Civicwiki:Mission

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

The longevity of our government removes today’s youth 8 or 9 generations from its origins. Not surprisingly, few of us today understand or have a sense of our political heritage or the source or our success. We are prosperous and comfortable. Like a fish unaware of salt water, our long-running success has become an uninteresting condition of life. But our continued success is never guaranteed. We are increasingly out of touch with the ideas and human spirit on which that success was built. They must be understood and refreshed if we are to stay ahead of the historical odds.

Economic growth has been anemic for the last 6 years. We've had recessions before, but the effects of this one have been unnecessarily long. The larger problem is that 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 starting to slip away for many Americans.
We need to refresh our understanding of the source of wealth and the causes of poverty.

The Mission

As explained in our page about Civicwiki,

CW's mission is to provide a forum for fact-based civil discourse, free of demagoguery.

To help with that and support discussion of the issues,

CW's mission is also to refresh and explain the ideas and the heritage behind American success.

Additionally, wealth and poverty are fundamental to our society and have become high profile political issues,

CW discusses their nature and how they should be treated by society and government.

The Story

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 had no self-serving political agendas beyond good government. 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. They 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 water. The Constitution of the United States is a document of eternal truths expressed in unique government constructs. It is remarkable in its wisdom and foresight.

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.

At the beginning, CW pages are mostly 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.

CW has divided the story into several parts 1) the concept of rights, 2) the historical influences that create the United States, 3) the nature of wealth and poverty in America, and 4) 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.

A personal statement about the mission

The sponsors of Civicwiki have assumed this mission out of love.

We love the idea and the beauty of those simple few unalienable 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.
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.
We feel fortunate that we were lucky enough to be born in America. We hold the immigrants, who chose to come to America out of that same kind of love, in high regard.

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 we believe that the human desire for freedom is eternal.