The Future

In early 2021 Hope From the Bottom up conducted a survey among its readers to see what they thought were some of the more important issues and challenges which needed to be addressed by all of us to re-imagine and re-invigorate our democracy. We named it Democracy 2.0.

Democracy2.0

One of the possible steps forward is the following: Support Efforts to Promote Civic Education in Schools. As parents and as members of our communities, we should encourage educational institutions to re-instate civics education as an important element in all levels of education so that we are informed and empowered members of our Democracy.

Civic education has not been included in many educational curricula in elementary schools, high schools, and colleges and universities over the last 25 years. As a result, less than 50% of Americans can name the three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Stanford University is leading an effort to include civic education as a requirement for all incoming students.

Welcome to the Stanford Civics Initiative - A core course taken by all incoming students

What makes this course unique: This seminar will address both the historical roots as well as the future of citizenship, especially as it comes under stress from populism, authoritarianism, climate change, and other challenges. Starting with Stanford’s fundamental standard, we ask how citizenship in a community needs to be constantly redefined and reinvigorated for each new era.

Course Description: Citizenship is not just what passport you hold or where you were born. Citizenship also means equal membership in a self-governing political community. We will explore some of the many debates about this ideal: How have people excluded from citizenship fought for, and sometimes won, inclusion? These debates have a long history, featuring in some of the earliest recorded philosophy and literature but also animating current political debates in the United States and elsewhere. To learn more, click on this link: https://civics.stanford.edu/

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The Future:

Guest commentary: Build net-zero schools in Racine

Tom Rutkowski, Jan 8, 2023, Racine Journal Times

Schools in the United States spend almost $8 billion a year on energy, a cost greater than all the money spent on textbooks and computers combined and second only to salaries.

Some school districts, recognizing that this money could be better spent directly supporting educational goals, are building net-zero schools which use less energy and generate the energy they need through renewable sources.

As it begins to design and construct several new schools, it is the right time for Racine Unified School District to build schools that will eliminate the costs of energy, provide healthier indoor environments and embody the principles of sustainability as an educational resource.

The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act includes new financial incentives for school districts to adopt energy efficiency measures and renewable energy options. These incentives will significantly shorten the payback period for the initial investment and relieve the school district of the energy burden for decades to follow. In addition, net-zero schools also insulate the school district from the volatility of rising energy prices. To Read more, click on this link: Guest commentary Tom Rutkowski: Build net-zero schools in Racine (journaltimes.com)

Located just south of Madison, the Oregon School District’s Forest Edge Elementary the first net-zero school in Wisconsin.

To read about the first net-zero school in Wisconsin, click on this link: https://www.archpaper.com/2021/09/hgas-forest-edge-elementary-school-is-wisconsins-first-net-zero-energy-school/

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The Future and Sharing Ideas:

Share Your Thoughts: One of the readers of the monthly Hope Newsletter submitted the following comments in December, 2021:

I agree with & am appreciative of your thoughtful responses and ideas of proposed solutions to the identified problems! I think they’re incredible and want this to reach a wider audience. Yes, of people in powerful political and legislative positions, but also, especially with all civic-minded people. Educators in High Schools, Colleges and Universities could add SOLUTIONS as a course or include them in curriculums. Young people want to be led to groups in which they can make a positive difference in our society. They are seeking such avenues, as I learned of Gen Z seeking through the SnapChat App. Just some very broad outreach ideas. But I don’t see anyone else proposing any solutions even close to what you’ve written in your essays. I want them to get attention. SO much of media is eliciting anger, inciting anger and hate. Both sides of the political fences waste resources perpetuating sensationalized and speculative rhetoric on all news outlets except for PBS, where they strive to present factual news, but all reported news is not factual. I agree 100% in accountability behind the written and spoken word. Let me know how I can help!

My Response: Thank you for your kind and supportive words. One of the goals of the Hope From the Bottom Up website is to spread good news and good ideas among people who want to see a better world, a more hope-filled world for themselves, their families, their neighbors, their communities, their country, and the entire world.

I am trying to inform people of the many efforts being made by a broad range of everyday people to make the world a better place. I hope that by seeing what others do, those coming to the Hope website will be inspired to join a similar, already existing group, or start a group of their own.

I am trying to expose people to positive possibilities on a broad range of topics.

I want to show people that much success over the years has been achieved in so many different ways.

To do this, I am approaching the Hope website as a non-partisan, non-political sharing of ideas. There are other ways outside of the realm of The Hope From the Bottom Up website where I try to share ideas and possibilities within the political, business, not-for-profit, and neighbor-to-neighbor worlds.

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In response to the article below which was added to the website at the beginning of November, one reader, Geraldine Bodi, sent the following response.

Share Your Thoughts: In regard to Big Data, truthfulness and presenting selective data to support a view in Network news is more dangerous than FB. The media is supposed to be unbiased but because it is ultimately owned by those with partisan and money driven interests, it is not.

