My name is Jesse Chanley, Jr. I live in Show Low, AZ.

I have a BS Zoology, MS Biological Sciences, and PhD Public Administration.

I want to contribute to people's knowledge about politics and governance. My own preference is for democracy.

As Robert Dahl emphasized, democracy requires enlightened understanding. We need much better civic education, everywhere.


Democratic Thought for the Day March 27, 2023

Equality and the U.S. Founding

Open any American government textbook and you will read things like, “Liberty, equality, and democracy are key American political values” (Ginsberg et. al., 2011, p. 4). While some of us want equality and democracy, these have never been key American values, beginning with our founding. Most of the key early political leaders in the U.S. were slave owners. They considered other people their property. They never believed all people are equal. We should teach that truth, not lies.

Ginsberg, B., Lowi, T., and Weir, M. (2011). We the people: An introduction to American politics, 8th ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.