It is clear that our Great Experiment has been functioning -- or malfunctioning -- unacceptably for some time, due in part to the exaggerated, fragmented demands of democratic distemper in a changing America.

Until the government haters get specific, name the programs they want to get rid of, and find a majority of Americans who agree with them, things will remain pretty much the same.

Many on the right also claim to have the Framers on their side. The Framers feared a dictatorial government, goes this historical argument. While evidence can be adduced for that view of the Framers, I tend to think it is more wrong than right.

We need, as responsible citizens, to demand truth in the policy positions being advanced by those seeking to obtain our vote, those seeking to hold a public trust. But the rules will not change if don't demand it.

Sure, we may boast a global lead in cutting-edge advances in health care, but what good are those to the millions who are shut out from even baseline health care?

The effects of civic illiteracy take their toll over time, and while Americans are almost defiantly indifferent about their lack of civic understanding, the consequences to our basic rights and freedoms and the general health of our republic could be dire.

Wilson was not a household name, but in the scholarly world he was a rock star. He advised Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and Reagan, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2003.

Only a few decades ago, the U.S. was King. We were the best at everything. Today, a very different picture has emerged. What has gone wrong?

We cannot be cowed by the anti-government propaganda spewing forth from a few wealthy interests even when it's dressed up in the clothing of the small number of ordinary Americans who have become Tea Party activists.