Only 1 In 5 12th Graders Proficient In Civics, And We Wonder Why The Nation Is In Trouble?

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Thu May 05, 2011 at 06:33:47 AM MST

Our system of government seems to be broken, and there is a reason, basically the people who put in the base inputs, the voters who elect governing officials, don't understand how their government works.

We live in a nation that has an increasingly dysfunctional government. We have seen it in the way that the Senate in the 111th Congress was completely broken by the unprecedented use of the filibuster and holds on legislation. More than 400 bills which passed the House never saw a vote in the Senate for this very reason.

It is even worse than that when you have a House of Representatives that votes on a bill that insists that if the Senate does not act on a bill it has already voted down, then the House bill will become and I quote "the law of the land". The fact that this bill completely flew in the face of the tripartite system of government we have did not prevent it from being brought to a vote and garnering a majority of the House, all those voting for it being Republicans.

It is the kind of thing that activists and political junkies know but don't really think about, that most Americans don't have a working grasp of how things actually work in government but a new report out today show just how bad things really are.

There is a set of tests that are given in the 4th, 8th and 12th grades. As part of these tests there are questions about civics, the basic functions of the Federal government. Only one in 5 12th graders answered well enough to be considered to have a proficient or advanced understanding of the subject.  

Future for some EPA initiatives looking grim

by: epicsurvivor

Mon Apr 25, 2011 at 07:57:27 AM MST

When the budget resolution came through a few weeks ago, it levied a 16 percent cut to the EPA's 2010 resources. Many supporters are looking at this resolution as a positive, mainly because the GOP had been fighting for nearly a 30 percent cut to the EPA. While the 16 percent cut is certainly the lesser of two evils, the continued pressure from the GOP and response are rather disturbing. In the original 2011 proposal, President Obama called for only a 10 percent cut to the EPA's slate. With the constant pushing and criticism from GOP officials, the cut was then pushed to 16 percent. Certainly the resolution has come through and was not as bad as it could've been, but this push towards the EPA is likely to continue on from the GOP side.

With a continued push from the GOP, the possible end effects to the EPA are frightening. Considering a major hit to the EPA's budget could turn into the removal of programs, the thought that some of the EPA's initiatives that fight environmentally related health issues could be cut are unfortunate. Every year, the EPA works on a number of programs that have a direct effect on cutting environmentally related health problems such as mesothelioma, asthma, and a number of others.

The GOP has set out for a major attack on the Clean Air Act, because it will regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The ability to regulate these emissions is vital in keeping pollution and smog to a minimum. With damage to the Clean Air Act and unlimited use of emissions, the risk of asthma and respiratory issues would certainly ensue. Some other programs that could find themselves on the chopping block are also important to the health of citizens. Asbestos abatement is carried out by the EPA in areas all over the country in an effort to keep older buildings and structures safe for inhabitance and clear of cases of mesothelioma and asbestosis. Without this type of programs some could be exposed to life threatening health risks. For example, mesothelioma life expectancy is extremely severe. Of course there are a number of other programs in the EPA that have a direct effect on the health of US citizens every year and a cut to these resources could be disastrous.

Given the combination of different effects that a major reduction to the EPA could have, it's not something that looks very good, in general. The continued action of the GOP towards the EPA sets a rather disturbing possible outlook for the environmental agency. It's important that the public remain aware of positive impact that the EPA has on health every year in America, otherwise their initiatives could be in jeopardy in the near future.  

On Rugged Individualism, Or, Meet The Ghost Of Government Past

by: fake consultant

Sat Jan 15, 2011 at 10:17:14 AM MST

Next comes an effort to slash Social Security and Medicare, an effort to reverse financial reforms, and proposals to "slash" spending-but only on domestic discretionary items.

If the House majority had its way there would be no restrictions on offshore drilling, no rules designed to prevent climate change-in fact, few if any environmental protections at all...and all of this is intended to bring to life the philosophy that government, for all intents and purposes, should just go away and leave us all alone.

I don't buy into that kind of thinking-not even a little bit-and today we're going to look around the world and see if we can't figure out why.

Secrecy And Democracy, The Hard Balancing Act

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Mon Nov 29, 2010 at 07:39:35 AM MST

Secrecy is a tough thing in a democracy. Democracy requires a well informed electorate to function. There is a real need for a free people to have the facts when they are deciding on their elected representatives. Knowing what our government really means when it states it policy publicly is a critical factor.  

What Is The Purpose Of Government?

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 06:31:12 AM MST

Conservatives have a pretty clear, if sadly simplistic, view of what the role of government is. They will talk (endlessly and in an ever rising register) about how the federal government is only for the defense of the nation and that nothing else should really be in its purview. The problem with their assertion of States Rights (aside from the racist history behind this idea) is that they don't really want their state government's to do a lot either. It is this kind of thinking that gets us into the situation where Republicans want, as David Corn of Mother Jones said, "Small government and Big Oil".  

The Danger Of Populist Movements

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Thu Apr 15, 2010 at 06:51:43 AM MST

This makes it all the tougher to say that I am not a fan of populist movements. The problem with them is they generally run on a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding of how our political system actually works.