School is the New Family. God Doesn’t Exist. Civics, Who Cares

School is the New Family. God Doesn’t Exist. Civics, Who Cares

Since I left the teaching profession, I am sad to say that education has taken a sharp left turn. Country, God, Family and the values of America are no longer mentioned, much less taught in-depth. Instead, students are taught to hate, that America is evil, there is no God, government is god and family and relationships are a waste of time. The school is your new family.

Instead of creating, innovating, working hard and knowing that improving your life is your responsibility, students are taught to take from others to “level” the playing field. Jealousy and envy (jealous means fearing someone will take what you have and envious means desiring what someone else has ) have replaced self-satisfaction and success.

We all know that with this type of education, America will eventually fail as a country.

If our youth don’t understand the purpose of America, why would they even bother to fight to keep it intact? Civics is boring.

How can you have pride in your country if you have no idea what your country is about or how your country runs?

Civics is no longer taught in school. The students have no clue as to what is in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution or important court decisions. How many know what is in their state Constitution or that they even have a state Constitution? Many voters have no idea how elections work, what happens to their taxes and why is it important to own property.

We are constantly told that we are facing the most important election in our lifetime. But the reality is that all elections are important, for it is where we elect the people to represent us. Therefore, America is a Representative Republic, NOT A DEMOCRACY (rule by mob aka majority). The US constitution is supposed to be a contract between the citizens and the government whereby all citizens are to be treated equal under the law. Unfortunately, until we elect people who understand that, laws can be turned against one or multiple groups.

Each state has its own constitution but the United States constitution is SUPREME. Each state has its own set of laws determining how their elections are run. The setup and procedure can be found in your state constitution. Most are similar depending on whether or not your primary is open or closed.

Most states have closed primaries which means that you can only vote for the candidates in your registered political party. You can only vote outside of the party if your party has no candidate for that particular office. I believe that the Primary in a closed party state is the most important election. However, most people don’t understand that and don’t vote in the primary. People don’t realize a candidate can win an election just by winning a primary if there is no opponent. Once that happens, your vote in the general election is meaningless. When that happens, the incumbent usually wins and is elected to office with a small percentage of the votes.

It is also important that you know your candidate and who their donors are. Do they have your values? A candidate can get money from individuals or PACS. You can find out this information on the SOE (Supervisor of Elections) website.

Matt The Welder, aka Matt Taylor, just put out a brief video explaining how to find PAC donations. Once you know the members of the PAC, you can check to see if your values line up. Here is his video:

https://x.com/search?q=matt%20the%20welder&src=recent_search_click

Matt the Welder

You can also find donor information on your state: Division of Elections site. dos.elections myflorida.com

Carol Dunaway, Supervisor of Elections (SOE), for Jackson County, Florida, will join me in Segment 1 to help us understand the procedures of voting and the role of the SOE in Florida.

In Segment 2, we tackle another constitutional office, The Tax Collector. Not to be confused with Property Appraiser. Both have totally different functions.

Mary Carol Murdock, the County Tax Collector (CTC) for Jackson County has agree to join me for Segment 2. Here we will be briefed on the role of the Tax Collector and our responsibility. It is important to remember that bills are sent by mail in November. Your taxes must be paid, whether or not you get your bill. Not getting a bill is not an excuse. You can call the CTC office, drop by, or go on line.

We all think taxes are too damn high. It must be tax collector’s fault. No it is not.

The CTC does not set the rate or determine the final bill.

The Florida Tax Collector is an elected position.

Tax Collectors in Florida are independent constitutional officers (outlined in Article VIII of the Florida Constitution). They are elected by voters, in their respective counties and serve four-year terms, typically during presidential election years.

General Description:

• Established by: The 1885 Florida Constitution, with the idea that local taxes are best handled by a locally elected official accountable to the community.
• Election process: Chosen by qualified electors at the general election. They are partisan offices in most cases.
• Role: They collect and distribute property taxes, handle motor vehicle registrations/titles, driver licenses and other services. Their independence as elected officials is meant to make them responsive to local needs.

In addition to collecting taxes, the CTC also handles Tax Certificate Sales. A Tax Certificate Sale is when a third party pays the delinquent taxes for an owner. The third party bids with the CTC to charge a certain amount of interest for stepping in and paying the taxes in place of the owner. The owner is still responsible to pay the taxes plus interest. If after two years the taxes are not paid the third party could acquire a tax deed and take ownership of the property, or be repaid plus interest.

It is so important that you understand how our government works. It is important that you make sure you understand the values and actions of the people you choose to represent you. Vet your candidates. Then, get to know your representatives. Get involved. Know and understand what is going on in your community. Above all, VOTE IN THE PRIMARY. You can’t complain if you don’t have skin in the game. Please share this podcast and information.

Is America worth saving? Voting is one of the best ways.

©2026 Karen Schoen. All rights reserved.

Guest: Carol Dunaway, Supervisor of Elections, Jackson County Florida Website: https://votejacksonfl.gov/

Guest: Mary Carol Murdock, the County Tax Collector (CTC) for Jackson County FL Website: https://jacksontc.com/

Applying Knowledge is Power

Karen Schoen: Karenbschoen.com

Radio Host: The Prism of America’s Education: americaoutloud.news