It is difficult to value something when its worth is unknown.
This truth brings to mind the old adage about two children who had received
the same bike, one given the bike, the other made to earn the bike.
Invariably, the child who was given the bike was more prone to neglecting
it, not understanding its worth, while the child who was made to earn the
bike, who understood its worth, maintained it. This basic truth applies to
our American Heritage and the continued welfare of our nation.
Without a solid understanding of the basic principles used by our Founding
Fathers in establishing our constitutional republic – principles used to
craft The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution and
The Bill of Rights – it is sometimes difficult for Americans to recognize
the worth of the American ideal. When the full value of freedom, liberty and
democracy are not realized it becomes easy to incrementally relinquish
rights guaranteed under the Constitution.
Further, without a basic understanding of the value of our founding
principles and the worth of the American ideal, the American public is less
inclined to be concerned with the unfettered access to un-manipulated,
fact-based information, information needed to address many of the serious
issues facing our nation, our nation’s leaders and the world.
Today, our country faces both a threat from abroad and a
threat, in the form of ideological conflict, from within. While some among
us choose to accentuate the imperfections of our nation, others condemn our
culture or literally champion our nation’s defeat and demise. Those who
choose to diminish the significance of US contributions to the world, do so
in ignorance of the intent of the documents that charted the course for this
great nation and the ideologies and principles that provided the foundation
for the creation of our governmental covenant.
We at Basics Project understand that there is a direct
correlation between understanding the principles, ideology, history and
meaning behind our founding documents – the Charters of Freedom – and the
proclivity to value and advance our American Heritage to the next generation
and beyond.
Two of the biggest challenges facing our country today are the result of (1)
philosophical biases impinging upon the mainstream sources we have come to
rely upon for credible, accurate information and (2) poor education
instructional practices undermining the ability of the schools to meet their
civic mission; to foster the qualities necessary for successful government
within a constitutional republic.
In an information age such as it is, one would be led to believe it a simple
process to access information devoid of any ideological bent, presented in
an objective manner. Sadly, this isn’t the case. Recent studies, the most
notable from the Pew Research Center, indicate that an overwhelming majority
of mainstream news organizations employ an agenda-driven editorial policy.
These policies exist on both sides of the aisle and are derived from every
ideology, therefore affecting the information they present.
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 88% of individuals
18-29 are online, as are 84% of those 30-49 and 71% of those 50-64. These
statistics are troubling when coupled with the recent revelation that the
most commonly used search engines (Google and Yahoo!) have taken to
manipulating their search engine index databases to align with corporate and
political ideology. Keeping in mind that they account for close to 75% of
all Internet searches made around the world, including searches for
information made by those in government, it is clear that information
brokers have placed their ideology, corporate bottom line and special
interests above the principle of affording people un-manipulated access to
the facts. In doing so, they deprive the American people – and people the
world over – the ability to form fact-based, educated opinions on a plethora
of important issues. This manipulation of information is a direct threat to
our system of government, our American Heritage and to the future of our
country.
There is also cause for concern with regard to our education system.
Although a comprehensive approach in all academic disciplines recognizes the
value of each subject as a conduit to literacy, in a majority of our
nation’s classrooms, teachers treat each branch of learning as entities unto
themselves. Our children should be receiving broad experience reading
non-fiction, as well as fiction, and learning how to communicate orally and
in written form, if we are to maintain our status as a leader of the free
world while continuing to motivate other countries by example. Yet, subjects
such as social studies, civics and US history, which expose students to
expository reading and writing; while teaching how to understand public
policy in relation to the purposes for our government, are considered “of
less value” than those subjects tested under NCLB; i.e., reading and math.
Because they are not measured for adequate yearly progress they are not
taught with as much frequency or dedication. “Best Practice” prescribes that
students have ample opportunities to learn literacy skills, especially in
the context of social studies, so to ensure that no child will graduate
without the skills necessary to make civically responsible decisions.
