To the editor,

I wholeheartedly agree with and support requiring civics education for graduation from high school in Wisconsin (per Oct. 11 Viewpoint article). That being said, I think it is wishful thinking to hold that the sole cure for the lack of civic participation in voting, running for office, and increasing/maintaining support for our representative democracy form of government in the U.S.

Exercising the rights of citizenship vis-à-vis participatory government (of, by and for the people) requires a commitment of vigilance to stay informed (one class doesn’t cut it when laws change over time). Learning how to think logically is also critical. One should not be led by mere emotion, nor assume accusations or assertions are true without the concrete evidence presented to back them up. Candidates and office holders who act like schoolyard bullies (calling people names, smearing people’s reputations, encouraging followers to harass opponents, fomenting revolt) and who would make your great-grandmother blush with the foul language they use in public aren’t fit to be elected to anything no matter whatever good they may have done. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if we demonize those with whom we disagree, we can neither learn from them nor persuade them of anything. Learning the fine points of elections is critical. If only the hard-core political partisans, civics nerds, and people with big money riding on the outcome participate in the primaries, this sets up general elections with candidate matchups from the extremes of both major parties that most people don’t want.

Then there are those who have lived awhile and the temptation to cynicism. If we find ourselves cynical about politicians who say whatever it takes to get elected (and don’t keep their promises) or that all are crooked to one degree or another; or about government that seems broken and cannot be fixed and thus we drop out of civic participation – it is critical to know, that is what the wealthy and powerful  want us to believe (so they can keep getting federal and state budgets and laws written to favor their interests). Remember the kid’s movie “A Bug’s Life” Not until the multitude of ants learned to stand up to the small number of grasshoppers did the ants find their freedom and live their best lives.

These same powers that be count on us to throw up our hands in disgust and give up in the face of things like confusing/complicated voter registration rules, filibusters, gerrymandering, senatorial holds, dark money, burying legislative bills in committee, mountains of misinformation on social media (not limited to just one political persuasion or party), and on, and on. As a college graduate with a major in political science, I cannot stress enough that voters need to learn what these things are and make demands of those in office, letting their elected officials know what they want, and that they vote. Civic participation cannot begin and end for voters at election time, or that is a signal to office holders that we want them to take us for granted.

Steven L. (Steve) Carlson

Plum City