Jim Leach, ninth chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and an Iowa representative for 30 years, spoke on “Civility in a Troubled Economy” in Kocimski Auditorium in the College of Design on Tuesday. Leach discussed the difficulties of the current economic times, the importance of the humanities and civility in argumentation.

“These are tough times and everybody knows it … there is a sense in the American public that the best and the brightest … have somehow let the country down,” said Leach, who called the fewer than 10 percent approval rating for the current Congress “unprecedented.”

“I’m beginning with all the bad news,” Leach said while pointing out all the difficulties that may still be ahead with the uncertainties of our country’s economic future. Leach suggested that two areas in need of special scrutiny are Social Security and health care.

“The self evident aspect of health care is that we stand out in the world,” Leach said, drawing attention to the rising costs of health care in the United States compared to other countries around the world.

From here, Leach moved to unemployment, saying having an understanding of community is required to create jobs.

Leach reflected that the “humanities are awfully important” in order for a skilled workforce. He referred to what is commonly known as the “Three R’s: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.” Leach continued on to say that he felt a forth R needed to be added.

“To compete in the world we need … relative knowledge of the world,” he said.

Leach believes that this “fourth R” is important in getting America back on track and can be found within the humanity studies found in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Leach discussed how what he believed to be one of the biggest mistakes in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is that we entered two countries with little knowledge of the people, culture and current political issues. Once again, he said, this “mistake” could have been fixed with reality and the understanding of the world around us.

“Citizens need to be aware that national security begins at home … in how we as a people show respect to cultures that are not our own,” he said.

Leach said that people in foreign countries would either see us as a country with prejudices or as having a wealth of opportunity.

The lecture discussed points from Leach’s Civility Tour, which he finished on May 15 in Hawaii. The Civility Tour took Leach 19 months and involved him speaking in all 50 states about the importance of the civil exchange of ideas, in a country that is constantly presented with extreme opposing ideas in nearly every subject.

“If you don’t have argumentation … it can lead to a greater likelihood of tyranny,” Leach said.

His idea of civility is that argumentation is good as long as everyone has the chance to share his or her feelings and ideas, instead of only have one extreme of the argument presented.

Leach spent the day on the ISU campus working with faculty, staff and students on how to further the education of the humanities at the university.