1 of 1 copy available
Something's gone wrong in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. We can all feel it, but if we're being honest, most of us don't understand it. At the end of the day, we don't have all the facts, and if you don't know how something works, how do you fix it?
A Return to Common Sense is an "accessible and urgent" (Kirkus Reviews), dare we say fun, guide to how America works and a roadmap to reclaiming a government of, by, and for the people. We fought a revolutionary war for the idea of self-governance and pursuit of happiness—we can't just give up on it now.
To address the crisis, Leigh McGowan offers Six American Principles, rooted in history, that we can all agree make America, America.
1. America is a land of freedom.
2. Everyone should have the opportunity to rise.
3. Every citizen should have a vote, and that vote should count.
4. Representatives should represent the people who elected them.
5. The law applies to all of us.
6. Government should be a force for good.
Using the Six Principles as guideposts, this book lays out suggestions for America, to not only find its way out of the mess it's currently in, but to set a course for a future of which we can all be truly proud.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
September 17, 2024 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781668066454
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781668066454
- File size: 3627 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
August 1, 2024
The creator of the popular PoliticsGirl media brand weighs in on the countless problems with the U.S. government and political system and how to fix some of them. Taking her cue from Thomas Paine, McGowan offers "Six American Principles" that offer Americans a way to free themselves from the tyranny of political dysfunction and rebuild a broken democracy. The first principle--America is the land of freedom--has undergirded the thinking of citizens and politicians for nearly 250 years. However, the author argues persuasively that some Americans, by virtue of race, class, and gender, are freer than others, and many of them actively use their power to oppress others. She traces the origins of this problem back to the white, land-owning, male framers and the documents they created as guidelines for the "American experiment." To ratify the Constitution, they made allowances for slavery, granted smaller states equal power in the Senate, and counted African Americans as three-fifths of a person. If racism, inequality, political gridlock, and corruption have overwhelmed the body politic, it is because they grew out of these exclusions and exceptions. The other principles McGowan brings forward--for example, that everyone should have the opportunity to rise and that the law applies to every single citizen, regardless of status--will remain ideals for as long as these issues go unresolved. She further observes that adherence to long-standing political traditions, including lifetime appointments for Supreme Court justices, must be reconsidered, even if that means amending the Constitution, which the framers intended as a "living document" for a developing nation. For true change to happen, American citizens must put aside their complacency and vote while actively holding those in power accountable: "The question is: Are we willing to work for it?" Accessible and urgent civic advice--hopefully, those who need it will pay attention.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
-