A Crucial Element of Democracy

This is a blog by Robert Gutierrez ...
While often taken for granted, civics education plays a crucial role in a democracy like ours. This Blog is dedicated to enticing its readers into taking an active role in the formulation of the civics curriculum found in their local schools. In order to do this, the Blog is offering a newer way to look at civics education, a newer construct - liberated federalism or federation theory. Daniel Elazar defines federalism as "the mode of political organization that unites separate polities within an overarching political system by distributing power among general and constituent governments in a manner designed to protect the existence and authority of both." It depends on its citizens acting in certain ways which Elazar calls federalism's processes. Federation theory, as applied to civics curriculum, has a set of aims. They are:
*Teach a view of government as a supra federated institution of society in which collective interests of the commonwealth are protected and advanced.
*Teach the philosophical basis of government's role as guardian of the grand partnership of citizens at both levels of individuals and associations of political and social intercourse.
*Convey the need of government to engender levels of support promoting a general sense of obligation and duty toward agreed upon goals and processes aimed at advancing the common betterment.
*Establish and justify a political morality which includes a process to assess whether that morality meets the needs of changing times while holding true to federalist values.
*Emphasize the integrity of the individual both in terms of liberty and equity in which each citizen is a member of a compacted arrangement and whose role is legally, politically, and socially congruent with the spirit of the Bill of Rights.
*Find a balance between a respect for national expertise and an encouragement of local, unsophisticated participation in policy decision-making and implementation.
Your input, as to the content of this Blog, is encouraged through this Blog directly or the Blog's email address: gravitascivics@gmail.com .
NOTE: This blog has led to the publication of a book. The title of that book is TOWARD A FEDERATED NATION: IMPLEMENTING NATIONAL CIVICS STANDARDS and it is available through Amazon in both ebook and paperback versions.

Friday, January 16, 2015

“WE GET LETTERS”

I want to look more closely at those elements of content in the Magruder’s American Government textbook that I judged to address social capital.  Social capital is a societal quality characterized by having an active, public-spirited citizenry, egalitarian political relations, and a social environment of trust and cooperation.[1]  A civics curriculum (and that includes government classes) which is guided by the federalist theory in its content choices should strive to support, promote, and enable social capital generally, but specifically among high school students.  In my last posting, I made the claim that one content topic that a federalist theory-minded course should include is material regarding community development.  On that score, Magruder’s falls short.  I did mention that one potentially saving element in the text is sporadic inserts that, if treated appropriately, could support social capital.  I indicated that with this posting I would begin to take a closer look.  I want to begin with the insert topic of “Writing a Letter to the Editor.”  The institutionalized practice of local newspapers to dedicate space, usually on their editorial pages, to letters from their readership is a way to encourage and promote average citizens to voice their opinions, knowledge, and beliefs about current public issues.  It promotes active, public-spirited citizenry.

So, how does Magruder’s treat this topic?  My concern here is to detect a bias toward a communal orientation versus a self-interest orientation.  The insert begins with a sample letter to an editor. Let me reproduce the letter here:
Editor:
Regarding the article on additional budget cuts to public education (“Government Proposes Slashing School Funding,” May 9), I believe that every penny spent is a necessary investment in the future of this community.  As a junior at Westfield High School, I know that these cuts would place students’ futures in greater jeopardy.  Last year 15 percent of the teaching staff and 10 percent of all elective courses were eliminated due to severe reductions in funding.  These cuts ultimately impacted the quality of our education, and that is a sacrifice this town should not be willing to make again.
-Thomas Grey, St. Clairsville[2]
This letter couldn’t be a better example of lobbying.  Take a public policy that negatively affects your interests, manipulate the pitch so as to provide a general welfare angle, and use language that denotes a concern for the community.  Interesting, I think, is the fact that textbook funds come out of the same pot of money as those affecting the budget cuts referred to in the letter.  Couldn’t another example be thought of?  Anyway, I believe this example to be well within the guidance of the natural rights construct – a construct that promotes self-interest.

And here, following this sample letter, is the introduction:  when writing a letter to the editor choose a topic that affects you and your community.  The rest of the insert lists steps you should take in writing your letter:  briefly summarize the issue, explain your position, make a suggestion, and identify yourself.  Given this advice, there would never be letters from middle class citizens about the plight of the poor or what we should do about undocumented citizens or the space program.  These issues are too far removed from a typical individual or community.  In short, in terms of writing to the editor, I believe Magruder’s is far less than a promoter of community development and basically presents the topic as just another way to help students get what individually advances their self-interests.

Note:  Since the inception of this blog, my postings have been on Mondays and Fridays.  Starting with my next postings, due to other activities, my posting days will be Tuesdays and Fridays.



[1] Putnam, Robert D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[2] McClenaghan, W. A.  (2013).  Magruder’s American Government (Florida Teacher’s Edition).  Boston, MA:  Prentice Hall/Pearson, p. 631.

No comments:

Post a Comment