Notes:BC1.CWintro - Revision history

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2016-04-03T20:48:36Z

BcatOne moved page Notes:JL.CWintro to Notes:BC1.CWintro without leaving a redirect

Jeff at 17:57, 10 February 2015

2015-02-10T17:57:44Z

Jeff at 17:23, 10 February 2015

2015-02-10T17:23:44Z

Jeff at 02:01, 9 February 2015

2015-02-09T02:01:14Z

Jeff at 22:14, 8 February 2015

2015-02-08T22:14:46Z

Jeff at 20:48, 8 February 2015

2015-02-08T20:48:49Z

Jeff at 23:56, 7 February 2015

2015-02-07T23:56:31Z

Jeff at 23:42, 7 February 2015

2015-02-07T23:42:11Z

Jeff at 23:34, 7 February 2015

2015-02-07T23:34:39Z

Jeff at 23:32, 7 February 2015

2015-02-07T23:32:32Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Glenn and I wanted to help shift our country's <u>political momentum</u>.
-* We took an ineffectual stab at doing that in the 6 months leading up to the 2012 election
+* We took an ineffectual stab at doing that in the months leading up to the 2012 election
 * It was a website that Glenn still maintains.  Cogently written, but prior to the election we probably reached about 20 people.
 Three motivating factors:
-# <u>Political division</u> that has become more strident because it is being fed by people who profit by it.
+# <u>Political division</u> that has become more strident.
 # <u>Americans are increasingly out of touch</u> with the reasons for our success as a nation and as the world's dominant economy.
-# Well intentioned (and sometimes cynical) <u>government policy</u> that has damaging unintended consequences.
+# Well intentioned (and sometimes cynical) <u>government policy</u> that has damaging unintended (and intended) consequences.
-But <u>you can't just start talking</u>.  You have to start by seeking understanding and be guided by that.
+But <u>you can't just start talking</u>.  You have to seek understanding and be guided by that.
 * We are ''Coming Apart'' and few understand what is happening, why, or what to do about it.
 * Today's youth is <u>8 or 9 generations</u> away from our country's beginnings and do not understand American exceptionalism--though this was likely true to some degree of every generation since the middle of the 19th century.
@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 :*   We needed a concise Wikipedia for American civics and economic freedom.
-So we had the idea of putting together another website aimed more at addressing the things I just listed than in attacking specific issues--though it contains a forum for that as well.
+So we put together another website aimed more at addressing the things I just listed than in attacking specific issues--though it contains a forum for that as well.
 *The website purports to be <u>non partisan</u>--one of the rules being that advocacy for political parties or candidates is off limits.
 :* It does admit to a <u>dedication to liberty</u>, an admiration of the founding principles of the U.S., and promising to discuss what that means, etc.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 * Today's youth is <u>8 or 9 generations</u> away from our country's beginnings and do not understand American exceptionalism--though this was likely true to some degree of every generation since the middle of the 19th century.
 ::When I was a kid, we could recite parts of The Declaration, but never thought about what it meant.  It was not something profound, it was homework.
-:::<u>Terri is a math teacher</u> at the high school.  There are a lot of people worried that one of our country's biggest problem is declining math skills and a lot of work and thought is going into how to get kids to absorb math.  <u>Kahn Academy</u> is a celebrated website funded by some high profile people--more recently Bill Gates--who see innovative math education as somehow promising salvation.
+:::<u>Terri is a math teacher</u> at the high school.  There are a lot of people worried that one of our country's biggest problem is declining math skills and a lot of work and thought is going into how to get kids to absorb math.  <u>Kahn Academy</u> is a celebrated website funded by some high profile people--such as Bill Gates--who see innovative math education as somehow promising salvation.
 ::::It occurred to me a couple of days ago that declining math skills (and I'm not convinced this is really the case) is nowhere near our biggest problem.
 ::::It is a falling away from understanding the source of America's greatness.  If we could fix that, everything else would follow.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 * Today's youth is <u>8 or 9 generations</u> away from our country's beginnings and do not understand American exceptionalism--though this was likely true to some degree of every generation since the middle of the 19th century.
 ::When I was a kid, we could recite parts of The Declaration, but never thought about what it meant.  It was not something profound, it was homework.
-:::<u>Terri is a math teacher</u> at the high school.  There are a lot of people worried that one of our country's biggest problem is a falling away from math and a lot of work and thought is going into how to get kids to absorb math.  <u>Kahn Academy</u> is a celebrated website funded by some high profile people--more recently Bill Gates--who see innovative math education as somehow promising salvation.