The inability of a large number of our nation’s populace to process
information presented at higher than an 8th grade level presents a threat to
our very survival. At the founding of our great nation, those residing in
this country communicated at a grade level of 24. The “dumbing down” of
America has left many of her citizens unable to determine whether
information being presented is free of bias or ideologically slanted;
whether policy enacted by our elected officials is good for our country or
geared toward special interests. Thus, a majority of Americans have become
dependent on the mainstream media and aggressive special interest groups to
translate for them what is true, what is best and what they should think. By
doing so, we’ve given up our voice; our stake in this great land. How, then,
can we achieve the essential information needed to make civically competent
choices appropriate for ourselves and our nation?
What is desperately needed for our country to survive this
unprecedented challenge, this “perfect storm,” is an adequate understanding
of the principles, ideologies and history that moved the Framers and
Founding Fathers to risk freedom, liberty, property and ultimately life, so
that their dream of the great American experiment could come to fruition.
We, the American people one and all, need to understand why they found so
much worth in our nation’s creation and why they valued this endeavor enough
to risk dying for it.
Because we at Basics Project recognize the direct correlation between a
solid, fact-based understanding of the principles that founded out great
nation and the American public’s capacity to foment a desire to safeguard
the freedoms and liberties afforded us under our Constitution, the covenant
between citizen and government, our programs engage
today’s educational and informational challenges in multiple ways:
▪ Our Constitutional Literacy Program ensures that every American has
the opportunity to understand the basic principles on which our country was
founded, affording them the wherewithal to understand the value of freedom,
liberty and our Constitutional Republic and the worth of our American
Heritage providing a basic understanding of the contents of The Declaration
of Independence, The US Constitution and The Bill of Rights, and a
fundamental comprehension of why our Founders addressed each concern held
within.
▪ Our educational symposium series & issue research website,
intended for the
general public, serve as conduits to first-source, fact-based information
from multiple vantage points on a variety of issues vital to our country,
information designed to allow citizens to form their own educated opinions
and to empower and encourage them to engage their governmental process armed
with facts and truth.
Basics Project works diligently to provide non-partisan, primary-source,
fact-based information to the American public. Whether through our
publications, our educational initiatives or our symposiums, Basics
Project’s goal is the preservation of our American Heritage and the
liberation of the citizenry from partisan politics and special interests in
government through the education and intellectual empowerment of the
American people.
Through our programs and events, Basics Project achieves two
goals:
▪ The fact-based, first-source continuing education of the American
citizenry in the Charters of Freedom and the principles championed by our
Founders and Framers
▪ The facilitation of accurate, non-political, fact-based information on the
clear and present dangers to our nation.
Only by knowing the worth of our American Heritage, will We the People be
moved to value and defend it, so that we may be able to pass the Great
American Experiment on to future generations.
Our Beginning
The events of September 11, 2001 changed our
nation – and the world – forever. For Frank and Nancy Salvato, the attacks
of that day served as testimony to the value of our freedom and to the
importance of preserving our Constitutional Republic; the attacks served as
a clarion call for the preservation of our American Heritage.
In response to this call to action, the Salvatos’ conceptualized an
organization dedicated to the idea that an educated and knowledgeable
citizenry is more inclined to realize their civic responsibilities and to
actively participate in the governmental process.
Where Nancy Salvato, a career educator, recognized the need for an elevated
mastery of Civic Education and literacy in our society, Frank Salvato, a
life-long advocate of our governmental process, became acutely aware of the
need for the dissemination of non-partisan, fact-based information to the
American public, especially where the threat of terrorism and the
preservation of our American culture were concerned.
The realization of the Salvatos’ concept is Basics Project.
Who We Are
Basics Project is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(C)(3) research and
educational initiative whose mission is to re-introduce the American public
to the basic elements of our constitutional heritage while providing
non-partisan, fact-based information on relevant socio-political issues
important to our country, specifically the threats of aggressive
Islamofascism and the American Fifth Column.
