Nicholas Johnson
The Gazette, May 31, 2023, p. A6
Like to help re-build democracy in Iowa while improving your health? Read on.
Democracy cannot be pulled, like a magician’s rabbit, out of a hat. We don’t create “democracy.” But we can – if we will – work to create the columns, the foundation, from which a democracy can burst forth and survive like the perennials of spring in a well-tended garden.
What are those columns? A civic society, public education and libraries, subscriptions and advertising to support an independent press, a judiciary of skilled non-partisan judges. Agencies with ombudspersons and independent audits, county auditors who make it easier for citizens to vote, and public officials who campaign and govern with civility and the self-restraint of yesterday’s political norms.
Those officials and citizens know that in a democracy politics has no business walking its manure-covered muddy boots into a doctor’s office, classroom, library, newsroom, courtroom or polling station, spouting hate and further enriching wealthy oligarchs.
So they speak up, not with guns or social media threats, but with a, “That’s not Iowa nice. Stop it. You’re weakening our democracy.”
What else do they do? What could you do? You know most of the list, but here are more examples.
Register and vote. Get to know your elected and appointed local officials. Let them hear from you. Attend their public meetings and speak up. Use petitions and public demonstrations when appropriate.
Up your knowledge of democracy, authoritarianism and local issues. Thank and otherwise support your community’s teachers, librarians, journalists, judges and democracy-supporting public officials. Give gift subscriptions to newspapers. Write letters to the editor -– and public officials. Be a role model for your children and others.
Join civic associations, including those fulfilling citizens’ obligations. Give them the money and time you can.
It turns out joining groups of any kind is a win-win. Good for democracy and good for your health.
The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy,writes that half of adult Americans reported a sense of loneliness -– even before the COVID-19 pandemic. His advisory continues, “Loneliness . . . is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day . . ..” [Photo source: Wikimedia.]
What does he prescribe? “Participate in social and community groups such as fitness, religious, hobby, professional, and community service organizations to foster a sense of belonging, meaning, and purpose.”
He might have added, “while strengthening our democracy.”
There are too many sources of information about Iowa’s challenges and possibilities to list all. But if you’re willing to take action, check out Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), https://www.iowacci.org/ and Progress Iowa, https://www.progressiowa.org/. Or, if more to your liking, The Niskanen Center, https://www.niskanencenter.org/ and Ripon Society, https://riponsociety.org/.
Here's to your health -- and a democracy for your grandchildren.
Nicholas Johnson is the author of “Columns of Democracy.” mailbox@nicholasjohnson.org
“The Democracy Playbook: How to Protect Democracy; We all have different skills, backgrounds, and perspectives. And we all have a role to play in defending our democracy against authoritarianism. Learn the six steps to do your part,” Protect Democracy, https://protectdemocracy.org/about/democracy-playbook/
Rebecca Winthrop and Meg Heubeck, “The Bucket List for Involved Citizens: 76 Things You Can Do to Boost Civic Engagement,” Brookings, Nov 12, 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2019/11/12/the-bucket-list-for-involved-citizens-76-things-you-can-do-to-boost-civic-engagement/
“How Can Citizens Participate?” From We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution, second edition (1998), Center for Civic Education, https://www.civiced.org/lessons/how-can-citizens-participate
“Policy Recommendations: Strengthening Democracy; A growing disregard for the conditions that form the foundations of democracy—including respect for the rights of minorities and migrants, space for critical dissent, and commitment to the rule of law—threatens to destabilize the democratic order. At the same time, prioritizing a narrow support base at the expense of ensuring fundamental freedoms for all, and neglecting to tie democratic principles to foreign policy, leaves democracies vulnerable to interference from authoritarian regimes, which have increased repression at home and abroad,” Freedom House, no date, no “author,” https://freedomhouse.org/policy-recommendations/strengthening-democracy-abroad
Larry Diamond, “What Civil Society Can Do to Develop Democracy,” Presentation to NGO Leaders, Convention Center, Baghdad, Feb 10, 2004, https://diamond-democracy.stanford.edu/speaking/speeches/what-civil-society-can-do-develop-democracy
Loneliness and health. U.S. Surgeon General, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation; The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, 2023, https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf (“In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness.1-3 And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic . . .. Loneliness . . . is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day,4 and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished. . . . (p. 4) Participate in social and community groups such as fitness, religious, hobby, professional, and community service organizations to foster a sense of belonging, meaning, and purpose.” (p. 66))
Organizations. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), https://www.iowacci.org/ Progress Iowa, progressiowa.org The Niskanen Center, https://www.niskanencenter.org/ Ripon Society, https://riponsociety.org/
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