The Internet across the world

Recently, H.R.2271 was considered before Congress. This bill will promote freedom on the internet by first encouraging businesses not to cooperate with foreign governments to enact censorship on the internet. Another provision of the bill is that it asks the President of the United States to seek agreements with other countries to safeguard internet freedom.

This bill is well advised because it will do much to promote the free expression of ideas. The internet is the medium used by Politivote to accomplish our goal of simplifying democracy and making it more accessible to every citizen in this nation. Our democracy was founded on the principles of self-government. In order to have self-government, it is essential to have freedom of speech. Without this crucial freedom, self-government is dead. Of all the mediums used in this society, the internet does the most to promote free speech. The reason is that anyone can put anything on the internet. Unlike TV and radio, you don’t have to get your own show. There is no one to screen ideas or sensor them. Anything can be put on the net where it can be read by the general public and we can decide for ourselves whether or not we want to accept it as fact. This gives us as consumers of information the opportunity and responsibility to exercise our judgment in what information we choose to consume. No one will screen it for us. In using the internet, we have the sole responsibility to make sure that which we consume will benefit us. This is the main reason that I support this bill. The bill promotes an environment in which the citizen has a wealth of information available to them, and the citizen decides on the information he or she will use or discard. The freedom of access to ideas and information is the essence of self-government.

This action by President Obama in my view, promotes democracy because it encourages the inclusion of a group of people who have historically not been able to participate in society.  In order for a person to truly take advantage of a democracy, they must feel included.  In his proclamation, President Obama calls on American Citizens to celebrate the contribution of persons with disabilities.  In reading Obama’s challenge to the nation, it occurs to me this concept can be expanded and applied to all citizens of this country.  We should celebrate           each other’s contributions to a society by truly valuing each other’s ideas and looking for and promoting one another’s strengths.

Our democracy should be one in which everyone’s voice is heard and every citizen feels they have a part to play.  Our democracy cannot guarantee that everyone’s views will become law, but it can insure that everyone has a voice.

The politivote site has instruments to make sure that views can be expressed.  The site provides places to submit comments on bills being proposed and debated.  We do not sensor or suppress comments submitted to the site whether they emanate from the political right or left.  Also, if anyone disagrees with this or any other article submitted to the blog, I gladly welcome the criticism.  It may give me a chance to learn something and refine my thinking on a particular subject.  The promotion of an inclusive environment in which diverse ideas are allowed to be part of the debate is one of the strengths of politivote.

Source:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/…/Presidential-Proclamation-National-Disabil

I regret that this was not written a week ago on the actual day, but the knowledge of this day causes me to reflect on the significance of the constitution particularly in today’s heated political climate.

How well do we as Americans know the Constitution?  If you stop to think about it, this document impacts us on a daily basis as citizens from the freedom of speech to the right against illegal search and seizure to the right to vote.  At politivote, we advocate becoming politically active and participating in this democracy.  If we are ever to reach that goal, a thorough knowledge of this great document is imperative.  How can we participate in a government if we as a citizenry are ignorant of the rules by which it operates?

If the average citizen should be familiar with the constitution, how much more important is it for our elected officials to know the constitution?  I remember watching Obama’s ascent into the office of president, and hearing about intelligence briefs he was already receiving.  There is doubtless much the in coming president needs to know about current national affairs in order to govern effectively.  Each in coming president ought to make it a high priority to know each and every article and amendment of the constitution.  Sense the president has probably held prior political office, they should already have this knowledge as a senator or governor or any other post of leadership in this country.  If we as a citizenry take the time to become familiar with and moreover, appreciate this document, we will be better able to participate in our government and our leaders will be able to govern more effectively.