As most of you are aware there was a tragedy this Saturday January 8th that left six people dead and 18 people wounded in a senseless act of violence in Arizona. The shooting was as we have learned, preplanned and brought to fruition by a mentally disturbed and troubled young man. This act violates everything we believe in about the nature of a civil society and we wish the injured the swiftest and complete recoveries.
The action was deplorable and the climate in which this sort of twisted act could take has been a quagmire of hate, intolerance, and fire and brimstone. Politics has always bartered with the coin of emotions and fear, but the past few years have seen an increase in intolerance, and increase in vitriol and a blatant disregard for public safety in our civil discourse.
Words have power and when they are thrown around in times of economic uncertainty they become more than mere rhetoric. They become driving forces that can in certain circumstances be the final push of those already on an unstable path. The sick and mentally ill are already struggling to survive in a society that does not care for them and casts them off as lost, but when an environment of hatred is bred and then made mainstream by the sheer amount of bombastic points of view, these people begin to feel normalcy in their sickness.
I will not blame a specific person, party or group, but I will blame the rest of us who silently support the type of political claptrap by being ourselves silent. We cannot sit by and reward those who spread hatred and bile by simply turning the channel or changing the radio dial. We must oppose hatred with understanding. We must stand up against those who would try to frighten us into believing that political matters are life and death. We need to confront, not ignore.
It is time that we stop hiding in our own chosen political silos and start again listening, confronting in a civil way those who have opposing views, but also understanding those opposing views. I've suggested this book a million times, but I will do it again.
The Big Sort by Robert Cushing
This book talks about how the political divide in the United States has grown into a chasm due to a variety of factors and that chasm is spreading ever further ironically with the increase in information. We need to stop isolating ourselves with opinions, news and radio that confirm our own beliefs. We need to once again temper our opinions so that we do not ourselves become extreme in our views. Extremism is the enemy of a civil society.
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Jan 10, 2011
Nov 5, 2010
Election Results: an opinion
I wrote a brief examination of the election results for Washington State that went out in our twice monthly newsletter that focused exclusively on the initiatives and their potential impact. I wanted to play it as "hard" news so I did not editorialize my own thoughts about what the people of Washington State have unleashed in their votes, but I think I have calmed down enough to do it with slightly less throbbing in my head as I write.
First of all, I am a pragmatist in my views about government, taxation and the role and responsibility we have towards each other and the unfortunate. Government is one of the pillars that hold up our society and it is one of the only institutions that can systematically help create and maintain a more equitable society. It is not the only solution to our many problems, but it is one of the most powerful influences on our everyday lives.
This election cycle we saw another side of democracy that sickened many of us. Negative campaigns, fear, anger, and a sense of hopelessness was rained upon us minute after minute to inflame the passions, deaden the heart and distort the actual facts of the state of our nation. Many people were disappointed in the actions taken by the government before the election and did not even see the work that has been accomplished.
The general mood in Washington State was "don't tax me at all, but don't touch my medicare." Nearly all the tax initiatives that would have gone far to supply revenue to the state coffers were overturned or reversed. Also, there were new laws put into place that make it harder for the state to gather resources in the future. It is a short sighted outlook and general mistrust of government that made many voters check the boxes towards hamstringing their own government.
With the laws of Washington State in regards to budgets in mind, we will see a cutting of services that are essential such as health care, education, and human services. It is little surprise that the ones who will suffer the most are the most unfortunate. Many people in the middle class have had a rude awakening with this economic recession that they are not as economically solid as they were lead to believe. This causes fear and a tightening of purse strings in regards to the aide and comfort of their neighbors. People are looking to their own houses instead of seeing the larger picture that without our neighbors, colleagues and friends none of us can make it in this economic system of give and take.
On the national level the biggest disappointment is the naivete of the defeated Democrats. Repeatedly they have said that they see this thumping as a sign that people want compromise and the language nearly to a person in the Democratic caucus has been expecting compromise from the Republicans. Republicans on the other hand have made it clear that compromise is not in their plan.
Politics has gotten too charged with personal insults, class warfare and misunderstanding. It is a tug and pull of fear and loathing and in the end we are the ones to suffer. The election results will lead to extended gridlock and we will see a slowing of accomplishments as the term begins in January. We can't afford to have a government that is sitting on its hands in this economic pressure we face. We need a government that will put aside its ideological differences and get things done for those who cannot do on their own without assistance. We need to set in place economic systems that open up opportunities and an education system that will prepare us for the near and present future.
For another analysis of the midterms from the viewpoint of its effects on Nonprofits check out The Nonprofit Quarterly.
First of all, I am a pragmatist in my views about government, taxation and the role and responsibility we have towards each other and the unfortunate. Government is one of the pillars that hold up our society and it is one of the only institutions that can systematically help create and maintain a more equitable society. It is not the only solution to our many problems, but it is one of the most powerful influences on our everyday lives.
