Arizona Civics Test

[Dbqgolfer]

I mean this is already a big part of pretty much every history/government required curriculum ever

It should be. I don't know if it is or not. There's got to be some reason only 5% of Arizona and Oklahoma high school students could pass it.

[strigori]

 

I mean this is already a big part of pretty much every history/government required curriculum ever

It should be. I don't know if it is or not. There's got to be some reason only 5% of Arizona and Oklahoma high school students could pass it.

 

It was a part of the American Government class that was required when I went to school in Nebraska. I would say it is an indictment of the schools of those states. Though neither of those surprise me, Arizona has too many old people who don't want their tax money going to schools as they don't have school age kids, and Oklahoma tends to be rather backwards to begin with, almost as bad as Kansas.

[HUSKER 37]

So why do some of you think having a better voter turnout will enhance any of our choices?

[HUSKER 37]

If we really must add yet another test to the gauntlet through which seniors must run to get their diploma, how about one that actually stimulates thought rather than rote memorization?

 

 

"Ever since that "No Child Left Behind" initiative, Teachers have been pressured to teach students to pass a test, rather than an understanding of the subject"- Buckeye37 (my Ex, who won some sort of Teacher of the year in Arizona a couple of years ago)..

[knapplc]

So why do some of you think having a better voter turnout will enhance any of our choices?

As a very simple matter, the fewer people who actually vote, the easier it is for a candidate to get elected. It's easier to convince six out of eleven people to vote for you - and far less expensive - than it is to convince 501 out of 1,000. So the harder it is for these candidates to get elected, the better.

 

As Dbqgolfer accurately pointed out, it is not simply "being a voter" that makes things better, but being an informed voter. I get it - this is terrifying and challenging for some people. But it is utterly necessary for this country to get back on its feet, to stop the madness of this current trend of garbage government. The more informed voters we have, the less likely it is that sh#t candidates make it past the primaries.

 

It goes far deeper than that. But the simple answer is, people need to demand better. We have the mess we have now because people do not vote, and when they do they don't know what they're doing.

 

Educate yourself, educate your children, and vote EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

 

It is not difficult. They make you think that because they don't want you to vote.

[Dbqgolfer]

So why do some of you think having a better voter turnout will enhance any of our choices?

To me, only better informed voter turnout will. And having a basic understanding of how our government works will help with the better informed part.

[Dbqgolfer]

 

So why do some of you think having a better voter turnout will enhance any of our choices?

To me, only better informed voter turnout will. And having a basic understanding of how our government works will help with the better informed part.

 

oops. posted this before I read knapps response

[HUSKER 37]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/laurieroberts/2015/01/15/legislature-civics-test-graduation-requirement-ducey/21812599/

Legislature OKs civics test, public education is saved

 

 

Instead of asking why there are 50 stars on an American flag, how about asking:

What protections are given us under the Fourth Amendment?

Does the concept of a First Amendment zone violate the First Amendment?

Why aren't judges elected?

Why is it important to vote?

What is a good citizen?

Instead we will ask:

In what month do we vote for president?

What is the capital of your state?

Who was the first president?

[HUSKER 37]

 

So why do some of you think having a better voter turnout will enhance any of our choices?

As a very simple matter, the fewer people who actually vote, the easier it is for a candidate to get elected. It's easier to convince six out of eleven people to vote for you - and far less expensive - than it is to convince 501 out of 1,000. So the harder it is for these candidates to get elected, the better.

 

As Dbqgolfer accurately pointed out, it is not simply "being a voter" that makes things better, but being an informed voter. I get it - this is terrifying and challenging for some people. But it is utterly necessary for this country to get back on its feet, to stop the madness of this current trend of garbage government. The more informed voters we have, the less likely it is that sh#t candidates make it past the primaries.

 

It goes far deeper than that. But the simple answer is, people need to demand better. We have the mess we have now because people do not vote, and when they do they don't know what they're doing.

 

Educate yourself, educate your children, and vote EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

 

It is not difficult. They make you think that because they don't want you to vote.

 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say..Is...Having more or even better informed voters will have very little effect if your choices (Even in the primaries) all pretty much suck and/or are controlled by the same special interests groups..And I'd imagine the nice folks seeking office have all had those Civics or History or Government courses so there's not much improvement to be gained there.

 

I usually only vote now if there's an issue I really care about...I feel like any candidate I actually know anything about just makes me feel dirty for voting..I can't remember the last time I actually voted FOR someone and not just AGAINST someone else..

[Dbqgolfer]

 

 

So why do some of you think having a better voter turnout will enhance any of our choices?

As a very simple matter, the fewer people who actually vote, the easier it is for a candidate to get elected. It's easier to convince six out of eleven people to vote for you - and far less expensive - than it is to convince 501 out of 1,000. So the harder it is for these candidates to get elected, the better.

 

As Dbqgolfer accurately pointed out, it is not simply "being a voter" that makes things better, but being an informed voter. I get it - this is terrifying and challenging for some people. But it is utterly necessary for this country to get back on its feet, to stop the madness of this current trend of garbage government. The more informed voters we have, the less likely it is that sh#t candidates make it past the primaries.

