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  • Essay / Reform Now Before It's Too Late - 2007

    Our founding fathers founded America with greatness in mind, democracy for the people at its best. Decades have passed and the democratic practices created by our founding fathers evolve over time. The government is no longer simple, the country is no longer made up of thirteen states, and people's lives are different from then. It must be admitted that there are problems with the current political system. It is crucial that reforms be implemented because the American political system is characterized by low citizen participation and weakened electoral campaigns. In the current political system, there is widespread voter apathy without any definitive explanation. This is not a new phenomenon because, as Rosenstone said, “the record of citizen participation over the last half of the twentieth century presents a set of thorny puzzles” (Rosenstone 1). The lack of citizen participation flies in the face of the practical democracy our founding fathers fought for. For democracy to work, the people must use the government's potential to its fullest. Offerings such as deliberation, voting and participation are at the heart of democracy; However, in the current political system, citizen participation is limited. Although political scientists have tried to understand the reason for this apathy, no possible justification can explain this lack of interest. Studies have reportedly attributed “activism to the characteristics of individuals[] to their education, income, and effectiveness” (Rosenstone 3). The Kettering Foundation also suggests that because citizens are denied access to the broader policies involved; politics has been taken away from them, and the relationship...... middle of paper...... written, we cannot call this country the country that Abraham said with his heart, “[the] government of the people, by the people, for the people. Works cited Barber, Benjamin 1984. Strong democracy: participatory politics for a new age. , Dan, Alan Neustadtl, and Mark Weller 1998. Temple University Press, pp. 137-189. . Rosenstone, Steven J. and John Mark Hansen 1993. Mobilization, Participation and Democracy in America.. 39-64