Democracy Is Hard Work

James George

Political Science

21 May 2024

Democracy Is Hard Work

Demanding Citizens Becoming Forever Students

Seventy-six years later, I understood that living in a democracy, reaping the rewards from a free society, deserved more vigilance, attention, and engagement than I allowed. My passion for the American Political System began while taking political science classes at The Ohio State University.  While my intended major was something else that had yet to coalesce, becoming a political scientist or historian didn't seem right because my father and family were working people, mostly in manufacturing industries. I didn’t see how I could earn a living doing that. I bounced around between engineering and business at a time when information science was born. Not by chance, I followed opportunities where I could apply my abilities to chase the elusive American dream. The foundation is knowing that one must be self-sustainable, and if you intend to have a family, the work and demands multiply exponentially. Why exponentially? Responsibilities multiply, and the more dependents you have, the greater the personal burden—more work and more revenue are required.

Therein, I came to understand economics, which I also studied. I observed that many people, if not most, dive into life and try to make the most of it. Professionals are guided by stronger rules, whereas working stiffs (like me) have to scrap for what comes our way. Smarter people have a better chance to control their destiny. Others are left to luck and inherent traits that help them add value. People are born with inalienable rights, however, they are not born with an equal start economically.

Fairness begins when society helps everyone achieve their best based on their ability and desire to optimize their return on that. No one should be left behind as long as they try to do their best. When some people fail for whatever reason, it is right and just to help them improve.

When people break laws and regulations and impart harm to others, they must be punished. The first line in punishment is the loss of freedom and the imposition of control. The highest value in a democratic society, such as the American democracy, begins with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The US Constitution and Bill of Rights are the American standard for accomplishing that, as is the rule of law.

At the close of my career, consulting the US Departments of Defence and Health and Human Services, I decided to document what I learned. My first book was Smart Data, Enterprise Performance Optimisation Strategy, (c) 2010 Wiley & Sons. In that academic book, used in Systems Engineering at George Mason University, I describe an advanced concept and demonstrate how to apply it throughout government and public enterprise.

Next, I turned to a topic that needed the most practical attention, How To Select an American President (c) 2017, Archway Publishing. I reviewed the history of American Political Parties. I recreated the resumes of all our Presidents to understand what to look for. Using techniques from “Smart Data,” I created a job model for the President of the United States (followed by job models for Congressional representatives and Senators.)

I developed a scoring mechanism for evaluating resumes and demonstrated how to use it. I invited readers to score resumes themselves. 

Next, I wrote Regenerating America with Sustainable Economics (c)2017 Archway Publishing. I sought to make sustainable economics practical and understandable. 

I am sharing what I learned to help citizens grow their knowledge. Silly me. Americans don’t read. Americans don’t study. Americans fail the course of being responsible citizens in a democracy. Their direction and failing allegiance undermine the gift of being born in a democracy.

What do we do when Americans fail, and their ignorance is compounded? That is the question.