After 25 years of observing American politics first as a young adult, then as an adult, I would say there is much logical preponderance of evidence, that unless a generation to two generations of Americans are struck and damaged collectively by a major societal crisis, such as a world war, and an economic depression as the World War 2 Civic generation, as well as generation preceding that which was born from 1895 to 1920, who pushed the Socialist Party agenda of Eugene Debs into the mainstream of the Democratic Party in the 1930’s, with the passage of the New Deal during that decade, political civility of the political classes, is a rare commodity like ice cream sold out in the arctic lands , or electric cars sold in coal producing regions. It is rare.
Following WW2 until the late 1980s much of the US Congress was in the control of the generation that was born from 1920 to 1945. Their shared sacrifice of watching parents, as well as themselves survive and seek to endure wars, as well as economic unemployment and hardships, brought a sense of shared sacrifice as well as shared seeking of wisdom as well as solutions, from both the left and the right on the problems as well as issues of the day, brought forth additional bipartisanship that maybe had not been seen in the United States since the Revolutionary War, as well as the Constitutional Convention as times of such productive bipartisanship and shared logical, respectful, productive power sharing is not common in American politics.
In the Opinion Editorial of former Nebraska Republican Governor David Heineman, with Mike Beebe a former Democratic Governor of Arkansas, entitled “Future Depends on Working Together” together they site , the Presidential election of 1800, where John Adams campaign supporters, through the Connecticut Courant newspaper said about Thomas Jefferson, that the United States would become a nation where, “murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest will openly be taught and practiced.”
Jefferson’s campaign team accused Adams of being a “gross hypocrite” and “one of the most egregious fools on the continent.”
The two bipartisan Governors make the wise observation that, “contrary to the common cries of “It’s never been worse,” politics has always been personal, passionate and contentious. The vitriol we experience today is hardly unique to present day America.”
Besides limited enrollment Advanced Placement (AP) , courses in many but not all high schools, since the mid 1960’s in the United States, United States civics courses have NOT been required to obtain your high school diploma. This is something that is just beginning to be remedied across the United States.
However at most colleges for Associate of Arts degrees, as well as Bachelors Degrees, an American Government class is not required to graduate with your college degree . These laws MUST BE CHANGED, requiring American government, as well as Labor Movement History in Government courses, so BOTH sides of the history of America, both the property owner and banking classes history, as well as the Socialist as well as Labor movements history may be REQUIRED learnings for High School through College graduates, so that a true balanced understanding of how historical changes in the United States occurs, may be better understood by the younger generations, that are learning growing and seeking to contribute to the American story which is ALWAYS in progress.
The two wise former Governors, go onto document that, “Many Americans are justifiably troubled; a recent poll by Quinnipiac University found that 91 percent of Americans view the lack of civility in politics as a serious problem. And it is undoubtedly true that disgust with the state of politics, discourages some citizens from engaging in the political process, whether by performing public services running for office, or even simply voting.”
I see observationally occurring, this as a lack of governmental mindedness, is due to the lack of civics in the classrooms, as well as the lack of parents encouraging an interest of their children in governance issues as well as political volunteerism, which is a hallmark of how things are changed in American history, its peoples movements that change America, not electing the “right” mixture of politicians to elected office. This is evidentiarily documented, in the VERY good book, From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend , a VERY good book for American Peoples seeking the REAL truth, about the United States, with a book group edited by a group of wise historians, and published by a non profit press.
Also not mentioned in the Op Ed, is the “American” educational system. In this country we ARE NOT under an American educational model. Since the 1920’s in the US, our young people have been indoctrinated and molded, by the Prussian Public School system model, which was first at a national level put in place in Germany, 90 years before Hitler with the Nazi Party was placed into power by the peoples of Germany .
This school system is DESIGNED to produce peoples whose growth is stunted at a 10 to 18 year old level of intellectual and emotional development, while producing, people who are trained to appeal to authority and follow orders, peoples who are also trained to be life long employees, as well as mold people to be dulled of their intellectual curiosity, as well as deprived of their logical dialoging , and critical thinking skills. So ultimately we are observing a designed systems failure of our educational system, that will not change, until the American peoples work together and DEMAND real educational solutions, such as Montesorri as well as Waldorf educational learning systems, which encourage and bring forth the balanced intellectual, and emotional development of each individual, bringing forth the learnings, with environments that build balanced ever growing individivuals, whose growth is not stunted by inadequate systems, where the failure of developing a balanced individual is built into the educational systems design.
This is logically, evidentiarily documented in John Taylor Gattos book, Weapons of Mass Destruction. He is an award winning now retired New York City and State award winning, former public school educator .
Tragedys such as the Parkland and Columbine shootings, just to name a few, are NOT by accident, but are by products of the alienation, that the Prussian Public School system structure, IS DESIGNED to bring forth.
What we have in America today is a passive peoples. Voting is the equivalent to filling up the gas tank of your car, meaning this is the bare minimum that a person can do to be involved in governance. I have experienced the courts system on several occasions stifle, and end peaceful peoples initiative and referendum processes, as well as the disenfranchisement of the Reform Party movement, done through the US courts system, and corrupt judges .
Our system is really not designed to listen to the people, unless their are general strikes with a shutdown of the economy, to then bring forth legislative change, with the associated changing of specific laws.
In the Blacks Law Dictionary which anyone with the tools of formal logic applied, can decipher and comprehend it , a republic is actually a “commonwealth” .
Here is the Blacks Law Dictionary definition of Commonwealth, What is COMMONWEALTH?
The public or common weal or welfare. This cannot be regarded as a technical term of public law, though often used in political science. It generally designates, when so employed, a republican frame of government, Source, https://thelawdictionary.org/commonwealth/ .
Here is that dictionaries definition of Welfare, What is WELFARE?
1. Resources and conditions needed for healthy and comfortable living. 2. Government support for members of society who are disadvantaged. Source, https://thelawdictionary.org/welfare/ .
Here is what Franklin Roosevelt during his terms in office, as well as the Democratic Socialists in the US today, are advocating for , a Second Bill of Rights , this is from his State of the Union message to Congress from January of 1944,
“We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.
In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all regardless of station, race, or creed.
Among these are:
The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the Nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home;
The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.
All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.
America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens. For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world.”
Source, http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/address_text.html .
With a wealth cap of 150 billion dollars per family, becoming THE LAW in the United States, with the rest of the excess wealth going into a “just enough for all fund” to provide for this Second Bill of Rights, we may have a capitalist social democracy commonwealth that Socialist Eugene Debs, Franklin Roosevelt as well as tens of millions of Americans since the early 20th century have longed for .
This is not that difficult American peoples. Our ancestors practiced general strikes, across most of our states, to achieve the New Deal. We can muster some general strikes, together, to make this happen can’t we??!!
adamhaines11 