UNIT 6
What do you think are the
greatest challenges of
American citizenship
today?
– Why and how does
constitutional democracy in
the United States depend
on the active participation
of its citizens
– What are the advantages
and disadvantages, if any,
of being a citizen of both
the United States and the
state in which you reside?
United States Governments
1 national
50 state
89,476 local
http://www.census.gov/govs/www/index.html
Activity
• How many units of government are there
where you live?
• Which units of government affect you the
most on a daily basis?
• Which units of government do you care
about most? Why?
Washington
1 state
39 counties
281 cities
1229 special districts
Citizen responsibilities
• Vote intelligently
• “Participate”
• Serve
Challenges of voting intelligently
• Understanding “the
system”
• Information
• News
• Opinion
• Advertising
• Making time
National elections
• President
• Senators (2)
• House of Representatives (9)
State elections
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Governor
Lt. Governor
Legislature
Secretary of State
Attorney General
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Treasurer
Insurance Commissioner
Auditor
Commissioner of Public Lands
Judges (superior, district, municipal, pro tem & 29 appellate)
Initiatives, referenda, referrals
Local elections
•
•
•
•
•
Mayor
City Council/Commission
Municipal judge
County officials
Special districts
•
•
•
•
•
School
Library
Fire
Water/sewer
Etc.
Participation
• Federalist #10
• Fundamental
principles
• Enlightened selfinterest
Seeking non-governmental
solutions
• NGO’s
– Ringo (religious)
– Bingo (business)
– Ingo (international
http://library.duke.edu/research/subject/guides/ngo_guide/
Service
• Jury service
• Boards/Commissions
• Private
• Public
• Office holding
Dual American citizenship
Dilemmas
• Hard to understand
• Conflicting
loyalties/duties
Global responsibilities?
• Declaration of Independence
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Why bother?
Limited government assumes
citizen participation
“Ownership”
If we are not willing to rule in our turn, other men
(Hegel’s civil citizens, professional politicians and
professional revolutionaries, corporate bureaucrats, and
so on) will rule out of theirs. They will call us citizens,
but we will be something less. Perhaps I should say
they do call us citizens, but we are something less.
Michael Walzer - Obligations
An alternative view
We all must obey the
laws. Unless we care about
an issue or candidate, we
have no political obligations.
Voting and participation are
opportunities, not rights or
duties.
• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing
that ever has.
Margaret Mead
• Where. . . do universal human rights begin? In small
places, close to home - so close and so small that they
cannot be seen on any maps of the world. . . Such are
the places where every man, woman and child seeks
equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without
discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there,
they have little meaning anywhere.
Eleanor Roosevelt
• You could start by convincing a friend.
Aung San Suu Kyi