My response to Geraldine is that I agree with her that most of the public media (newspapers, radio, and television  stations), are owned by companies with partisan and money driven interests. I keep that in mind when reading/listening/viewing them. My concern with much that is on social media of a political and ideological nature is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to tell who is behind the information they are spreading and how are they held accountable as individuals and groups.

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SURVEY PRIORITY #7: BIG DATA

Part Two: Possible Counter Measures

I have divided the Big Data topic into two parts.

Last month, in Part One, I presented some ideas regarding two significant problems with Big Data and how it is negatively affecting the lives of most people. Those ideas were centered around two areas of concern:

• Corporate Knowledge About All Of Us
• Untruthful Information

The growth in the internet and social media over the last twenty years has created a whole new environment which touches almost all parts of our lives. Some of it has been very positive, but some of it is causing harm to individuals, to families, to communities, to businesses, and to our country.

You can read Part One of my ideas outlining some of the problems caused by Big Data by going to the Hope From the Bottom Up website at this link, https://hopefromthebottomup.com/future , and then scroll down to the second article in the Future section.

In Part Two regarding Big Data, I want to focus on two aspects of Big Data which need to be addressed. I group these ideas in two words:

• Anonymous
• Accountability

Anonymous

One very large concern I have about Big Data is that people and organizations which spread untruthful information, and in some cases hateful attitudes towards others, are basically unknown from a personal standpoint.

Free speech is a particularly important part of the freedoms we enjoy in our country. The First Amendment to our Constitution reads as follows:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

But nowhere in that amendment or any other part of the U.S. Constitution does the word “anonymous” appear. To read more, click more on this link!

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SURVEY PRIORITY #7: BIG DATA

Part One

• Corporate Knowledge About All Of Us
• Untruthful Information
• Possible Counter Measures

Big Data is the seventh highest priority. Survey respondents saw this as an important issue, particularly as it causes diminishment of sharing the truth about what is real and what is not real. But similar to the to the Environment and Democracy 2.0, the first four priorities (Family Wellbeing; Racism, Sexism, & Rights; The Economy; and Health Care) affect people’s lives every day. Survey respondents say they need to be addressed first before combatting the challenges and negative impacts of Big Data.

With that being said, Big Data, is a real threat to our personal freedom and our privacy. And it is a threat to our Democracy as well.

 I have divided this topic into two parts. In Part One, I will speak to the first two areas listed above, and Part One is included in the October 2021 Newsletter. Part Two, which will speak to possible counter measures, will be addressed in the November 2021 Newsletter. To read Part One, click on this link

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Priority #6: Democracy2.0

Voting Rights, Voting Turnout, Voter Suppression, Campaign Financing,

Civic Education, Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections

All of us are needed to make a positive difference

in maintaining and improving our Democracy!

Change will not come from the top down.

Real change will come from the bottom up.

Let us all do our part to make that happen!

These are the opening words of the United States Constitution.

“We, the People,

In Order to form a more perfect Union,

establish Justice,

insure domestic tranquility,

provide for the common defence,

promote the general Welfare,

and secure the Blessings of Liberty

to ourselves and our Posterity

do ordain and establish this Constitution

for the United States of America."

And these are the closing words of the Declaration of Independence:

“And for the support of this Declaration,

With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence,

We mutually pledge to each other

Our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

It is significant to note that the words highlighted in red are all about us as a group. The words “I” or “Me” are nowhere to found in either of these quotes. To Read More

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Priority #5 Environment:

Sustainability, Global Warming, Environmental Repair

The Environment is the fifth highest priority in our survey. All of our respondents agreed that stopping environmental deterioration and increasing sustainability in all aspects of the environment, is very important. But they gave other issues higher priority for the immediate future.

If someone is hungry, has no health care, works two jobs, can’t make ends meet, and are discriminated against because of race, religion,  or gender, getting those matters turned around now are more important to them than addressing environmental issues.

But environmental damage is growing every day, and soon it will become irreversible and catastrophic.

If we let things deteriorate as they have in the last 50 years, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to face some major crises which will negatively affect their lives and the lives of all people on Earth. To read more

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Priority #4: Health Care

People Want:

• Coverage for All Americans
• More Cost-Effective Healthcare System
• Public Health Promotion and Preparedness

Four shocking facts about health care in the United States:

1. We have, by far, the most expensive health care system in the world.
2. The health outcomes for United States citizens ranks 30^th or lower in the world.
3. The United States is the only economically developed country in the world which does not provide coverage for all of its citizens.
4. Medical bills are the number one cause of personal and family bankruptcies in our country.

We have, by far, the most expensive health care system in the world.

The average cost per capita for health care in the United States is about $12,000 per person. This is double the amount per capita which other economically developed countries spend on health care.

The total annual amount of the cost of health care in our country is $4,000,000,000,000 (4 trillion dollars).

