No. of Recommendations: 13
...can we agree that a healthy democracy depends on a well-informed populace...I think a "healthy democracy" does depend on a "well-informed populace."
And we have neither...
If many citizens don't understand the world they live in, are unhappy, are in debt, have no sense of purpose, are not cultivating good character or contributing to the common good, is that success?
If we are saddling our children and grandchildren with massive debts and environmental pollution and devastation, is that success? Or tragedy?
"A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both." ~James Madison
Would a healthy democracy with a well-informed populace be $36 Trillion in debt? The annualized cost of servicing this debt is $726 billion. This accounted for 14% of total federal spending.
Also, total U.S. consumer debt stands at $17.80 trillion = not healthy.
Would a healthy democracy with a well-informed populace find a child poverty rate of 16% acceptable?
Would a healthy democracy with a well-informed populace be so unhappy compared to other nations? (The U.S. hit an all-time low ranking in the World Happiness Report, tumbling eight spots to 23rd.)
Would a healthy democracy with a well-informed populace live in a country where firearms are the leading cause of death for children?
(It's important to note that no other country has firearms listed among the top four causes of child mortality.)
Would a healthy democracy with a well-informed populace give guns more rights than Woman? 9 states have total abortion bans that lack exceptions for rape or incest.
Would a healthy democracy with a well-informed populace have a president elect who stole classified documents, is a proven rapist and convicted felon?
Would the citizens of a healthy, well informed democracy have microplastics in their body tissues, including their hearts, livers, kidneys and brains?
Would the president elect of a healthy, well informed democracy be shilling everything from Fight-Fight sneakers and BS digital currency to Fight-Fight-Fight cologne?
Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in America. 67% of all bankruptcies are attributed to medical bills. Would the citizens of a "healthy", well informed democracy find this acceptable?
(No other industrialized nation has this problem.)
Would the citizens of a healthy, well informed democracy accept the fact that 31% of Americans have a net worth of $0 or less, meaning their total liabilities meet or exceed their assets.
(13 million actually have a negative net worth.)
Would the citizens of a healthy, well informed democracy accept a minimum wage that is exactly where it was 15 years ago, $7.25? (Because the GOP has blocked all attempts to raise it.)
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/09/acs...https://www.axios.com/2024/03/20/world-happiness-a...https://apnews.com/article/microplastics-human-hea...https://www.stlouisfed.org/open-vault/2024/feb/us-...
