Fundamental principles of Democracy

Also required reading for anyone who considers themselves "educated".

Speaking of education, don't you miss the time in the world when being "educated" meant you could look at something objectively, do your own research, compare the good and bad of ALL sources without bias and then come to your own conclusion? Apparently that has eluded people these days, because I was recently talking to a friend of mine, who is about to graduate from college, and she told me she was "open minded"....however and she was absolutely convinced that Bush was the most horrible person on earth, that everything liberals stand for is right, and that there cannot possibly be anything good come from anything that even touches the shadow of something republican. How does one square with this version of "open minded"?

I'll be the first to admit I have certain convictions that I believe are correct...but I also know that I don't know everything. Therefore, I look to other sources than my own understanding for information. Outside of religious/moral topics (I'm not going to go there right now, so it's not part of this discussion), I realize that there are two sides to every issue. Take for example Denver Colorado's Light rail initiative...2A on the ballot this year, I think...someone correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, this is something that there can be true difference of opinion about and both sides maintain a measure of understanding and respect for the people of the other. Those who are for it, see expanded public transportation, allowing many more people to enjoy the ease and convenience of high speed, traffic free transit to downtown Denver. Those who are against the measure cite that it will be a tax burden that people shouldn't have to pay for. Those are both perfectly valid arguements for people whose priorities lie along those differing lines. This is a case where any given individual can take all the factors into consideration (tax hike, proximity to their home, ease of use, potential for increased noise, increased traffic around the stations, convenience, environmental impact (good or bad), etc) and weigh those factors according to their own beliefs for the good of the community and scale of importance, reducing to a simple "yes" or "no" vote. So should it be with every political/social issue, as well as every candidate. This is the fundamental principle of our democracy, that all responsible citizens should determine what they believe is best, and in theory, with the proper education and research....the majority should be right.