 

It goes far deeper than that. But the simple answer is, people need to demand better. We have the mess we have now because people do not vote, and when they do they don't know what they're doing.

 

Educate yourself, educate your children, and vote EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

 

It is not difficult. They make you think that because they don't want you to vote.

 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say..Is...Having more or even better informed voters will have very little effect if your choices (Even in the primaries) all pretty much suck and/or are controlled by the same special interests groups..And I'd imagine the nice folks seeking office have all had those Civics or History or Government courses so there's not much improvement to be gained there.

 

I understand the cynicism, but I just have to believe that a better informed and involved citizenry leads to a better government.

[HUSKER 37]

 

 

 

So why do some of you think having a better voter turnout will enhance any of our choices?

As a very simple matter, the fewer people who actually vote, the easier it is for a candidate to get elected. It's easier to convince six out of eleven people to vote for you - and far less expensive - than it is to convince 501 out of 1,000. So the harder it is for these candidates to get elected, the better.

 

As Dbqgolfer accurately pointed out, it is not simply "being a voter" that makes things better, but being an informed voter. I get it - this is terrifying and challenging for some people. But it is utterly necessary for this country to get back on its feet, to stop the madness of this current trend of garbage government. The more informed voters we have, the less likely it is that sh#t candidates make it past the primaries.

 

It goes far deeper than that. But the simple answer is, people need to demand better. We have the mess we have now because people do not vote, and when they do they don't know what they're doing.

 

Educate yourself, educate your children, and vote EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

 

It is not difficult. They make you think that because they don't want you to vote.

 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say..Is...Having more or even better informed voters will have very little effect if your choices (Even in the primaries) all pretty much suck and/or are controlled by the same special interests groups..And I'd imagine the nice folks seeking office have all had those Civics or History or Government courses so there's not much improvement to be gained there.

 

I understand the cynicism, but I just have to believe that a better informed and involved citizenry leads to a better government.

 

 

I'd hope that would be true, too...But I also wonder if that's like a rape victim being better off if he or she knew who was doing the attack..Justice might be more likely served, but the tragedy still occurs.

 

I'm sorry if I came across as trivializing anyone's favourite school subject or especially something you may be teaching, I've always had difficulty memorizing facts and ended up hating tests that I couldn't break down to simple logic. As I get older, History and even Government are starting to get more interesting to me...I still don't care much about names or dates, but the interaction of people and how they try to control others and their environment is important...We might still be destined to repeat our History, but understanding the sequence of events would be advantageous to those that study it.

[knapplc]

All the excuses do is make a person feel better for not voting. If you aren't going to inform yourself and you aren't going to vote, fine, own your crap and be done with it. Admit you're cool with being a sheep and just do what you're told. Buy the products they tell you to buy, pay your taxes, don't ask questions and be a good sheep.

[LumberJackSker]

I get that civics isn't as important as math and science. But as a people who has the right to vote you need to know how your government works. Especially in a democracy knowing the basics of gov't is as important as basic math and science skills. In a representative gov't the government will reflect the populous that elects it. If you have people that don't know the purpose or function of what they are voting for you get a congress with an 11% approval rating.

[HUSKER 37]

All the excuses do is make a person feel better for not voting. If you aren't going to inform yourself and you aren't going to vote, fine, own your crap and be done with it. Admit you're cool with being a sheep and just do what you're told. Buy the products they tell you to buy, pay your taxes, don't ask questions and be a good sheep.

So you're saying you feel better about yourself only if you vote?

 

I usually feel sort of gullible and like a sheep when I cave and give my approval (vote) of one side over the other, when I usually disagree with both.

 

You guys are changing my opinions of the importance of the study of Civics in our society, but I also believe that the portion of people who vote don't even come close to representing the whole.

 

Case in point...One common gripe I hear when one of my neighbors talks about something other than the weather is how our HOA (private Government) is harassing them...I even mentioned a few years back that I myself considered running for Congress (half jokingly) with a goal or platform of making HOA's illegal. My biggest fear would be that I would win in a landslide..They all promised their support and agreed about the landslide thing.

 

 

But any time I actually attended one of the HOA meetings, I felt I was the only one (Out of a couple dozen) there that wasn't bent on controlling or bitching about their neighbors...The vast majority of my neighbors had stuff to do on a Saturday morning or didn't accidentally find out about the meeting (like me).

[HUSKER 37]

My 13 year old (Arizona educated) Son just took this practice test...He also missed 4...(90% right), but a few different misses than me.

 

He didn't know Idaho bordered "Canadia" and argued with me about me not knowing why there were 9 Justices (i thought 12 0r 13 made more sense..I asked him why 9, and he said "there just is")..He never heard of "Ellenhower?" Eisenhower, but guessed his war correctly..Seems like we both guessed a large portion of our correct answers, and then he confessed he actually had a Civics class for a semester last year.