Democracy At Risk

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William Hoppe 2/18/08 Mr. Lesure Introduction to Political Science: “American Democracy at Risk” The United States has always stood as the perfectly sculpted democratic society. However, with no regard for the country’s history, modern-America has entered a downward spiral, leaving democracy behind. Through a diminishing voting public, a media, controlled by a few conglomerates, influencing the nation, and a less-educated public, the country is heading towards an end where no future is promised. In today’s society, only half of voting-age Americans exercises their right to vote in the Presidential election. In the last forty-five years voter turnout has fallen and continues to lower. The United States is second to last in voter participation among established democracies, only ahead of Switzerland. Though some argue that the last Presidential election did call for an increase in voter numbers, due to the elections held in 2006, the 2004 Presidential election only serves as a positive uptick in the continuous…show more content…
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) only 9% of 12th-graders in high school could successfully “completely” respond to the question, “Explain two ways democratic society benefits from citizens actively participating in the political process.” The youth of America are losing touch with the foundations of the nation; the very essence of the American persona is fading from current American culture as the country diverges farther away from democracy. Another addition to the loss of democracy in America is the push for individualism and the encouragement for dependence. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) found that in recent trends, young people today appear to love themselves, and few have any empathy for others, as seen in the all-time high narcissism and entitlement rate college students
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