We talk a lot about the rights afforded to us by virtue of our citizenship, but what about the responsibilities? We have a civic duty to understand what our government does, not just to be its watchdog but to be its advocate as well. If we fail in that, if the only time we even think about the Social Security Administration is when we fill out a disability application or start receiving social security checks, then we aren't living up to our obligation as citizens.
The whole concept of a democracy places a burden upon the citizenry to remain well informed. By casting votes for representatives and initiatives that we favor, we not only help to frame actual policy, but we instruct the general mandate that each elected official takes into office. Our ability to vote well depends upon how informed we are, and thus those who influence information can unduly influence elections.
It is now technically possible to give each citizen a roadmap that situates him or her within the context of government programs. Each program is published and in action, so the data is there. It should be possible to enter some personal information and get a full description of the benefits we are receiving or are eligible for. That would help us to understand how we fit into these programs, rather than the programs being distant, impersonal things.
And although it's sad that this is necessary, every citizen should be required to take periodic classes that help us to understand the evolution of statutes and the bureaucracy. Things are always changing, and just as professionals benefit from continuing education so would members of a society. More importantly, those classes would foster communication between the government and the people.
Misunderstanding opens the door to misinformation, which empowers manipulation. For example, the recent House budget reduces a food benefit that provides money to poor families for food. That benefit behaves like charity at first, but as soon as the money is spent at a store it turns into real money, which flows into the economy, supporting business and creating jobs. Without understanding the whole context of the program, some farmers might support abolishing it without realizing that they benefit from it as well.
The rhetoric that flies around, attempting to sway our opinion one way or the other, rarely gets below the surface. When we get caught up in that rhetoric, we fail to grasp the context of any of the programs the government manages or supports. Without that context, many programs seem misguided. When we understand it, though, we can see the necessity of programs we would otherwise oppose, and we can see the need to keep the programs we find valuable safe from threats.
The need to keep good programs honest and sustainable is a critical nuance of maintaining a robust social and economic framework, but we tend to look at programs in black-and-white, keep-or-cut terms. That's destructive. Once a good program is in place, that's only the beginning of the struggle; from that point on we must remain vigilant in order to ensure that the program achieves its mission in a way that is economically sustainable in the long term.
We tend to think of citizenship as a right or a luxury, but that's not primarily what it is. At its essence, citizenship is a job. It is the individual obligation to the collective. If we don't think about the roles that our government plays until the day we fill out a disability application or seek some other benefit, then we have failed in our civic duty.
The whole concept of a democracy places a burden upon the citizenry to remain well informed. By casting votes for representatives and initiatives that we favor, we not only help to frame actual policy, but we instruct the general mandate that each elected official takes into office. Our ability to vote well depends upon how informed we are, and thus those who influence information can unduly influence elections.
It is now technically possible to give each citizen a roadmap that situates him or her within the context of government programs. Each program is published and in action, so the data is there. It should be possible to enter some personal information and get a full description of the benefits we are receiving or are eligible for. That would help us to understand how we fit into these programs, rather than the programs being distant, impersonal things.
And although it's sad that this is necessary, every citizen should be required to take periodic classes that help us to understand the evolution of statutes and the bureaucracy. Things are always changing, and just as professionals benefit from continuing education so would members of a society. More importantly, those classes would foster communication between the government and the people.
Misunderstanding opens the door to misinformation, which empowers manipulation. For example, the recent House budget reduces a food benefit that provides money to poor families for food. That benefit behaves like charity at first, but as soon as the money is spent at a store it turns into real money, which flows into the economy, supporting business and creating jobs. Without understanding the whole context of the program, some farmers might support abolishing it without realizing that they benefit from it as well.
The rhetoric that flies around, attempting to sway our opinion one way or the other, rarely gets below the surface. When we get caught up in that rhetoric, we fail to grasp the context of any of the programs the government manages or supports. Without that context, many programs seem misguided. When we understand it, though, we can see the necessity of programs we would otherwise oppose, and we can see the need to keep the programs we find valuable safe from threats.
The need to keep good programs honest and sustainable is a critical nuance of maintaining a robust social and economic framework, but we tend to look at programs in black-and-white, keep-or-cut terms. That's destructive. Once a good program is in place, that's only the beginning of the struggle; from that point on we must remain vigilant in order to ensure that the program achieves its mission in a way that is economically sustainable in the long term.
We tend to think of citizenship as a right or a luxury, but that's not primarily what it is. At its essence, citizenship is a job. It is the individual obligation to the collective. If we don't think about the roles that our government plays until the day we fill out a disability application or seek some other benefit, then we have failed in our civic duty.
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