Sunday, June 6, 2021

Civics is KNOWLEDGE + ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP = POWER TO CHANGE GOVERNMENT


I launched Civics Online Resource Community (CORC) in 2018, a website that “reintroduces visitors to the power of Civics so that citizens can better understand their rights and duties of citizenship to become more informed about how government work, more encouraged to get involved in the community, and vote like their life depends on it. You relearn the tenets of citizenship, put them into action, and share what you learn with fellow citizens.”

“Civics is a subject understudied in junior high and high school, which translates into how underappreciated it is in society today. Understanding Civics is essential to understanding that as citizens, we have a duty to know what is happening in government and be vigilant in knowing how governmental agencies and departments are managed, regardless of the political party in power.

The framers’ belief in self-government is shown in the first three words of the United States Constitution, "We the people." C.O.R.C. is an online community of civic-minded citizens committed to understanding how government work and holding government accountable when it is not working as it should; citizens who vote as an act of duty; and citizens serving the community.”

Contents include subjects regarding:

Branches of U.S. Government
Political Parties
How a Bill Becomes Law
Filibuster and Nuclear Option
Principles of The Constitution
The Election Process
Platforms and Planks
State Government
Commonwealth vs State
Local Government
United States Territories
The Bill of Rights
Constitutional Amendments on Voting Rights
Meaning of Lady Justice

No matter what your political leaning is, as citizen, you have a duty to know how government work and to hold government accountable when it is not functioning in ways that best serve, we the people. 

“It is my belief that once citizens have a clear understanding of Civics and how government work, they will know which party or candidate is or will be instrumental in making sure government work as citizens expect it to work, and which candidate or party will be dogged in making sure government work for ALL citizens.”

  “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” John F. Kennedy, 35th President of The United States 

“I hope to impress upon visitors to this site that because government is the people, for the people, and by the people, as citizens we have a duty to make sure our constitutional rights are not trampled on, not bargained away or redefined under the guise of other legislation, no matter whether government is local, federal, or state and no matter which political party is in power. That takes understanding how all of government work, and once you know, you will be able to spot when governmental agencies and departments are not working as they should.

“We have hundreds of governmental agencies and departments that function to serve we the people, and Congress is charged with oversight of them. The Department of Transportation function is to ensure our roads, bridges, and tunnels are safe to travel on. The Environmental Protection Agency is charged with making sure our air is safe to breathe and water, clean to drink. The Food and Drug Administration regulate the following industries: prescription and over the counter drugs, food, cosmetics, medical devices, animal and veterinary, tobacco products, radiation emitting products, vaccines, blood, and biologics.

“Government is guided by principles of the U.S. Constitution and not ran like a corporation. There is a total of 535 members of the U.S. Congress that make all federal laws and by the time a bill reaches the President's desk for his or her signature or veto, at least 51 members of the Senate and 218 members of the House of Representatives had to agree to it. That is not how a corporation is managed.”

Many citizens are committed to active citizenship and they vote in every election. They see their right to vote as their duty as citizen to do so, and see serving the community as a moral duty as citizen. I hope those who haven’t made a commitment to active citizenship will be inspired by what they learn from this site and do so.


REAL LIFE

#REPOST Real life is the curve of the river The strength of the ocean It’s the swaying of trees It’s pouring rain and bright sunshine...