Federalism
Want Civic Literacy? Quit Focusing on D.C.
If we truly want to engage young people in the political process, we need to stop incessantly talking about Washington D.C. and focus on issues closer to home. I have been teaching U.S. Government in the state of Indiana for four years now. The first half of my...
We Are Still Ruled by Religions: And Always Will Be.
Because we believe in secularism, “believers” and “non-believers” are unable to meet on equal terms. The result is that “believers” acquiesce to the political arguments of “non-believers” whose positions seem clearly...
Paging Dr. Madison! Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the 10th Amendment
“The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.” -James Madison, Speech in the Virginia constitutional convention, Richmond, Virginia, December 2, 1829 Pessimism is popular. Reading Twitter and social...
Balancing Local Control and Individual Rights
“Local control” is something politicians promote or ignore at their convenience. The U.S. House of Representatives, led by a Republican majority supposedly dedicated to returning power to the states, just voted to override state design and safety rules for...