Luke, Mary sign up to help enlighten

Sunday's editorial challenged North Idahoans to understand their government better.

Now we've enlisted some troops to help.

Because a firm grasp of civics is essential for citizens to keep their republic free and functional, our Sunday opinion piece quizzed readers on their familiarity with federal facts. With the help of two local legislators, one from each chamber, understanding state lawmaking is the next goal.

Rep. Luke Malek and Sen. Mary Souza will be sharing some of their insights and experiences during the current legislative session. Luke kicks off the discussion on today's op-ed page, with Mary in the on deck circle for Friday. We hope to publish one column per month from each of them, as long as the session runs.

Several readers let us know that they flunked Sunday's quiz, failing to get six or more of the 10 questions answered correctly. In other words, they faltered where every applicant for U.S. citizenship must succeed.

We appreciate the honesty, but we also worry. It isn't just young Americans who come up short in understanding how our nation functions; in far too many cases, it's us older citizens who absolutely should know better. You might be surprised how few of your neighbors know the difference between state and federal governance or how our court system works, let alone the history that led to today's realities.

We encourage families to turn off their TVs and other mind-numbing gadgets long enough to talk about civics over the dinner table and in the living room. Do some research and make these chats fun. Even when it leads to passionate debate, understanding is enhanced - and that's good.

Without further ado, take it away, Luke.