The health outcomes for United States citizens ranks 30^th or lower in the world. Some of the health outcomes which are lower than other developed countries include: life expectancy, infant mortality rates, and the prevalence of chronic, negative health conditions such as diabetes. On the other hand, we rank #1 in obesity among economically developed countries. To read more

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Survey Priority #3: The Economy

People Want

• Jobs: Living Wage, Employee Benefits, Consistent Hours, Work With Dignity
• More Equitable Distribution of Wealth
• New and Better Economic Measuring Systems
• Human Growth & Wellbeing Economy vs. Consumer Economy

Jobs: Living Wage, Employee Benefits, Consistent Hours, Work With Dignity

If a person works 40 hours per week, they should be paid enough to support themselves.

If two people in a family each work 40 hours per week, they should be paid enough to support themselves and their family.

Unfortunately, too many people work one and one-plus jobs and are not paid enough to support themselves and/or their families. To read more

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Priority #2: Racism, Sexism, & Rights

Civil Rights, Women's Rights, Gender Rights, Immigrant Rights

Let’s begin by acknowledging that racism, sexism, and other negative, discriminatory perceptions, and practices, really do exist.

They are wrong and they cause a great deal of harm to individuals, families, and society as a whole...One of the causes of racism and sexism throughout history has been:

Extreme Capitalism & Concentrated Wealth: A Source of Racism & Sexism

Over the past forty years, the abundant wealth of our country has shifted from the majority of the people, including our once vaunted Middle Class, to a tiny fraction of our population.

• The top 1% of the wealthiest people in our country now own 33% of the total wealth.
• The top 10% own 70% of the total wealth.
• The next 40% own 28% of the total wealth.
• The bottom 50% of Americans own 1.9 % of the wealth, with one-half of that group having no wealth at all.

Economic inequity fosters racism and sexism...But it isn’t just about money.

Unless we create a more equitable and balanced economy which gives everyone a chance to provide for themselves and their families, racism and sexism will continue to become even larger problems which affect our freedom, our democracy, and our hopes for the future. To read more

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FAMILY WELL-BEING: PRIORITY #1

New Measurements of Progress

Family Well-Being is the highest priority for those who responded to our January 2021 Survey.

People are most concerned about having opportunities, choices, and hope for themselves and their families as we all move into the future.

Unfortunately, very many people think and feel that the opportunities , choices, and hope for themselves and their families have been greatly diminished in the last 30 plus years.

One of the suggestions to improve the quality of life for people is to create a new and broader basis for measuring what is important to us. This newer broader measurement system would include the traditional economic measurements of Gross National Product (GNP) and how the stock market is doing. But it would also look at a more diverse and meaningful range of measurements to determine if we are moving toward a more hopeful society which will markedly improve the quality of lives for individuals and families.

There are several new indexes being used to measure more of these elements.

One of the most successful new efforts is happening in Canada which started using this approach after the Great Recession hit the world in 2008-09. To Read More

 

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FAMILY WELL-BEING: PRIORITY #1

Opportunities, Choices, and Hope

It is not surprising to me that Family Well-Being is the highest priority of most people who took our survey.

I have worked with thousands of people around the country. When I listen to and work with them to define goals for themselves, their businesses, and/or their communities, their hopes and goals are most frequently built around what is good for themselves and their families.

What they fear most is that they can be negatively impacted by the lack of opportunities and choices for themselves and their families.

You can read more about some hope-filled and positive ideas and steps we can take to achieve a higher level of Family Well-Being by clicking on this link

 

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HOPE – Happiness or Positivity Everyday

A thought about the future from a woman in Wisconsin.

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Commentary: After George Floyd’s death, remedy for apathy is equity in civics education 

By CALEB DUNSON    CHICAGO TRIBUNE   AUG 03, 2020 

Donzell Clark photographs the rebuilt memorial for Michael Brown on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Missouri, July 30, 2020, at the spot where the teen was shot and killed by a police officer in 2014. (Robert Cohen /St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

I was 12 years old when Mike Brown was killed. I was 12 years old when I realized the world viewed me as a threat. I was 12 years old when I was forced to confront the reality that I could not maneuver through society like my white peers, that my Blackness made me liable to be murdered by anyone, for any reason.

I was 12 years old when I began to fear for my life.

But then I watched as tens of thousands of people from across the country converged on Ferguson, Missouri, to advocate for justice, and I saw true civics in action. The protesters stood in solidarity and possessed unyielding hope. They organized to take collective action and forced the entire country to pay attention. And when everyone was watching, they spoke with fiery passion and deep conviction, telling vivid stories of social injustice and community resilience. I wanted to be like them, and that was the moment civics became my passion. Read More

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The Danger of a Single Story.

Great perspective that Americans need to hear. Here is a link to video which was sent to me by an activist woman in Wisconsin. I put it on this website because it tells us how important it is to open our minds to the stories and ideas of other people.

See and Hear More