A College Student Knows the Role of Vice President. That Shouldn't Be National News
Issue 124
We are all connected. I have obviously been using this concept as a fundamental part of this particular brand of conscious practice for some thirty years now. It ties into the idea the we belong to the planet, not the planet to us which, among other things, encourages us to mimic the nature of Nature wherein thriving ecosystems (like the planet itself) depend on connection and interdependence. I have said that, as far as our practice goes, the essence of the concept tracks with Chief Seattle’s teaching that “Man does not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. What he does to the web he does to himself.” Everything affects everything. What we say and do matters. And if we’re all connected, what exactly is it that connects us all to one another? What is that glue? Some kind of energy, of course, because that’s what everything is. For many, it’s physics and science. For many, it’s spirituality and consciousness. Take your pick.
As Americans, then, of course, we are all connected in the manner that we are all connected. But what connects us, specifically, as American citizens? What promotes the health of the ecosystem we are? What is our glue? It’s definitely not a shared religion. It’s not a particular race. Or a singular culture. Is it professional football? Or baseball? Academic prowess? Rock ’n roll or country music? Our love of Nature or our skill at manufacturing or agricultural exports? Our armed forces? Egg Mc Muffins? I’m stretching here for anything that is true for all of us, but I dare say, at the end of any day, it is one thing and one thing only that connects us all: our system of government. Boring, you say? Lackluster? Well only because we’ve made it so. On purpose.
And, perhaps worst of all, about half of young Americans do not believe democracy is preferable to other forms of government.
We lament every hour of every day in a multitude of ways just how divided America is and how divided Americans are. The election is tied every which way to Sunday, we’re told. Political violence is on the rise. We’re polarized. The fact that the divided narrative resonates, the fact that there are ready audiences for all manner of “rhetoric” from elected representatives is a huge part of the problem. And the reason there are ready audiences for firehoses of outright lies and disinformation flooding the political zone is that our connective tissue — our collective appreciation for and adherence to a very specific system of government — is frayed beyond all recognition. Massive numbers of us shockingly do not know anything about how our system of government actually works. An online search will produce for you an astounding rash of stories and statistics that lay bare the state of fray of of our collective, connective tissue. Here’s a smattering:
“Only about one in three Americans can pass the U.S. Citizenship Test, which requires correct answers to only 60% of its questions (Institute for Citizens & Scholars). Less than half of U.S. adults can name all three branches of government, and about 1 in 4 respondents cannot identify even one (University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center). And, perhaps worst of all, about half of young Americans do not believe democracy is preferable to other forms of government (The Economist/YouGov).”
There are these examples as well: “…a lack of understanding of the basic structure and separation of powers in the U.S.” and “…misunderstandings about individual freedoms and the limits of governmental power” and “…Americans struggle to understand the complexities of the electoral system, including the role of the Electoral College, the primary process, and how local and state elections function” and “There's a general lack of understanding about how citizens can engage in the democratic process beyond voting, such as participating in local government, contacting elected officials, or engaging in civil discourse on public issues.”
The only reason that Republican candidates for president and vice president can get away with saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding for hurricanes has been re-directed to undocumented immigrants is because their audience doesn’t know that Congress, constitutionally, has the “primary responsibility for creating, modifying, and passing the federal budget and appropriations bills. The President's final role is to sign these bills into law.” The only role for a vice president with regard to disaster relief is to be a representative of the Administration, which administers the agency.
The only reason that the Republican candidate for president can complain about being indicted and tried for all manner of crimes in a multitude of jurisdictions is because his audience doesn’t understand or appreciate or know that our system of government, the rule of law, contains within it a process wherein prosecutors present evidence to juries and the juries indict. They don’t understand or appreciate or know that a case brought in New York City in violation of laws in that city and state have nothing to do with the president or the vice president or the U.S. Department of Justice.
And a thousand more examples.
The worst part? It didn’t happen by accident. As Thom Hartmann points out in the Hartmann Report here on Substack, “Republicans told us that if we just killed off Civics and History classes in our schools, we’d ‘liberate’ our young people to focus instead on science and math. Instead, we’ve raised two generations of Americans who can’t even name the three branches of government, much less understand the meaning of the Constitution’s reference to the ‘General Welfare.’”
So when, in the wake of the debate between the vice presidential candidates a college student reminds us of obvious facts about the role of vice president in the United States of America …what he knows is what everyone should know. It should not be national news. And when everyone knows it, we go back to debating issues, not readying for civil war. When vast swaths of us don’t know it, nothing truly connects us and we cannot ever thrive. It goes against Nature. So let’s all support civics education in the United States of America. Now.
It’s tonight!
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