I thought the quotes from Thomas Jefferson and JFK were good. We could probably pull up a few from Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and FDR as well. Needless to say, US has had some very good public speakers in the past - for some reason that makes me think of the Greeks and later the Romans who have been highlighted with quotes in antiquity as well.
It does tend to make one think about that, is the education what is desired from it funding or lack there of, doesn't it? That is why personally, I have my own personal library of little bits of knowledge here and there I hope to pass on to my daughter, that is why I am assuming responsibility for her education.
Could True Democracy work? Can human beings show love all the time, even in the smallest of groups? I think we know the answer and while it is not encouraging, it can be - work with in the constraints of the imperfect human condition. I think the US was doing pretty good there for a while, well understood its checks and balances stuff, but lately, roughly since about World War I, things have been going ... for lack of a better word, elitist, though more commonly it is referred to as arrogant. When I think of those who also seem globally arrogant, Spain, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, China all come to mind.
I think what does work is Direct Democracy needs to be local (as in say, regional district or municipality), Representative Democracy should spring from that to any larger body of government, but localized government should always preside over any decision made by a centralized government, they are the ones who have to make it work without hurting their neighbors after all. I think even democracy breaks down horribly when it is centralized, because the farther you live from that center of the people's power, the less relevant its decisions to local practical it seems to get. At some point, I would say even groups larger than ten people experience this, it seems people stop being names and faces - someone you have a relationship with - and just become a faceless number which you have no connection to and thus no problem giving the shaft to.
I think even before the US had Bush foisted on them, things were gradually deteriorating for the state of your union, sorry to say. I really hope my family, friends, and neighbors make out alright by turning things around or by just getting out period, though turning things around would be far the better option. To be honest though, I wouldn't be able to say Canada is doing much better, as I seem to have lost all understanding why my letters / emails to my MLA, MP, and various ministers federal and provincial do not seem to have gotten across to any of them my desire for getting out of Afghanistan, having more say in who is in the Senate, and encouraging them to start placing more power in the local level than in the centralized levels of government. For all I know, the current minority federal gov could be eroding Canadian freedoms to, and I want to grok the situation better but don't know where to begin.
I answered "Try to be informed about my voting decision" but as you can see, its never quite as simple as all that, eh? Independent thought, information, decision making - it seems to require a dedication to continue to see it happen. Perhaps this is our revolution, using the internet to see that our concerns are addressed in a proper manner that does not brush it aside dismissively, to arm each other with constructive thought and evidence that holds up under scrutiny.
