On Civic Virtue

12/29/19 • 22 min

We explore the importance of civic virtue, public virtue, to our founders when they created our republic. Then the comments of other luminaries on virtue, government and citizenship. Finally, we ask how our state of the nation has preserved, or abandoned, those original intentions for civic virtue to have a key influence on our republic

Previous Episode

The Secret of Freedom is Courage

The founders of our country are much in the news of late. Even the Federalist Papers are getting lots of air time. Let's remind ourselves that our founders tried to solve the challenge and threat of faction by encouraging a diversity of interests and views in our republic. But gerrymandered safe districts run entirely counter to the intent and design of Hamilton, Madison and the other members of our founding generation. We need to face this problem using their wisdom, consult their reasoning, and take a hard look at the risks if we don't take care of the threat of gerrymandering.

Next Episode

The Case Against Citizens United

Using the principles that informed and directed the founding generation, we analyze the Citizens United ruling that led to far more corporate money in campaigns. By applying the Madison's concerns about factions, the principles of the Declaration of Independence, and the conflicts inherent in corporate structure, the case against the Supreme Court's decision is convincing.