, it certainly IS necessary for most of its citizens to know the basics of how our system of government works. And most people used to know them. I have the civics text my parents used in high school, and it describes the American system of government in quite a lot of detail.
 
It may not be necessary for the run-of-the-mill pseudo-liberal clod, who resents most thinks American to begin with. But if we want to preserve our self-governing democratic republic, it certainly IS necessary for most of its citizens to know the basics of how our system of government works. And most people used to know them. I have the civics text my parents used in high school, and it describes the American system of government in quite a lot of detail.

I'm just saying that ideals run head on into reality.
People learn it to pass a class, then forget most of it because it doesn't matter to them.
No amount of civics classes is going to change this.

It's just simple human reality.
 
No amount of civics classes is going to change this. It's just simple human reality.

You make a good point, but I think you are simply underlining a larger American malaise. One of many:
*Short attention span.
*Desire to get onto the "Next Best Thing".
*Did I get it for the lowest price possible?
*Will it impress my friends? My boss?

We attach ourselves to "things/objects" and not social values. Some call that a Consumer Society.

But when consumption is the beall and endall of life, what's left? Certainly not societal values - like mutual respect for one another in a equitable social context (above all).

Values are the compass headings of lifestyle, without them we are lost.

The lack of mutual respect for human life (and thus one another) is the most important of all values, and it's being lost in all the gunfire ...
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