Difference between revisions of "Civicwiki:Mission"

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The government of the United States of America has been stable and continuous for almost 230 years. That alone makes America exceptional.  No other modern government has existed that long or produced such dramatic success for its citizens, and for that matter, for the world.
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The government of the United States of America has been stable and continuous for almost 230 years. As a constitutional republic of 230 years it is old by historical standards.  No other modern government has existed that long or produced such dramatic success for its citizens, and for that matter, for the world.  Our founders would be surprised that their work has lasted so long.   
<br>The longevity of our government removes today’s youth 8 or 9 generations from its originsNot surprisingly, few of us today understand or have a sense of our political heritage or the source or our success.  Like a fish unaware of salt water, our long-running success is an uninteresting condition of lifeIf American success is to be refreshed, the ideas on which that success was built must be refreshed, for it is ideas that built it.
 
  
The original motivation for Civicwiki was the current state of political discourseCW was (and still is) to be a reaction to the political process as it has evolved into what it has become today - a process filled with unsupported assertion, fact presented out of context, one-sided half-truths, fabrication presented as fact, and rhetoric calculated to elicit an emotional reaction, all to serve political agendas(Please read [[Civicwiki:Just the Facts Maam|about Civicwiki]].) If we are to navigate through the fog of political marketing, we must have a reliable compassTo help with that and support discussion of the issues, CW's mission is also to refresh and explain the ideas behind American success.  These are agendas that we hope are acceptable to allPerhaps a few of the ideas presented on this site are original, but only a fewIn all cases, we have relied heavily on history and the writings of other, more insightful minds.
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For all the brilliant intellect invested in our founding, the longevity of the United States would depend less on the work of our founders than on the character of Americans - something the founders understood wellThe Declaration of Independence is a powerful statement and The Constitution is a careful and wise guide to legitimate and stable government.  But only the values, beliefs, and character of Americans can give them value.  If Americans fall too far away from their principles, The Declaration and Constitution will cease to matterBut what are these principles that were written down so long ago?  Should they still matter?  Hasn't society changed?  The longevity of our government removes today’s youth 8 or 9 generations from its origins. We are prosperous and comfortableLike a fish unaware of salt water, our long-running success has become an uninteresting condition of life.
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The longevity of our government removes today’s youth 8 or 9 generations from its origins.  Not surprisingly, fewer of us today understand or have a sense of our political heritage or the source or our successWe are prosperous and comfortable.  Like a fish unaware of salt water, our long-running success has become an uninteresting condition of lifeBut our continued success is never guaranteedWe are increasingly out of touch with the ideas and human spirit on which that success was builtThey must be understood and refreshed if we are to stay ahead of the historical odds.  
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America’s longevity was the result of many factors, but chief among them was a group of very smart people who were genuinely interested in solving the problem of governmentThey had no self-serving political agendas. They believed in a basic set of unalienable rights afforded to every person.  They understood the need for a social and political society whose individual rights and security were guaranteed by a fair and just government.  They understood that society was a collection of individuals - people of diverse (and sometimes competing) interests - that would have to live peaceably together.  They were remarkable in their understanding of the problems to be solved if that society were to be stable.  And they were well educated in the history of previous efforts and in the philosophy of rights and politicsFrom these understandings, they developed a constitution that defined the legitimate functions of such a government and sought to foresee the ways in which government could become corrupted.  The Constitution of the United States is a document of eternal truths expressed in new government constructs.  It is remarkable in its wisdom and foresight.
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==The Mission==
:Civicwiki seeks to preserve that understanding and the ideas behind America's durable nation by telling the stories of both early and modern Americans, the events and philosophies that shaped our society, our civic structure, and what about those things that have made us successful as a nation.
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''CW's original mission was to provide a forum for fact-based civil discourse, free of demagoguery.'' <br>And by doing so, to equip voters to make better informed choices.
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CW was and still is a reaction to the political process as it has become today - filled with unsupported assertion, fact presented out of context, one-sided half-truths, fabrication presented as fact, and rhetoric calculated to elicit an emotional reaction, all to serve political agendas at the expense of truth and the general welfare<br>See [[Civicwiki:Just the Facts Maam|about Civicwiki]].
  