Basics Project works to educate the American people using primary source
materials and culling qualified opinions from governmental agencies,
congressional testimonies, internationally recognized experts, credible
think tanks and editorial boards, as well as by providing a forum for groups
offering differing perspectives. Basics Project’s goal is the liberation of
the American people from what James Madison called “factions” and special
interests in government.
Basics Project has developed into an association of individuals with widely
divergent experiences and philosophies who, each to their strengths but
working toward the common goals of our mission statement, facilitates a
platform from which the goals of re-involvement and continuing education of
the American citizen can be achieved.
Through educational advocacy for our
citizenry and providing access to reliable information via our website and
symposiums, Basics Project fosters the re-emergence of civic responsibility
and active, responsible participation of citizens in
their government.
Our Work Is Grounded In These
Beliefs Basics Project believes in the
capacity of the American people. We believe that when a few "basic" societal
conditions are achieved, the American people satisfy the sentiment of US
Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson (1892-1954): "It is not the function
of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the
function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error.”
Our work is grounded in these beliefs:
▪
American citizens need
issue oriented informational resources which exclude special interest rhetoric.
▪
Armed with fact-based
knowledge, Americans are more likely to engage in the political process,
countering the trend toward declining participation in government
▪
Civic education is vital to
instilling a sense of civic responsibility in America's young as well as its
overall citizenry.
Established Policies and
Guidelines Basics Project, employs the following
policies and guidelines when developing and producing our programs and
events:
▪
Unwavering dedication to
providing non-partisan, primary-source, fact-based resources and
information.
▪
Developing educational
materials that fill
the gap which currently exists in the civic education of our nation’s
citizenry.
▪
Promotion of the
re-emergence of civic responsibility, self-reliance and a re-involvement of the American citizen in the process of government.
▪
Commitment to advocating
for the
reasonable exchange of ideas in the public arena.
Education Initiatives Basics Project develops unique education programs
designed to promote higher level thinking skills with real life
application. Each program ensures that every American has the
opportunity to understand the basic principles on which our
country was founded, affording them the wherewithal to
understand the value of freedom, liberty and our Constitutional
Republic and the worth of our American Heritage.
Programs & Events
Basics Project produces symposiums, lectures &
debates that present fact-based information and first hand
testimony provided by international experts and respected
professionals from all sides of the issues so you can make
informed decisions on the important issues of the day.
Research Issues
Basics Project researches issues currently before
our government bringing you primary source materials and culling
expert opinion from governmental agencies, congressional
testimonies, the international community, credible think tanks
and editorial boards, as well as providing a forum for groups
offering differing perspectives so that you can make up your
mind, basing your decisions on fact rather than rhetoric.
Projects
Basics Project develops programs that reach out
to our community. From our Intern Program that helps high school
juniors and seniors learn how to research primary source,
fact-based material from credible outlets to our outreach
program, Basics Project strives to engage our community in an
effort to preserve our American Heritage.
You can help us achieve our goals by diverting and converting
all or a portion of the money you would otherwise be forced to pay in
federal income tax to a fully tax deductible charitable contribution to
Basics Project. Whether it’s an individual contribution or building Basics
Project into your corporate financial structure, the options remain the
same, you can pay taxes to the federal government and hope Congress spends
it wisely, or you can donate that amount to Basics Project and be guaranteed
it is going to help preserve our American Heritage.
Basics Project is a non-profit,
non-partisan 501(C)(3) research and educational initiative. Opinions expressed
by those not directly affiliated with Basics Project are expressly their own.
Responsibility for the accuracy of cited content is expressly that of the
contributing author. Basics Project may or may not agree with opinions and/or
content presented unless expressly cited. All content offered by the Basics
Project is copyrighted. Basics Project’s goal is the liberation of the American
voter from partisan politics and special interests in government through the
primary-source, fact-based education of the American people.