+:::<u>Terri is a math teacher</u> at the high school.  There are a lot of people worried that one of our country's biggest problem is declining math skills and a lot of work and thought is going into how to get kids to absorb math.  <u>Kahn Academy</u> is a celebrated website funded by some high profile people--more recently Bill Gates--who see innovative math education as somehow promising salvation.
 ::::It occurred to me a couple of days ago that declining math skills (and I'm not convinced this is really the case) is nowhere near our biggest problem.
 ::::It is a falling away from understanding the source of America's greatness.  If we could fix that, everything else would follow.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Glenn and I would like to help shift our country's <u>political momentum</u>.
+Glenn and I wanted to help shift our country's <u>political momentum</u>.
 * We took an ineffectual stab at doing that in the 6 months leading up to the 2012 election
 * It was a website that Glenn still maintains.  Cogently written, but prior to the election we probably reached about 20 people.
@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 # <u>Political division</u> that has become more strident because it is being fed by people who profit by it.
 # <u>Americans are increasingly out of touch</u> with the reasons for our success as a nation and as the world's dominant economy.
-# Well intentioned (as well as cynical) <u>government policy</u> that has damaging unintended consequences.
+# Well intentioned (and sometimes cynical) <u>government policy</u> that has damaging unintended consequences.
-And these things feed our decline.
+But <u>you can't just start talking</u>.  You have to start by seeking understanding and be guided by that.
 * We are ''Coming Apart'' and few understand what is happening, why, or what to do about it.
 * Today's youth is <u>8 or 9 generations</u> away from our country's beginnings and do not understand American exceptionalism--though this was likely true to some degree of every generation since the middle of the 19th century.
 ::When I was a kid, we could recite parts of The Declaration, but never thought about what it meant.  It was not something profound, it was homework.
 * The <u>evolution of English liberty</u> and constitution and how it spun off the United States is not understood
 :::And that is a fascinating story.
@@ Line 23: / Line 26: @@
 ::::::We want to <u>build some political momentum</u> for the real meaning of liberalism.
 * We don't want to just lecture.
-:* And we're not smart enough or energetic enough to do it all ourselves anyway.
+:* Glenn and I aren't smart enough or energetic enough to do it ourselves.
 :* We needed a way that <u>others--anyone--can contribute</u> information and participate in the education and discussion.
-:*   We needed a concise Wikipedia for American civics.
+:*   We needed a concise Wikipedia for American civics and economic freedom.
-Before the 2012 election we had stood up a website to discuss issues.  It was cogent, but not effective.
+So we had the idea of putting together another website aimed more at addressing the things I just listed than in attacking specific issues--though it contains a forum for that as well.
 *The website purports to be <u>non partisan</u>--one of the rules being that advocacy for political parties or candidates is off limits.
 :* It does admit to a <u>dedication to liberty</u>, an admiration of the founding principles of the U.S., and promising to discuss what that means, etc.
@@ Line 34: / Line 36: @@
 A central part of this website is a <u>discussion of the Constitution</u>, and I set out to sit through the Hillsdale on-line lectures ''Constitution 101'' to get smart enough to write a series of articles.
 * Then it occurred to me . . . .
-:::::CW would be a long time in coming and somewhat narrow in its perspective.
+:::::If I try to write it all, CW will be a long time coming and somewhat narrow in its perspective.
-* and <u>we need help</u>--but not just any help.
+* <u>we need help</u>--but not just any help.
 ::* We need the help of people who have an understanding, an appreciation, and an enthusiasm for what we are trying to capture
 ::: and an ability to write about it.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Motivating factors:
+Glenn and I would like to help shift our country's <u>political momentum</u>.
-* There is a <u>political division</u> in America that has become more strident because it is being fed by people who profit by it.
+* We took an ineffectual stab at doing that in the 6 months leading up to the 2012 election
 * We are ''Coming Apart'' and few understand what is happening, why, or what to do about it.
 * Today's youth is <u>8 or 9 generations</u> away from our country's beginnings and do not understand American exceptionalism--though this was likely true to some degree of every generation since the middle of the 19th century.

