Patricia A. O'Malley
Social Policy & Programs Consulting
Training and Services for agencies working toward social and economic justice
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FEATURED ARTICLE
The same old issues keep re-appearing on our political landscape.
This is an update on a recurring issue.
Defective Teaching Methods Produce American Political Ignorance
What’s wrong with our civics education and how to fix it.
Civics courses are supposed to teach how our government works in real life. Americans' anger at government has been growing for 30 years. We've seen griping, grumbling, ranting, and raving about government's size and its role in our lives. False information causes much of the noise. Civil, healthy debate is valuable, but it's impossible when the participants are uneducated.
I've been writing Community Matters since 2008.
Here are my most recent articles.
It's a guaranteed disaster.
During a Sixty Minutes interview on January 27, Howard Schultz said that he’s considering running for president as a “centrist Democrat” in 2020. Public reaction was swift, loud, critical, and nearly unanimous. But mostly for the wrong reasons.
What is C-SPAN and Where Did It Come From?
Watch Your Government in Action on Real Reality TV
Since 2008, public interest in elections and government have increased dramatically. People of all ages, incomes, and political views follow news coverage of the campaigns, White House, and Congressional events. Several television channels cover all of those topics.
Government Must Regulate Business
Thank Alan Greenspan
for the mess we’re in.
Regulation is the biggest distinction between Democrats and Republicans. How much regulatory power does the government have? How much power should it have? Why do we need regulations at all?
Political Ignorance Breeds Political Impotence.
These essays do what our schools fail to do.
They teach civics properly.
It's not your boring high school civics class.
Pat uses current events and the U.S. Constitution to explain what's happening, and why.
With these tools, you can better understand current events,
be an informed voter, and influence your government officials.
You can help make the world be what you want it to be.
America will work for you
when you know how to make it work.
American politics are in turmoil because most Americans don't understand how their government works.
Those who understand how government
works know how to influence it.
Through Community Matters, I use the U.S. Constitution and current events to teach American government – civics.
I don't report the news. I explain it.
Patricia A. O'Malley
Social Policy & Programs Consulting ~ Community Matters
P.O. Box 97803 ~ Pittsburgh, PA 15227 ~ 412-310-4886 ~ info@patomalley-consulting.com
Copyright Patricia A. O'Malley ~ All rights reserved
Established 1993
Civics is
the study
of the structure and function
of government,
and the rights and duties
of citizens.
- It looks at the ways that our governments are organized, how they're supposed to work, and how they really do work.
- Civics is an essential, but neglected, area of our education.
- The government operates by a set of rules.
- We have the right and responsibility to participate in our government.
- However, we can't participate fully if we don't know those rules.