“Chapters in every
community, committees to study and present in simple terms the laws under
consideration, including court decisions, and examine the candidacy and fitness
of all aspirants for public office to make sure they would advocate and protect
the fundamental principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It overcomes party politics, special
interests, and educates voters.”
George
Washington
“Citizenship is the American Ideal. There are an army of actualities opposed to
that ideal, but there are no ideals opposed to that ideal?”
G.
K. Chesterton
Well here you are. I have
to assume that those who have read this far are interested in making this
happen. Making the USA a nation that
really is of, by, and for the people. To
do this you must remember that you are the boss. Therefore you have to set the example. The nation will do as the boss does. A republic is its citizens. You the citizens are the republic. As Cicero said way back in 61 BC, “within the
character of the citizens lies the welfare of the republic”.
So let’s review the bidding to see exactly what it is you have
to do and then suggest a way to do it. A
way based on the principles laid down here.
A way that will accomplish our stated purpose of a truly people centered
nation. A way where a nation of
grown-ups, who can govern themselves rationally and responsibly, lead the way
to a new world. A world where might does
not make right - a world where right makes right. And that right is decided by the people
themselves through a process of reason and reflection.
To do this you must keep the basics in mind. Let’s go over them again. Remember the basic job description of
American Citizen:
1. Participate in your
local government as a partner, not a cynic.
2. Participate regularly,
rationally and responsibly.
3. Elect good
representatives and test them at the local level. Then re-elect the good ones to higher office
and monitor their progress to see that they are up to the higher-level job
and/or are not getting the “big head”.
To do this you have to learn three skills:
1. Learn how to gather
information.
2. Learn how to talk to
one another to decide what to do for the good of all.
3. Learn how to recognize
the power problem and deal with it.
And remember the purpose for doing it – running your community
for all its people, not the favored few, and not for selfish reasons. That is the only way democracy can survive in
the long run. If you leave it to the
well-meaning “activists” or the selfish power seekers it will not last long.
Plus let’s remember what happens if you do not do this. Remember Caesar, remember Rome, remember the
power problem, remember that if you don’t do your job other’s will – for their
own good, not yours! If you have
forgotten this point, or don’t get it, please re-read the book as it is very
important. If you don’t really realize
the consequences of not doing your job as citizen, you will never get to
it. It will never be important enough to
outweigh the day-to-day realities you all face.
OK so you get it. But
how do you get there? Where do you get
the time? What can one person do? That’s the story I have heard from everywhere
and everybody for 15 years now. And you
know what, you’re right! One person can
do very little to change their town and no one has enough time for this stuff
and to do it right.
So the suggestion is, do it as a group. This way you will have influence. This way you will have time.
Politicians, particularly local ones, have lives to lead
too. They have the same day-to-day
realities that you do. They want to do
their jobs well too. They can’t spend
their time listening to one person after another, each with a separate
purpose. To do their jobs well they need
to hear from people who have already talked to their neighbors about the community
problems and come up with solutions that all can live with. That way they can get going on solving
them. In fact they will be very happy if
you do this. Then they don’t have to
keep trying to be King Solomon and be themselves. It helps them a lot. As one police chief told me, “No community
has enough policeman in this country.
The people are the ones who are responsible for their own safety and we
are only here to help. If the people
don’t help we will have to build a police state to control things.” The same goes for your highway departments,
your city/town planners, your fire departments, etc. Think how much better your community could
run if you worked out the basic problems yourselves and suggested solutions to
your representatives - and how much cheaper too? Your governments will listen gladly to group
solutions. It is much better than
listening to individual gripes.
You solve the time thing this way too. There is lots of information out there in
your community. There is a lot going on. The problem with your government,
particularly at the local level, is that there is too much information, not too
little. That is because your
Constitution and Declaration demand that all normal government business be
public knowledge. It is inherent in our
system from the ground up since the beginning.
But how do you get to know all this stuff and decide what information to
act on? The fact is, as an individual,
it is impossible. But as a group it can
be done. You split up the work so all
get a share of it they can deal with and then share notes at your
meetings. If there is more than one
group in town, it gets even easier.