← Older revision	Revision as of 20:48, 3 April 2016
(No difference)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Motivating factors:
-* There is a political division in America that has become more strident because it is being fed by people who profit by it.
+* There is a <u>political division</u> in America that has become more strident because it is being fed by people who profit by it.
 * We are ''Coming Apart'' and few understand what is happening, why, or what to do about it.
-* Today's youth is 8 or 9 generations away from our country's beginnings and do not understand American exceptionalism--though this was likely true to some degree of every generation since the middle of the 19th century.
+* Today's youth is <u>8 or 9 generations</u> away from our country's beginnings and do not understand American exceptionalism--though this was likely true to some degree of every generation since the middle of the 19th century.
 ::When I was a kid, we could recite parts of The Declaration, but never thought about what it meant.  It was not something profound, it was homework.
-* The evolution of English liberty and constitution and how it spun off the United States is not understood
+* The <u>evolution of English liberty</u> and constitution and how it spun off the United States is not understood
 :::And that is a fascinating story.
-* Rule of Law is not understood by many - including myself not so long ago.  This is the same as saying that our Constitution is not understood by many.
+* <u>Rule of Law</u> is not understood by many - including myself not so long ago.  This is the same as saying that our Constitution is not understood by many.
-* Democracy is not understood.
+* <u>Democracy is not understood</u>.
 :::France is a democracy.
 :::The United States is a constitutional republic with democratic input.
-* Economic freedom is neither understood nor appreciated.
+* <u>Economic freedom</u> is neither understood nor appreciated.
-* Capitalism is understood by very few--including economists.  (Likewise for socialism.)
+* <u>Capitalism</u> is understood by very few--including economists.  (Likewise for socialism.)
-* We want people in America to either remember or discover what made America exceptional--we want immigrants to have a better understanding of what made America the place they want to be.
+* We want people in America to either <u>remember or discover what made America exceptional</u>--we want immigrants to have a better understanding of what made America the place they want to be.
-* The spirit and appreciation of the ideas and history that can bring us back to a reverence for liberty has to be captured in a reasonably concise manner and in a form that does not require plowing through a library full of profound books.
+* The <u>spirit and appreciation</u> of the ideas and history that can bring us back to a reverence for liberty has to be captured in a reasonably concise manner and in a form that does not require plowing through a library full of profound books.
-:* We wanted a way to educate, inform, discuss these things and we thought that the web was the best way to reach a large audience.
+:* We wanted a way to <u>educate, inform, discuss</u> these things and we thought that the web was the best way to reach a large audience.
-::::::We want to build some political momentum for the real meaning of liberalism.
+::::::We want to <u>build some political momentum</u> for the real meaning of liberalism.
 * We don't want to just lecture.
 :* And we're not smart enough or energetic enough to do it all ourselves anyway.
-:* We needed a way that others--anyone--can contribute information and participate in the education and discussion.
+:* We needed a way that <u>others--anyone--can contribute</u> information and participate in the education and discussion.
 :*   We needed a concise Wikipedia for American civics.
 Before the 2012 election we had stood up a website to discuss issues.  It was cogent, but not effective.
 <br>We had the idea of putting together another website aimed more at addressing those things I just listed than in attacking specific issues--though it contains a forum for that as well.
-*The website purports to be non partisan--one of the rules being that advocacy for political parties or candidates is off limits.
+*The website purports to be <u>non partisan</u>--one of the rules being that advocacy for political parties or candidates is off limits.
-:* It does admit to a dedication to liberty, an admiration of the founding principles of the U.S., and promising to discuss what that means, etc.
+:* It does admit to a <u>dedication to liberty</u>, an admiration of the founding principles of the U.S., and promising to discuss what that means, etc.
-A central part of this website is a discussion of the Constitution, and I set out to sit through the Hillsdale on-line lectures ''Constitution 101'' to get smart enough to write a series of articles.
+A central part of this website is a <u>discussion of the Constitution</u>, and I set out to sit through the Hillsdale on-line lectures ''Constitution 101'' to get smart enough to write a series of articles.
 * Then it occurred to me . . . .
 :::::CW would be a long time in coming and somewhat narrow in its perspective.
-* and we need help--but not just any help.
+* and <u>we need help</u>--but not just any help.
 ::* We need the help of people who have an understanding, an appreciation, and an enthusiasm for what we are trying to capture
 ::: and an ability to write about it.