You know with the power of the vote comes responsibility. Sitting around carping about the politicians and how crooked they are; and you don't even have a grasp of how our government works. Please. Do some research and thinking; thats the problem with our university system. There is no longer the concept of an education; students are trained. They are trained in Medicine or Engineering or some other discipline that requires no knowledge of our history or any exposure to critical thinking. Without a seriously considered personal philosophy how the hell can you make a real political choice? Maybe thats why we have bad politicians; because we have bad citizens.
Perhaps a democracy where only those who pass an exam can vote. Even better is a system where politians have to pass an exam first before they can become a candidate.
I agree. Minimum three hours. The constitution/history of the founding/the great supreme court descisions..Marbury v Madison..Plessy v Ferguson. Detailed questions on what the Bill of Rights means. How the government is constructed and what each branches duties and responsibilities are. And some critical essays on seperation of church and state and civil rights philosophy as experienced in the U.S. The why and wherefors of the Revolution and Civil War. Other things also.
How many have you talked to that you feel would not? Most are lawyers so they have 3/4's of the battle won already. Think of past Presidents that served during our lifetime. Clinton/Rhodes Scholar/Bush senior; jet fighter pilot/Ronald Reagan/Jimmy Carter/Maybe not Gerald Ford but he was appointed. Richard Nixon was an extremely bright and knowledgable guy; How far back should we go. How bright is your congressman and Senator?
John said: "You know with the power of the vote comes responsibility. Sitting around carping about the politicians and how crooked they are; and you don't even have a grasp of how our government works. Please. "
HI JOhn, Were your words above a general statement, or addressed to any one particular individual? -akhilesh
Hi AK; Sorry I'm late with this reply but I got caught up with the above discussion and just noticed your reply after perusing the bottom of that thread. No one in particular; thats not my way. It doesn't work. If you love political discussion as much as I do why personalise it? Then you reduce the whole arena of political argument to the level of a personal disagreement. Waste of time. Regards J.R.