The best way to gauge how many deaths occurred is by stating the number of deaths — not by expressing an overwrought adjective. The increase over normal times is best expressed by a percentage — not by a pained facial expression. The best way of understanding the significance and scale of an event is by comparing it to historical patterns and baselines.
Read MoreTo be a well-informed citizen, you need to gather information from a variety of sources. And you need to know whether each source of information you rely on is left-leaning, right-leaning, or objective. More basic even than that — you need to consider whether the matter at hand can be thought of as “true” or ‘factual” at all.
Read More[T]he claim that the US Senate is the world’s greatest deliberative body can be questioned another way. We need to ask if it is a deliberative body at all.
Read MoreDuring the national health emergency caused by the coronavirus, it has been necessary to convince citizens that the crisis is real and serious. Hard numbers have been called for. But saying the trend is up, when it is down is not good journalism.
Read MoreAny change to our governmental processes should retain as much of the good stuff as possible. It should be based on as much wisdom as possible, including “James Madison’s genius.” But it should also include innovations since James Madison, from other American scholars and from other nations’ experiences in government and civil society. It is good to admire the American founders. But it is foolish to think that nothing new has been learned since their day or that nothing better is possible today.
Read MoreThen three out of four citizens say something isn’t right, we can be pretty sure that something is indeed off. The mere fact that people are discontent doesn’t reveal why they are unhappy and doesn’t pinpoint what needs to change. But it does show that “the general Welfare” promised in the preamble to the Constitution remains an unachieved goal.
Read MoreIs it wrong for the president to say what “the people” want but right for members of Congress to? No, it is wrong for the president, and even worse for members of Congress. The president is elected by votes from all over the country. But determining the will of the people is not the president’s job. Members of Congress aren’t even elected by the whole country. Each member of Congress is elected by a small part of the nation. They should speak on behalf of their own district. But none should presume to speak for the country.
Read More“No man can be a good citizen who is not a good husband and a good father, who is not honest in his dealings with other men and women, faithful to his friends and fearless in the presence of his foes, who has not got a sound heart, a sound mind, and a sound body.”
Read More“The ideal good citizen must be a paragon of multiple virtues, who brings to the fore different qualities according to circumstances.”
Read MoreThe best time and place to be a citizen of a community or nation is when there is peace and prosperity. But the rights and duties don’t stop then. Here are some civic-minded actions that a good citizen with do when there are no greater issues at hand.
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Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels
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