Here is a suggested way to give you an idea. You can follow this or figure out a better
way if you like. This method, however,
has been tried and tested for 15 years and works well. I suggest you try it for 2 years and see what
happens to both your community and yourselves.
It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort.
I used to say that if you give me $10 and 10 hours a year I will give
you your community back. The price has
gone up slightly due to inflation but the time is still valid. You can give it more time if you want and you
will be even more effective, but this minimum will do it. It is not a constant either. You probably will meet more often around an
election and probably will take the summer off.
It is not that difficult. You
just have to DO it.
Here is a short version of the process for you to try:
FORMING THE YOU THE PEOPLE GROUPS
1. Each Group should have
between 5 and 13 people.
2. There can be as many
groups as you wish.
3. Each group should be
pre-picked by diversity of thought as much as possible. Put one extrovert and
introvert, leader and follower, adventurer and planner, relater and visionary, etc.
into each group. They should NOT be
focus groups or partisan groups of any kind.
That just multiplies our problems.
Remember they are designed to help you think for yourselves and help run
your community/town/city - not to slavishly repeat mantras from above to bring
about a selfish, unthinking, feel-good idea.
If you do not bring out all sides of the question you will not get a
complete answer. If you are not having
any problems with the other group members and/or you all agree every time that
you are super at cooperation and respect, you are probably doing something
wrong.
4. Once picked, the
groups should remain together for as long as possible. If one leaves for whatever reason, find
someone else. If you get really popular,
split into two groups once you get to 14 or more members.
ABBREVIATED YOU THE PEOPLE MEETING FORMAT FOR EACH SESSION
1. Start with a prayer
2. Administrative Announcements
3. Remind everyone of the 7 Citizenship Skills (Cooperation,
Patience, Fairness, Respect, Strength, Self-Improvement, and Balance) and that
their group conduct and their decisions must follow and demonstrate these
skills. Then discuss the citizenship
skill assignment. (Each meeting there
should be a focus on one of the citizenship skills. A little homework assignment should be
decided upon at the previous meeting and the discussion should focus on how
everyone fared on the homework.)
4. Discuss your local
information assignments. Individuals who
volunteered to go to the City/Town Council/School Board or who researched a
particular issue of interest to the group should give their reports. Then a normal discussion and vote on what to
do next with each item of business.
5. Evaluate the
process. Remember the process is as
important as the end result. If you fail
as a group you no longer have any power.
Be honest about how you are doing as a group and make adjustments as
necessary.
6. Pick a new leader for
the next session. The group leadership
must rotate. No one should get too much
power; remember the Constitution. Plus
it teaches those who normally follow some of the difficulties of leading.
ABBREVIATED GROUND RULES
Ground Rule 1: Each group meeting should start and end on
time. If necessary, you may want to
limit comments to no more than 2 minutes.
Ground Rule 2: A group leader will run each group meeting. This job will rotate among group members each
meeting. The group leader will be
responsible for facilitating the group discussion, making sure everyone follows
the ground rules, and the group stays on track and on time. He/she may assign someone else in the group
to monitor the time during the meeting and someone else to serve as
recorder. These duties may rotate if
desired, but the leader will change each meeting.
Ground Rule 3: Each group member should be conscious of using
the seven citizenship skills and following the ground rules during all Citizen
Action Group meetings.
Ground Rule 4: These groups are not meant to be therapy groups.
Personal topics should be left out of group discussions.
Ground Rule 5: If a group
member gets angry or emotional, he or she may be asked to leave the group for
five to fifteen minutes to cool-off (the timing is up to the group leader), but
he or she must agree to return to the group after the cooling-off period.
Ground Rule 6: Each group member will be allowed time to speak
if he/she desires. The group leader will also make sure that each member has
voiced his or her views and participated in the process. An issue cannot be decided
upon unless everyone in the group has spoken, or has openly chosen not to
speak.
