In America, Crime Doesn't Pay

For those of you who may be new readers of the SCOOP USA Newspaper and see this column with the headline “Civics 101,” you may wonder, what’s this column all about? The purpose described to me by our Publisher and owner of the SCOOP, Sherri Darden, is to share information with our readers about what it is to be a good citizen and why it’s important to try and live your life in a civic-minded way.

In short, that means to care about this nation we call America—our home. It’s about obeying the laws of the land. It’s about using your voice in how our government is operated by using your right to vote when you come of age. In America, once a person turns the age of 18, you can vote and should vote.

But to be clear, voting isn’t just about showing up on election day and blindly pushing buttons for this, that, or the other candidates. Responsible adults who call themselves civic-minded get engaged in the political process twice a year (every year) by first paying attention. Find out who the candidates are each election cycle and read up on them or attend candidates' forums in your community when they are held or watch candidates' forums or debates--when televised or broadcast on the radio. That’s how you can better inform yourself about who’s running for political office. It may sound like homework to some; however, when it comes to who will represent you in City Council, in the PA State House, Congress, or the US. Senate, and certainly for Governor, Mayor, and President of the United States, you darn well ought to be concerned, be interested, and pay attention to what the candidates are saying.