Letter to the Editor

What is the solution?

Dear Editor,

“Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.” O’Brien tells Winston in George Orwell’s “1984”   As America slowly slips into an Orwellian world where 2 plus 2 equals 5 many in the country like me are now numb to the mind-bending ignorance daily dosed out by pundits and politicians.  I watched a challenger to Liz Chaney’s Congressional seat at a recent debate aptly personify this point when she said America “is not democracy, it is a republic”—2 plus 2 equals 5. A “republic” is a form of government where power is held by the people and their elected (democracy) representatives, and which has an elected (democracy) president rather than a monarch. Where am I going with this? Thomas Jefferson envisioned our nation as a republic founded on an informed, educated electorate. It would seem that many in our nation would like to see a return to a Jeffersonian republic, without the “educated electorate.”  Thus, I am not optimistic about any short-term solution to this conundrum.  But as a former history and government teacher there is a long-term solution.  Make it a requirement for graduation in all public schools that all students pass a test reflecting their knowledge of our constitution and our government.  Then at least we would be adding back the “educated electorate” into the equation.  I leave it to others to figure out how to make our nation truly tolerant of all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. 

Gary Parker Schoales