Evaluative Argument Civic Participation a Democracy Is Essay

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Evaluative Argument

Civic Participation

A democracy is as only good as its civic participation. People have to turn out to vote and voice their opinions for there to be balance in the democratic system. However, in the modern democratic systems, there are many voter groups that do not seem to appreciate their opportunities as democratic citizens and actually show up to vote. There are many reasons that could be responsible for this trend and the reasons can vary from group to group. For example, college aged students may have different reasons for not voting than different minority groups. However, when these groups do actually turn out to vote, they can have a big impact on the political system. This analysis will look at some of the reasons that various groups do not engage in civic participation and the implications for society that this has. It will also make some predictions about the future of the political system in regards to future civic participation.

The power that college aged voters can have on an election is undeniable; especially since the data collected about Barrack Obama's election. In the 2012 state of the Union Address, President Obama spoke of education as a national mission; the president believes we are at a "make-or-break moment" for the middle class (Kanter, 2012). This middle class currently faces challenges from nearly every angle. Unemployment is at historical highs. The price of living has risen sharply including education and healthcare.

The challenges that the middle class faces also offers opportunities for a new level of civic engagement and civic learning. There was what is referred to as a "civic recession" in which the public has become disenfranchised with the entire political system. The education system is one avenue to reverse this trend because education is relevant to almost everyone and it is also vital to the middle class. This has led to what has been referred to as a civic call to action.

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President Obama has challenged us to reclaim the world's highest proportion of college graduates by 2020; Obama calls this the drive to "win the future" (Kanter, 2012). There is a nine step approach outlined by which the education system is proposed to go through a series of reforms to make it more affordable and effective.

However, to make sustainable gains for the middle class, there has to be an escalation in civic participation. Citizen participation is at the heart of a functioning democracy (Verba, Schlozman, & Brady, 1197). There had been a long standing trend of civic disengagement that lasted nearly a century as the voter level has reached its lowest point since 1924 of forty-nine percent participation. There are a number of reasons that voters can feel disenfranchised with the system and give up their civic rights and responsibilities. One reason is simply that individuals feel powerless. In today's democracy, there is a strong sense that money is an important factor in elections. Billionaires are dumping huge amounts of funding in specific elections to influence there outcomes. This can make the average voter feel like their individual vote is virtually worthless and that there power in the election is minimal. However, this is only one issue in the modern democratic system.

Yet the inequalities in education continue to be one rallying point for various groups. Different states have also taken much different approaches to how the choose to deal, or not deal, with education of their populations.

Just like the various views on what constitutes freedom of speech, every state has taken a different approach to dealing -- or not dealing -- with civic education. "The real problem lies in the inequities at wealthy schools vs. lower income, Title 1 schools," says Peter Levine, Director of Research at CIRCLE, who has written a variety of books including: Reforming The Humanities and Engaging Young People in Civic Life (Reiss, 2012).

Many educational programs fail.....

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