By: James Ticchio
Many have complained that the average American voter is not adequately informed about
the workings of government. This misinformation is likely the cause of a great deal of
inefficiency, as politicians are well aware that they won’t be held accountable for small mistakes,
nor will they be rewarded for greatly improving governmental procedures.
The solution to this problem is simply to teach politics more extensively in schools. In
fact, the study of all major political parties’ platforms should be the primary focus of any school
system, especially one in a democratic country. When the average American voter can hold their
politicians accountable for their failures and reward them for their successes, the resulting boosts
in bureaucratic efficiency and efficacy can lead to thousands of lives being saved and improved.
On top of needing a solution, American society also needs to work on correcting a
problem. American sentiment towards voting tends to reward anyone who votes, regardless of
why they voted for a particular candidate. Unfortunately, voting for a candidate at random or
based on information from the candidate’s commercials will only exacerbate the problem. This
misinformed voting reinforces the idea that candidates can do as poorly as they want in office as
long as they can make themselves look good during campaign season.
What’s the future of political education? The average student should be proficient in the
important matters of the day. Students should have a basic understanding of the country’s
economic situation (current and historic unemployment, gini coefficient, GDP per capita etc.)
and they should be encouraged to find solutions to the problems that the country faces. Instead of
hypothetical, or ancient historical problems, students should be studying contemporary problems
and learning how to solve them.
the workings of government. This misinformation is likely the cause of a great deal of
inefficiency, as politicians are well aware that they won’t be held accountable for small mistakes,
nor will they be rewarded for greatly improving governmental procedures.
The solution to this problem is simply to teach politics more extensively in schools. In
fact, the study of all major political parties’ platforms should be the primary focus of any school
system, especially one in a democratic country. When the average American voter can hold their
politicians accountable for their failures and reward them for their successes, the resulting boosts
in bureaucratic efficiency and efficacy can lead to thousands of lives being saved and improved.
On top of needing a solution, American society also needs to work on correcting a
problem. American sentiment towards voting tends to reward anyone who votes, regardless of
why they voted for a particular candidate. Unfortunately, voting for a candidate at random or
based on information from the candidate’s commercials will only exacerbate the problem. This
misinformed voting reinforces the idea that candidates can do as poorly as they want in office as
long as they can make themselves look good during campaign season.
What’s the future of political education? The average student should be proficient in the
important matters of the day. Students should have a basic understanding of the country’s
economic situation (current and historic unemployment, gini coefficient, GDP per capita etc.)
and they should be encouraged to find solutions to the problems that the country faces. Instead of
hypothetical, or ancient historical problems, students should be studying contemporary problems
and learning how to solve them.