The citizenship skills referred to above are really
important. They were installed to keep
the meetings civil so things can get done.
They are better that straight Robert’s Rules of Order since they do not
shut out emotion. They allow it, but
control it. Emotion is real and must be
dealt with if you are to have group decisions that last and stick, but in the
end reason and reflection must rule the day.
These skills are one of the many norms of these groups that make this
happen.
Here they are, spelled out:
THE SEVEN CITIZENSHIP SKILLS
Skill 1: Cooperation - We the People, not we the persons
When making decisions let others help.
Skill 2: Patience - A more perfect union
Try to make decisions that are doable, not perfect.
Skill 3: Fairness - Common good vs. individual rights
Remember we’re trying to run a civilization here.
Skill 4: Respect - Listen to your fellow rulers
Everyone has a piece of the truth within them, listen for it.
Skill 5: Strength - Stand up when right, sit down when wrong
Are you one of those “often wrong, but never in doubt” or no
opinion people?
Skill 6: Self-Improvement - Seek knowledge and skills
Make sure you have all the right facts to make the decision.
Skill 7: Balance - Harmonize or compromise
Look at all sides of every issue, no matter what you feel.
Why only these seven you say – good question? These skills are certainly not the only ones
you can use to conduct your business well.
They are however the base ones, without which you can’t conduct your
business well.
If you want to see the expanded full version of this process,
now or after you try the short version, please call 1-800-833-5310 or go to www.youthepeople.com
or email us at info@youthepeople.com . It is far more effective and gives much more
information and guidance than this book.
Well there you have it, simple, easy, and fun - just like having
your own car, your own apartment, etc. when you left home. It is great once you get over the first
hurdle – the fear of doing it. It is
hard at first because it is new. You
will make some silly mistakes. You will
learn a lot. And in the end you will be
much better off because what you do will be for you.
Lastly please again remember what happens if you do not do
it. This nation fails. Humanity returns to its deadly past with
decisions made by accident and force. Your successors will no longer answer to
God, but to some human. Your children
and grandchildren will answer to some slave driver because they will mostly be
slaves. They may call it something nicer
in the future but the reality will be the same.
It has been a miserable existence for humanity as any study of history
will show. The Founders referred to life
in their day as rude, brutish, and short.
Is that how you want life for your great grandchildren? If you and I are to ever solve the great
problems that face us as a race, we have to let our ability to solve our
problems grow as fast as our ability to create them. If you and I do not learn to ourselves grow
up as fast as our technologies we will just destroy ourselves more efficiently.
It might even be worse than that, believe it or not. Whatever you think of the global warming
scare, it shows how fragile life is here on earth. This is a lonely planet in a very hostile
space that could wipe out human existence completely in hours. It will some day if people don’t get smart
and learn to work together. If people
work together this great new technology being developed could save this world,
perhaps. If people don’t work at getting
better and getting along, the technology will be used to destroy the
civilization if not the world. The
humanities studies and progress must improve along with the technology if it is
to be of benefit.
So your job as citizen is even more important than just creating
a better community. It can eventually
create a survivable better world. Please
do it. Please don’t let the world go
back to the old way. Thousands of people
have suffered and died to get humanity this opportunity – an opportunity to
break the cycle of violence and death that has wracked this world for so many
centuries.
As I said before, the Founders trusted your capacity for
greatness. You will tell history whether
they were right or wrong. Please get it
right. Look up not down. Go forward not back. You, yes YOU – it is up to each of you.
May God bless your wonderful new way of life.
IF YOU WANT TO EXPLORE THE IDEA OF FORMING SOME “YOU THE PEOPLE”
GROUPS IN YOUR AREA, PLEASE WRITE TO THE SAME ADDRESS OR EMAIL US AT INFO@YOUTHEPEOPLE.COM .
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN OUR GREAT EXPERIMENTAL
NATION! YOU ARE THE KEY TO ITS
SUCCESS!! ONLY YOU CAN MAKE IT GREAT!!!
“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is a force;
like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearsome master. Never for a
moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
George Washington
