On numerous occasions over time, in one argument or another, one has looked at what can only be described as a frightening lack of sophistication on the part of the body politic when it comes to understanding political process. In years past, the subject of “Civics” was taught and most learned at least the fundamentals of things like government and governing. These days, that part of the curriculum has, shall one say, has been sorely neglected. In fact, in a recent finding by the National Assessment of Educational Progress ( NAEP ), only twenty-five percent ( 25 % ) of  students reach the “proficient” level in the area of civics. There are many school districts which have forgone the offering of a curriculum focused on civics all together. While some may not view this as a real issue, it truly is and the effects of this lack of not only proficiency but also  lack of interest in government and governing rears its head  with every election, be it local, state or national.

Across several articles, including one in the Guardian, millennials have one of the new large blocks of eligible voters and yet only 36 % turned out for the 2012 election and less in the 2014 mid term election. The trend toward anti – intellectualism has gained traction since  the 2015 run up to the 2016 election and that trend is gaining even more since. And recall, over one hundred million registered eligible voters didn’t think voting was important enough to even  show up in 2016.

It is sad that people still fail to see the connection between what happens inside the beltway and what happens in their neighborhood. What is even sadder is that many do not see that same connection even on their state levels. One can accept that there was and continues to be a great deal of disappointment and dismay with much of how government operates and yet, there is much that  benefits every day people, in spite of the highly complex nature of government and we would be no doubt in a miserable state of affairs without it. It is also important to note that how well or not so well government operates is a function of the who in government more than it is the what. In short, how much is done for the electorate or is done to the electorate is a direct product of whom the electorate puts in place.

Which brings one to that CHALLENGE. What one can hope is that, with all the chaos and proven misinformation floating around out there, not to mention listening to that complete circus know as the WH press briefing, is it not about time for you, the electorate, to become far more informed that you are ? It does not mean one has to be a wonk or an analyst or even a constitutional scholar. Those indeed abound and are worth the listen. What the challenge is to everyone is to take the time to engage  with more than one source of information and spend some time fact checking, at least for the pressing issues. One has to accept there is a good amount of “fake news” out there. However, there are numerous sources on the other side of that coin who present legitimate, factual information, leaving the judging of relevance to the reader or listener, as the case may be.

The country is seeing the complete and utter failure of government to govern. It is victim to self promotion, the drive for personal wealth enhancement, the enactment of destructive policy driven by ego and obsession and an agenda fostered by fear and ignorance . What is puzzling is that so many sit and wonder how this happened. The term “gaslighting” should come to mind immediately and how that bullet is avoided in the future is to accept the CHALLENGE. As a colleague so eloquently put it, it is time for a “COGNITIVE RECALIBRATION”, a rethinking of our posture in the overall scheme of things and how control of the nation’s future can be returned to the electorate rather than the elite few.