My Word with Douglas E. Welch

I never imagined when I started this series, that I would be ever writing about the horrors we have experienced as a nation in the last week.

The Constitution clearly states, “We the PEOPLE of the United States of America…”.

This all changed on January 6, 2021. On this day, a certain amount of our citizens decided that rather than continue our nation and government as it has been for 245 years, they would raise arms against their nation and their fellow citizens in an attempt to overthrow it.

A “Rubicon” was crossed that day. 

All of us realized that there are those among us who are not working FOR our society, but rather, AGAINST it. They broke with the basic tenets of society which says that we work together, peacefully — we establish norms and laws, collectively — for the benefit of all citizens. They decided that their rules, their norms, outweighed everyone else in our society and our nation. They raised arms directly against their government and their fellow citizens. I hope that we can all see this as wrong and the antithesis of the society we have tried to create.

Some have tried to establish an equivalency between the summer’s protests against racism and the inequitable application of justice. There is none. Attempting insurrection far outweighs anything we have seen. There can and should be no comparison.

Only one group of people tried to overthrow the government last week. They proudly committed their sedition in public, recording their plans and their actions. They cannot deny it and we cannot deny who they were. WE cannot deflect. We cannot lie about who they were. They showed us exactly who they were through their own voices and actions.

These people assaulted our collective society, attempting its overthrow, while simultaneously wanting to enjoy the benefits of our society, but society and civilization require us all to agree, collectively, on some very basic tenets. To abandon those is to abandon society and civilization.

A civilized society demands that we stand together against those who would seek to destroy it. If we do not we will lose our society, our civilization, and perhaps even our lives.

So, just what is “civics” anyway?

Civics is defined as: the study or science of the privileges and obligations of citizens.

Civic education is the study of the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, as well as its rights and duties. It includes the study of civil law and civil code, and the study of government with attention to the role of citizens―as opposed to external factors―in the operation and oversight of government. — League of Women Voters of Delaware.

In order to have the government we want, we need to both understand and engage in civics activities in our local communities. I am dedicated to doing better in 2021. How about you? 

A wise man once said, many years ago, “Follow The Money” and it has always been true, especially when it comes to civics.

If you want a clear indication of a government’s goals and direction, follow the money using this database for All City Funds, Current balances of all Funds for the City of Los Angeles. Includes General Fund, Reserve Fund, Budget Stabilization Fund, and Special Funds. Upated daily, Monday through Friday.

If you want to follow Los Angles accounts — and I admit, it can be quite a geeky endeavor — they are online for all citizens to see as yet another database on the data.lacity.org site. I previously highlighted another datas showing the status of 311 calls in the city. This database has a lot more data and can take a bit longer to sort through, but you can use the online tools to slice and dice it in any way you wish.

Want a deeper understanding of your city. Dive in a swim around in this data for a while and I am almost sure you will find it!

Today I turn my attention back to my own backyard with this link to LA City Clerk Connect, the online information system and app for all things Los Angeles Government. Here you will find schedules, ordinances, agendas, committee information, voting records and even a public comment form if you can’t visit city hall in person.

There is a lot of information here and I have only scratched the surface myself. You can set automated reminders on various discussions, ordinances and referrals to keep you informed of when action on those issues is taking place. It is a bit quiet for now due to both COVID19 and the holidays, but it will be a great place to check out in preparation for your enhanced civic engagement in the coming  year.

As always, an informed citizenry is a good citizenry!

So, just what is “civics” anyway?

Civics is defined as: the study or science of the privileges and obligations of citizens.

Civic education is the study of the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, as well as its rights and duties. It includes the study of civil law and civil code, and the study of government with attention to the role of citizens―as opposed to external factors―in the operation and oversight of government. — League of Women Voters of Delaware.

In order to have the government we want, we need to both understand and engage in civics activities in our local communities. I am dedicated to doing better in 2021. How about you? 

Tracking in-process legislation, especially at the Federal level, can be a bit difficult, but GovTrack.us has made it easier by listing bills in chronological order, Trending Bills in the news, and those bills of most interest to their users. 

Too often we don’t know what a bill is proposing unless we read the text itself. Sure, the text can be a bit dense and legalize, as is to be expected, but it is still the primary source for understanding the bill. You can’t know how people are spinning a bill to their own ends unless you know what the bill contains.

You can also set alerts on bills so that you get notified when new bills are introduced, changes are made, new laws are passed, and additional legislative activity. Let the information come to you instead of having to go seek it out.

One more great feature is the ability to see who voted Aye/Nay on every single bill. Is your representative supporting your wishes or voting against them. You may not know without checking their votes and voting record.

As always, an informed citizenry is a good citizenry!

So, just what is “civics” anyway?

Civics is defined as: the study or science of the privileges and obligations of citizens.

Civic education is the study of the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, as well as its rights and duties. It includes the study of civil law and civil code, and the study of government with attention to the role of citizens―as opposed to external factors―in the operation and oversight of government. — League of Women Voters of Delaware.

In order to have the government we want, we need to both understand and engage in civics activities in our local communities. I am dedicated to doing better in 2021. How about you? 

Looking toward the new year, I am making an effort to be more civic-minded and taking more interest in my city, country, state and country.

Part of this involves being more aware of all the city meetings that take place almost daily here in Los Angeles. 

Today, I am starting with resources that give you links to City Council, City Departments, Neighborhood Councils, and More.

This page provides links to all the public city meeting agendas. I wish it were accessible;e via RSS or other API, but at the very least, this is a place you can add to your “daily/weekly visit” bookmarks list in your browser.

So, just what is “civics” anyway?

Civics is defined as: the study or science of the privileges and obligations of citizens.

Civic education is the study of the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, as well as its rights and duties. It includes the study of civil law and civil code, and the study of government with attention to the role of citizens―as opposed to external factors―in the operation and oversight of government. — League of Women Voters of Delaware.

In order to have the government we want, we need to both understand and engage in civics activities in our local communities. I am dedicated to doing better in 2021. How about you?

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