Civicwiki also pursues its goal of political clarity, free from demagoguery, through fact based analysis of the issues that are of most concern to us today. (See [[Civicwiki:Just the Facts Maam|about Civicwiki]].)  
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''CW's mission also includes an examination of the ideas and heritage behind American success.''
To support and provide fact for that analysis, and to refresh and explain the ideas that have been the source of American success, we (and our contributors) write to a group of main topics that explain America’s stability and successEach of the main topics is explained on its own home pageThese pages are worth reading in that they describe how each relates to America’s success and our missionHere are the topics and links to their home pages:
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*[[Portal:Inalienable Rights|Inalienable Rights]]
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<!--If we are to navigate through the fog of political marketing, we must have a reliable compass.-->
*[[Portal:America's Heritage|America's Heritage]]
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<!--To further support the CW mission of informed political choices, CW discusses the nature of economic freedom, wealth and poverty and how they should be addressed by government. 
*[[Portal:American Independence|American Independence]]
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Wealth and poverty are topics that have become high profile political issues over the last 50 years.  Much of government policy that has been developed since the mid '60s is aimed directly at poverty and indirectly at wealth, with profound effect.  Nonetheless, we are increasingly out of touch with the source of wealth and well being - (and by that we mean the wealth and well being of all of us - not some legendary few) and so it is slipping away for many Americans.--> 
*[[Portal:Federalism and Democracy|Federalism and Democracy]]
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<!--<br>We need to refresh our understanding of the source of wealth and the causes of poverty.-->
*[[Portal:Wealth, Poverty, and Freedom|Wealth, Poverty, and Freedom]]
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CW pursues this mission by presenting the story of America in several parts
*[[Portal:The Issues|The issues]]
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:1. Our debt to the recognition of rights and the development of liberty in England
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:: and then in the English colonies in America
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:2. The journey from proud English colonists to the Declaration of Independence.
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<!--historical influences that set the stage for an independent AmericaIncluding:
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::-- The concepts of rights and freedom developed in England and exported to the colonies.
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::-- The development of colonies in America.-->
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:3. The ideas, debates, and founding documents that resulted in the United States.  <!--Including:
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::-- The principles presented in the Declaration of Independence
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::-- The principles behind the Articles of Confederation
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::-- Principles contained in The Constitution of the United States::: and the debate over ratification as recorded in ''The Federalist Papers'' and the Anti-Federalist Papers.-->
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:4. Economic freedom's role and importance.  <!--Including:
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::-- The nature of wealth and poverty,--> and  
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:5. How do we want our government to behave and the big issues that are important to us today.
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The best tutorial for how the story is organized is to click on and read the introductory pages for each article category listed on the left sidebar or the upper right of the main page.
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At the beginning, a relatively few CW pages are written; most are blank.  We must depend on our readers to help us write the pages and maintain content quality.  So, CW needs the help of writers and editors.  Perhaps you would like to participate.
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<!--
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America’s longevity owes much to a group of very smart people who, about 235 years ago, were genuinely interested in solving the problem of a stable and just federal government.  They seemed to have no self-serving political agendas beyond forming a government that used lessons of English history and built on the thought of the liberal thinkers of the 18th century.  They wanted a government that would surpass any previous example in its ability to establish and protect freedom of the individual.  They were well educated in the history of previous efforts and in the philosophy of rights and politics; and believed in a basic set of unalienable rights afforded to every person.  They understood the need for a social and political society in which individual rights and security were guaranteed.  They were determined that the people be ultimately in charge rather than a powerful few.  But they also understood that society was a collection of individuals and groups of diverse, and sometimes competing, interests - that would have to live peaceably together.  They were remarkable in their understanding of the problems to be solved if such a society were to be stable.  From these understandings, they developed a constitution that defined how such a stable and just government would work and sought to foresee the ways in which people (none of us are angels) could pollute the waterThe Constitution of the United States is a document of eternal truths expressed in unique government constructsIt is remarkable in its wisdom and foresight.
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:Civicwiki seeks to refresh that understanding and the ideas behind America's durable nation by telling the stories of both early and modern America, the events and philosophies that shaped our society, our civic structure, and how those things made us successful as a nation and how our society and government are shaping it today.
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<!--
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# "The ideas" are the concepts that unified Americans leading up to independence, and the concepts that were the subjects of the constitutional debates, and were then encoded into our constitution.  They are primarily about the rights of people and the duties of government – what they are and what they aren’tThey are also about the implications of those rights – the rule of law, our country's center piece, being an example.
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# Historical influences summarizes the interesting and relevant elements of American history as it was shaped by events and the ideas that guided America's development.
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# America's wealth seeks to explain how wealth is created, the paths out of povery, how this has worked in America, and the influence of government policy.
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# "The issues" tackles those things that are of primary concern to Americans today.  This part of the story can be thought of as the bottom line.  The parts that precede it are good and interesting background.  But we have to apply what those stories teach us to the issues if the information is to serve a useful purpose.
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--> 
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<!--
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===Main Topics===
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CW articles will be cataloged under a set of main topics
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:CW’s 1st  main topic is [[Portal:Inalienable Rights|Inalienable Rights]].  It is the part of story of "the ideas".
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::America was founded on a principle of rights – the fundamental few rights of people that became central to declaring independence as well as to our constitution.  These rights apply to everyone and no one person’s enjoyment of them may be violated by any person or group even if such a group constitutes a majority.  They are unalienable – therefore they outrank even the democratic process.  To understand this is the beginning of understanding the rule of law on which the stability of our country depends.
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:CW’s 2nd  main topic is [[Portal:America's Heritage|America's Heritage]].  These are the stories of historical influence.
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::CW’s mission is not to act as historian, but it seems necessary to understanding America’s success to scan history for the interesting events and beliefs that shaped the attitudes and actions of Americans, starting with the first colonies and proceeding ultimately to the present.
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:CW’s 3rd main topic is [[Portal:American Independence|American Independence]].  This belongs to both "the ideas" and to historical influences. 
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::It is a piece of American history starting in 1763 and ending with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
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:CW’s 4th main topic is [[Portal:Federalism and Democracy|Federalism and Democracy]].  This also belongs to the ideas behind America. 
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::It is about the constitution and the ideas that surfaced in the debate leading up to its ratification.
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:CW’s 5th main topic is [[Portal:America's Wealth|America's Wealth]]
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::Wealth and poverty are easy to misunderstand.  CW would like to make them commonly understood.
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:CW’s 6th main topic is [[Portal:The Issues|“The Issues”]]. 
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::This is where we get to the heart of the matter.  Let’s have a fact based (and unemotional) discussion about the issues that matter to us and that seem to divide America.  Let’s ignore the political marketing, turn off the politicians and commentators and their agendas and talk to one another.
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A few of the ideas presented on this site are original.  In all cases, we have relied heavily on history and the writings of other, more insightful minds.
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-->
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<!--
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==A personal statement about the mission==
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The sponsors of Civicwiki have assumed this mission out of our love of a few things.
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:We love the idea and the beauty of those simple few [[Inalienable Rights|inalienable rights]].  We can debate the existence of other rights, but life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are fundamental. They can be explained, but not denied. They are a product of nature - or if you prefer, a gift from God.  Without them, we are to be ruled by whomever possesses the might to bend us to their will. 
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:We love the idea of living in a country where these rights are guaranteed, and where that ideal is more closely approximated than anywhere else.
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:We were fortunate to have been born in America.  We hold the immigrants who chose to come to America out of that same kind of love in high regard.
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Because of our love of the freedom and protection we enjoy in America, we feel driven to do what we can to preserve them.  We hope that this does not strike anyone as old fashioned.  If it ever becomes out of date, then freedom becomes out of date.  We do not think that will happen because the human desire for freedom is eternal.-->
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<!--We do, however, understand that governments that protect freedom are a small part of the history of civilization, and we sense that an increasing number of Americans take our success for granted.-->

