Discussion 1: Democracy

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Discussion 1: Democracy

According to Somin (2013), democracy is a kind of governance that is supposed to be administered by, for, and on behalf of the people. However, humans need political knowledge to govern efficiently. Inadequate public understanding of government makes it hard to hold politicians responsible. Unfortunately, there is an alarming lack of political knowledge among the general population. This state of affairs has persisted despite increased access to information and higher educational levels. Rational behavior is the leading cause of this problem, and such persistent and extensive political ignorance and foolishness reinforces the case for decentralizing and reducing government power. There is a high level of political illiteracy in America, resulting in the current government shutdown.

The general lack of political awareness among Americans has been caused by the general public’s lack of interest in politics. For example, despite Obama Care being at the center of this fight and other numerous political controversies, nearly half of the American population is unaware of whether the Obama care is still in place or not. Also, according to Somin (2013), a recent poll by Kaiser found that 80 % of the American population has heard little or nothing concerning the contentious insurance exchanges, which are the central part of the legislation. The debate surrounding the shutdown is the most recent example of a much older political struggle regarding federal spending. However, most citizens know nothing about the actual allocation of federal funds.

Political ignorance among Americans is not a recent development, and education is the most apparent solution to the problem of political illiteracy. Unfortunately, despite the increased educational attainment among Americans and access to info through cable news, the internet, and other contemporary technologies, political literacy remains low. In the United States, democracy has still survived despite low levels of political literacy among its citizens. Because American citizens are allowed to elect their government officials, the US remains a representative democracy. The elected officials by the citizens represent the peoples’ concerns and ideas in the government (Neblo et al. 2018).

References

Neblo, M. A., Esterling, K. M., & Lazer, D. M. (2018). Politics with the people: Building a directly representative democracy (Vol. 555). Cambridge University Press.

Somin, I. (2013). Democracy and Political Ignorance. Cato Unbound. Retrieved 30 August 2022, from https://www.cato-unbound.org/2013/10/11/ilya-somin/democracy-political-ignorance/.