Ed Spire
Co-lead, Restore our Democracy Project, NWSOFA-Indivisible
Free Educational Speaker in Chicago
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Teaching civics – how are we doing – how can we do better
Our national report card shows that we are not doing a good job teaching US history and civics, and that is not preparing our students to be active citizens, helping to guide our nation in directions that are useful for them. MORE >
This presentation looks into these issues, and focuses on the newly created Educating for American Democracy Roadmap, which points the way to improving this important area of education. -
Rising Economic Inequality: how much, why it happens, why it matters, and what we can do about it.
Economic inequality has been rising in the US for decades, damaging our economy and society in the process. This presentation will discuss how high it has become, why it happens, how it damages our country, and what we can do about it.
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What’s an Assault Weapon, and why are they so deadly?
TOPIC CATEGORY: Educational
There's been a lot of discussion lately about tighter regulations on assault weapons like the AR-15. If we are going to regulate these weapons, we will need a legal definition describing them. And instead of a definition that depends upon specific configurations or cosmetic appearance, we propose a definition based on the factors that make this class of weapons so deadly. MORE >
This presentation focuses on the development of this class of weapons, the factors that make them so deadly, and how we can use those factors to legally define an "assault weapon" for future regulation thereof. -
Increasing Political Polarization and what we can do about it
TOPIC CATEGORY: Educational
Every decade, increasing gerrymandering has created more and more "safe seats", which have resulted in more and more extreme legislators on both sides of the aisle - creating a legislature where compromise is impossible, and very little legislative progress ensures. This presentation shows why this happens, and what we can do about it, using the recent example of the Alaska special election, utilizing a nonpartisan primary and a ranked choice voting general election, as an example of how to promote more moderate legislators and a more productive legislature. MORE >
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Can we print fake mail ballots? (not really)
TOPIC CATEGORY: Educational
There's lots of talk about how easy it would be to flood an election with fake mail ballots. Let's take a look at what it would take to do that...
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Illinois permanent vote by mail list
TOPIC CATEGORY: Educational
This presentation reviews the 2021 laws establishing a permanent vote by mail list in Illinois, with special attention to how this new list relates to voter registration activities.
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School board disinformation
TOPIC CATEGORY: Educational
Our public school boards are under attack. Responsible school board members are being threatened, and reasonable school policies are being dismantled. We'll help you understand why, who is doing it, and what we can do about it.
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Our Antiquated Electoral College
TOPIC CATEGORY: Educational
Learn why we elect the US president via the Electoral College, how our Electoral College damages our demcoracy - and what we can do about it.
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Congress Doesn’t Care What You Think
TOPIC CATEGORY: Educational
this presentation addresses the problem of unlimited political money corrupting our democracy. We explain the problem clearly, and discuss the causes and possible solutions, including steps that we can take in our own communities to begin addressing this structural problem in our country. The presentation is non-partisan and brings issues to light which are of concern across the aisle. MORE >