Introducing the Idea of Self-Governance and a Civics Lesson for My Daughters (and Everyone Else), Part Two

I left off in my last post, asking my daughter (and you), "What would happen with an informed, engaged citizenry?"

Think about what the state of the union would be like if everyone were able to say, "They are one and the same" rather than giving the jaw dropping displays of ignorance everyone saw when Jimmy Kimmel asked whether they preferred Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act.  Think about what the state of the union would be like if everyone were able to answer, "John Boehner" (currently) when asked who the Speaker of the House is during a Man On The Street by Leno or one of those other late night hosts.  Think about what the state of the union would be like if everyone were well-versed in our founding documents and had a full understanding of the proper roles of government and We The People in running our republic.

The most powerful thing about self-governance is that it is not a partisan issue.  It isn't a black, white, Native American, or Hispanic issue.  It isn't a rich or poor issue.  It isn't a young or old issue.  It isn't a secular or religious issue. It isn't a West Coast or an East Coast issue.  It isn't a North or a South issue.  It isn't an urban or a rural issue. The notion of self-governance, as I understand it, as put forth by Mark Herr and the Tennessee Center For Self-Governance doesn't mean that everyone will agree on everything.  Issues and candidates are secondary; the forces of centralized governance will use those to divide and conquer.

The idea of self-governance can be boiled down to two very simple questions.  Who knows best how to run your life - you or the government?  And, are you the master, or are you the slave?

That brings us to the metaphor that made my Jillian laugh.  I'll unfold it under two different scenarios: the way things are currently and the way things are supposed to be.

The Way Things Are Currently

We The People are the spineless, wimpy owners of a very aggressive dog that has assumed the Alpha role in the house.  The government?  Yup, it's the dog.  We The People aren't informed or engaged enough, and we've lost control of the beast.  Our dog is chewing up our furniture.  Our dog is peeing on our floors.  Our dog is stealing food right off our plates.  Our dog is terrorizing our cats.  Our dog is yanking our arms right out of the sockets when it takes us for a walk.  Our dog is snarling at us when we get too close.  If our dog could laugh at us when we say, "SIT!", it would.  Oh, and our dog is mauling our children too.  And we are letting it happen.  All of it.  What the heck is the matter with us?!

The Way Things Are Supposed to Be

We The People enjoy our family dog.  We especially like having the dog around for protection.  The government?  Yup, it's still the dog.  The difference here is that We The People are informed and engaged enough to nip our dog's bad behavior in the bud.  In fact, we've gone through obedience training with our dog - and it isn't us doing the obeying!  We The People take our dog for walks, and there is slack in the leash; our arms aren't getting yanked out of sockets by our unruly dog.  When We The People say, "SIT!", our dog drops its butt to the floor.

Now, which scenario sounds more appealing to you?  My five year old thinks she should be the one telling the dog to sit.