Does a workable democracy require a well-informed electorate?

[ugabuga]

I think the internet is doing a wonderful job of improving people's awareness of what goes on in Washington. Politics has changed in the last ten years because of it. People aren't relying on a one hour nightly newscast to get their fill anymore.

I agree. Hopefully, folks are using the internet to inform themselves on important issues & not just playing games & viewing porn.

When my son was in Boy Scouts, I taught the merit badges on Citizenship in the Community, in the Nation & in the World (3 separate badges). I'd like to think that the scouts that got the badges under my mentorship became better informed citizens & maybe even developed an interest they'd take into adulthood.
So, I'd say, volunteer your time to help inform/interest young people in important issues. Glenda Wood is doing this: check out the thread "The Dreyfuss Initiative" on this forum.

Even though the folks on this forum have different worldviews, I hope most of us can agree that a well-informed citizen is a better citizen.

 

[Just Curious]

Our Well-Informed Electorate?

Nearly one in five people, or 18 percent, said they think Obama is Muslim, up from the 11 percent who said so in March 2009, according to a poll released Thursday. The proportion who correctly say he is a Christian is down to just 34 percent.

The largest share of people, 43 percent, said they don't know his religion, an increase from the 34 percent who said that in early 2009.

Does a workable democracy require a well-informed electorate?

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/08/18/us/politics/AP-US-Poll-Obamas-Religion.html?hp

The real problem that everyone has skipped over is in the opening post, highlighted in red. Apparently, ugabuga thinks that the 18% is wrong. This man is a muslim, and you are just upset that 18% of us figured it out.















































just kidding

 

[Bob]

With everything going so horribly wrong, maybe people simply haven't committed the time to knowing the answer to trivialities like Obama's religious beliefs? I don't understand why this is significant.

deflector shields up, set phasers on stun!

 

[poppy]

I think the internet is doing a wonderful job of improving people's awareness of what goes on in Washington. Politics has changed in the last ten years because of it. People aren't relying on a one hour nightly newscast to get their fill anymore.

Apparently not since you claim in post #2 that "everything" is going so horribly wrong. Really? Everything?

 

[30ashopper]

deflector shields up, set phasers on stun!

Apparently not since you claim in post #2 that "everything" is going so horribly wrong. Really? Everything?

Don't shoot the messenger!

 

[Koa]

Well, I originally posed the question: "Does a workable democracy require a well-informed electorate?"

Amend that to "representative democracy", per Koa. Also, if I understand Koa's response correctly, he thinks the electorate in general has been poorly-informed & mis-informed since the beginning of the republic, & since the republic has been "working" since its inception, there's no need to do anything.

Yes, I think the electorate is poorly informed. Unlike Koa, my gut feeling (intuition) makes me think that somehow we'd be a better nation/society if we were better informed. (Again, I didn't say that and I don't think that. You are making up sh-t.)

That said, I admit to being short on answers re how to make us better informed. I was hoping by posing the question that some interesting ideas might surface in the discussion.

It's obvious to say "better education," but that's a real brier patch when we start talking specifics. (good luck on getting government schools to educate the masses. The government doesn't seem to want an educated electorate. They feed the electorate sound bites, with key phrases repeated, and many lies about their opponents. I even know people of both Republican and Democrat Parties who are registered with the opposing parties just to vote for the worst candidate. We get what we ask for.)

Discussion boards like this one help inform; I've been made aware of facts I hadn't known before via SoWal.com. When someone on this forum misstates a "fact," he/she is corrected pretty quickly. But--the folks on this forum are interested & generally well-informed.

I make it a personal policy to respond to political/religious emails that distort facts. Many I know complain about them but don't respond. I take Edmund Burke's admonition seriously: "All that's necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." If I get a twisted email, I don't want my silence to be misinterpreted as agreement.