Latest revision as of 21:04, 5 April 2016

The government of the United States of America has been stable and continuous for almost 230 years. As a constitutional republic of 230 years it is old by historical standards. No other modern government has existed that long or produced such dramatic success for its citizens, and for that matter, for the world. Our founders would be surprised that their work has lasted so long.

For all the brilliant intellect invested in our founding, the longevity of the United States would depend less on the work of our founders than on the character of Americans - something the founders understood well. The Declaration of Independence is a powerful statement and The Constitution is a careful and wise guide to legitimate and stable government. But only the values, beliefs, and character of Americans can give them value. If Americans fall too far away from their principles, The Declaration and Constitution will cease to matter. But what are these principles that were written down so long ago? Should they still matter? Hasn't society changed? The longevity of our government removes today’s youth 8 or 9 generations from its origins. We are prosperous and comfortable. Like a fish unaware of salt water, our long-running success has become an uninteresting condition of life.

The Mission

CW's original mission was to provide a forum for fact-based civil discourse, free of demagoguery.
And by doing so, to equip voters to make better informed choices. CW was and still is a reaction to the political process as it has become today - filled with unsupported assertion, fact presented out of context, one-sided half-truths, fabrication presented as fact, and rhetoric calculated to elicit an emotional reaction, all to serve political agendas at the expense of truth and the general welfare.
See about Civicwiki.

CW's mission also includes an examination of the ideas and heritage behind American success.

CW pursues this mission by presenting the story of America in several parts

1. Our debt to the recognition of rights and the development of liberty in England
and then in the English colonies in America
2. The journey from proud English colonists to the Declaration of Independence.
3. The ideas, debates, and founding documents that resulted in the United States.
4. Economic freedom's role and importance. and
5. How do we want our government to behave and the big issues that are important to us today.

The best tutorial for how the story is organized is to click on and read the introductory pages for each article category listed on the left sidebar or the upper right of the main page.

At the beginning, a relatively few CW pages are written; most are blank. We must depend on our readers to help us write the pages and maintain content quality. So, CW needs the help of writers and editors. Perhaps you would like to participate.