Report on Civic Life Released

On June 23, 1998, the National Commission on Civic Renewal released a report funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts called "A Nation of Spectators." The report reveals that community spirit and the quality of civic life have declined in the United States since the 1970's. According to a recent Washington Post article, the commission suggests that Americans? cynicism and distrust of the government does not stem from faulty leadership, but from the indifference of citizens who spend too much time in front of the television and not enough time working with neighbors.\n\nFormer Georgia Senator Sam Nunn and former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, the commission?s leaders, claim that the best way to increase national morale and good citizenship is for every American citizen to become actively involved in a local organization committed to the community. The commission says that America has become a nation of spectators. Americans must take responsibility for the nation?s social well-being by working individually through local churches, community development corporations, and other nonprofit agencies.\n\nTo find out more about the National Commission on Civic Renewal or to receive a copy of "A Nation of Spectators," call the University of Maryland Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at (301) 405-4753.