Last weekend, I spoke to voters at a local event packed with energy, urgency, and people ready to make a difference. But in a quiet moment afterward, a few attendees pulled me aside and said something I can’t stop thinking about:

“Who is Darrell Issa?”

That wasn’t just a reminder of how far removed some folks are from our political process—it was a flashing red light.

Darrell Issa is our current Congressman. He’s spent years taking money from the same industries he’s supposed to regulate. He votes against your health care, your internet freedom, and your right to vote—and still, people don’t even know his name. That’s not on the voters. That’s on the system. And it’s by design.

Why Civic Education Matters More Than Ever

When people feel disempowered, disconnected, and uneducated about the process, it’s not apathy—it’s erosion. Civic education has been gutted in schools. Voter engagement gets reduced to hashtags (which is part of the reason I’ve built such a robust website). And meanwhile, billionaires, their legal teams, and political insiders make damn sure they understand every loophole and lever of power.

We can’t keep pretending people are lazy or ignorant when no one gave them the tools in the first place. They’re not the problem. 

The system is.

How We Fix It

We need to treat civic education the way we treat core infrastructure—because it is. This isn’t about memorizing the three branches of government in 10th grade. It’s about giving people real access to how power works, and how to use it.

Here’s where we start:

• Universal, nonpartisan civic education in every school
  And not just “read this textbook.” We’re talking simulations, debates, local government projects, and real conversations about power, money, and representation.

• Accessible voter resources, everywhere
  Public libraries, DMV offices, job centers—everywhere people already are. Simple, modern tools. No legal jargon. No hidden deadlines.

• Paid civic fellowships for young people
  Want more young voters? Pay them to learn the system and teach their peers. Give them skin in the game.

• Mobile outreach in low-voting areas
  Let’s stop shaming low-turnout communities and start showing up with the information and support they need.

How We Pay for It

Easy. Here’s a short list of options:

• Close the carried interest loophole
  That alone brings in billions—from hedge fund managers who’ve dodged taxes for decades.

• Implement a 1% wealth tax on billionaires
  If you can afford to launch yourself into space for fun, you can afford to help rebuild democracy.

• Cut federal contracts to repeat-offender corporations
  If a company’s been fined for fraud or labor abuse, they don’t need your tax dollars.

This isn’t about big government—it’s about smart investment in the very foundation of our democracy: an informed, empowered people.

Final Thought

They want you confused. They want you checked out. Because if you don’t know who Darrell Issa is, you’re not a threat to Darrell Issa.

Let’s change that.