Letter: Political system needs to be taught in schools

Many people wonder why our country’s political activity has decreased in the past couple of decades, and the answer is simple — education. Our youth are simply not being taught the importance of the political system in our country.

Instead, teachers glaze over the topics of Democrats and Republicans, sometimes giving emphasis to what each party stands for and supports, but in general, the average student would not be able to tell the difference between a conservative and liberal. Words like lobbying, caucus, bipartisan, and incumbent are recognized but rarely understood.

With this lack of understanding there comes a lack of participation because the youth of today are not being taught the value of politics and government within our society. If we want the political activity in our country to increase we need to start by placing an emphasis on learning and understanding it within our public schooling system.

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Letter: Political system needs to be taught in schools."