I used the example of electorate ignorance about the Prez's religion as a vehicle to discuss this--perhaps I should have chosen a different issue, since you think it's trivial & Koa thinks it doesn't matter. (religion doesn't matter in regards to your question posed. )

Perhaps I should be neither astounded nor saddened about the electorate's level of knowledge about any issue--but somehow I am--even if I don't know how to solve it.

How do you come up with such talk? I didn't say anything about not "needing to do anything." You asked a question, and I answered it straight up -- No, it doesn't take a well-informed electorate for a workable (representative) democracy. The problem is you get out of it what you put into it. Put a thief into office and you get a thief for a government (not calling anyone in particular or collectively thieves).

 

[ugabuga]

ugabuga:

Unlike Koa, my gut feeling (intuition) makes me think that somehow we'd be a better nation/society if we were better informed.

Koa:

(Again, I didn't say that and I don't think that. You are making up sh-t.)

Koa,
I re-read your posts & you're right: although you say "it doesn't take a well-informed electorate for a workable (representative) democracy," you didn't say we don't need to work toward a better-informed electorate.
I'm glad you didn't say/think what I attributed to you in error.
I apologize for misinterpreting & misrepresenting you view.

 

[GoodWitch58]

I agree. Hopefully, folks are using the internet to inform themselves on important issues & not just playing games & viewing porn.

When my son was in Boy Scouts, I taught the merit badges on Citizenship in the Community, in the Nation & in the World (3 separate badges). I'd like to think that the scouts that got the badges under my mentorship became better informed citizens & maybe even developed an interest they'd take into adulthood.
So, I'd say, volunteer your time to help inform/interest young people in important issues. Glenda Wood is doing this: check out the thread "The Dreyfuss Initiative" on this forum.

Even though the folks on this forum have different worldviews, I hope most of us can agree that a well-informed citizen is a better citizen.

I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful mentor and boss for seven years; one who is committed to public service to Florida and the United States. He has retired now and is working very hard to bring civic education to our school system. Here is a review of his handbook, American - The Owner's Manual -- http://www.naspaa.org/jpaemessenger/Article/jpae-v16n1/hu.pdf. I hope to use this to teach a class starting in January...I truly believe our country will be better off when more people understand how our government works and how it was designed to work...it is appalling to me how little so many know about our government and current affairs...the real issues, not the talking points from some political operative with an agenda.

It is only when people think for themselves that knowledge and wisdom are gained. We owe more to our children than we have been providing for them in the recent past IMO. This effort in Civics Education is a step in the direction of nurturing a better informed citizenry and is sorely needed today.

 

[Koa]

Our Well-Informed Electorate?

Nearly one in five people, or 18 percent, said they think Obama is Muslim, up from the 11 percent who said so in March 2009, according to a poll released Thursday. The proportion who correctly say he is a Christian is down to just 34 percent.

The largest share of people, 43 percent, said they don't know his religion, an increase from the 34 percent who said that in early 2009.

Does a workable democracy require a well-informed electorate?

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/08/18/us/politics/AP-US-Poll-Obamas-Religion.html?hp

I guess I'm a little slow, but last night, I was watching CNN and they were talking about Obama's religion, as if there weren't more important issues.

according to your report:
18% say he's Muslim
34% say he's Christian
43% say they don't know
5% of the data samples is absent

I see many news stories in this data. If Obama received the majority of the votes, yet only 34% of Americans think he is Christian, Obama's own voters don't even know what his religion is. 66% of Americans don't think he is Christian, is another way of looking at the stats. That isn't such a shocker since I doubt 34 % of the voters could make an A on the citizenship test. I bet we'd be lucky if that many could name the Vice President, Speaker of the House, and Senate Majority Leader.

 

[GoodWitch58]

I think most well informed voters don't care what religion he affiliates with; or if he does at all.

Those who would incite hatred and divide among the citizenry use the question of his religion as a wedge issue. (They don't really care which religion it is either--if the question was settled, then, they would not have a fear based issue to use for their agenda)

It is hateful, divisive, and inappropriate in America IMO.

We elected a president, not a minister.