This election cycle we saw another side of democracy that sickened many of us. Negative campaigns, fear, anger, and a sense of hopelessness was rained upon us minute after minute to inflame the passions, deaden the heart and distort the actual facts of the state of our nation. Many people were disappointed in the actions taken by the government before the election and did not even see the work that has been accomplished.
The general mood in Washington State was "don't tax me at all, but don't touch my medicare." Nearly all the tax initiatives that would have gone far to supply revenue to the state coffers were overturned or reversed. Also, there were new laws put into place that make it harder for the state to gather resources in the future. It is a short sighted outlook and general mistrust of government that made many voters check the boxes towards hamstringing their own government.
With the laws of Washington State in regards to budgets in mind, we will see a cutting of services that are essential such as health care, education, and human services. It is little surprise that the ones who will suffer the most are the most unfortunate. Many people in the middle class have had a rude awakening with this economic recession that they are not as economically solid as they were lead to believe. This causes fear and a tightening of purse strings in regards to the aide and comfort of their neighbors. People are looking to their own houses instead of seeing the larger picture that without our neighbors, colleagues and friends none of us can make it in this economic system of give and take.
On the national level the biggest disappointment is the naivete of the defeated Democrats. Repeatedly they have said that they see this thumping as a sign that people want compromise and the language nearly to a person in the Democratic caucus has been expecting compromise from the Republicans. Republicans on the other hand have made it clear that compromise is not in their plan.
Politics has gotten too charged with personal insults, class warfare and misunderstanding. It is a tug and pull of fear and loathing and in the end we are the ones to suffer. The election results will lead to extended gridlock and we will see a slowing of accomplishments as the term begins in January. We can't afford to have a government that is sitting on its hands in this economic pressure we face. We need a government that will put aside its ideological differences and get things done for those who cannot do on their own without assistance. We need to set in place economic systems that open up opportunities and an education system that will prepare us for the near and present future.
For another analysis of the midterms from the viewpoint of its effects on Nonprofits check out The Nonprofit Quarterly.
Jul 19, 2010
Book Recommendation 7/19/2010
Today I'm going to recommend a book that has fundamentally changed my thoughts on politics here in the United States. It's called, The Big Sort by Bill Bishop.The book takes a look at historical markers of the segmentation of American society and how this has lead to a hardening of positions on all sides of the political scale. The book examines how the information age has enabled like minded people to shut out all the sounds of other opinions. We have seen the results of this hardening in our sundered political parties that are becoming more and more unable to actually govern without "super majorities."
The fact that parties are getting to the point of desiring and needing a "filibuster proof" majority is another blog altogether, but the underlying cause of this division is our filtering of other influences that are different from our own. The way we can choose to listen, see, read, or interact only with people that have the same views as ours has made us all more extreme in those views.
The book is an eye opening read about how we have gotten to the most divided political scene that did not involve a civil war. It is written in a conversational tone that reads like a novel as the author explores different people and movements that have steadily driven us to a nation divided.
Jun 10, 2010
Why individual action still matters
This is post 4 of a 5 part series. Previously:
If you've been reading these posts in order, you may feel that the previous one about the paramount importance of better policy undermines the message from the day before about individual choices we can make to use less oil. There are several reasons why even though it can't be enough alone, individual action is still crucially important.
The first is simply that the status quo is so bad that we must do everything productive, and not allow the pursuit of one avenue to prevent others from being explored. I started this series writing about the direct consequences of oil extraction, but I have barely mentioned the larger problem: global climate change. Unfortunately, the world is almost certainly committed to some warming even if we somehow stop emitting greenhouse gases overnight. This means we have already passed the point where the real question is about whether we suffer serious, painful consequences; it's already a question of how bad it will be. This means that anything which reduces emissions now will have some benefit, and most of the individual actions can be done much quicker than the necessary policy changes.
A deeper reason is that the domains of individual action and policy are not entirely separate. When you choose to bike somewhere instead of driving, you are not only avoiding those miles of driving, but also shifting demand from car to bike infrastructure. This information is tracked and used to plan future investments, so each time you make a choice of how to get around (or where to buy things from, what food to eat, and so on), you are voting with your feet. And if you want to persuade your elected representative to do something, it's much easier if you can say "this will help me, because I'm already practicing what I preach", not to mention simply being more honest.
Finally, individual choices matter as much as anything else because they shift the Overton Window; they change what is considered politically possible. Each person who makes the kind of behavioural choices that contribute to weaning us off oil, makes it easier for the next to follow, and easier for politicians to pass the kind of laws that support them doing so. Changing social trends change what politicians feel they can or should do, and a changing social trend is nothing more than the aggregation of enough individuals changing their own behaviour. A movement is powerful because it leads to political change, but it starts with individuals opting to do the right thing.
So, individual action alone won't save us, but the system-wide changes we need won't happen without the support of many individuals' actions.
This is post 4 of a 5 part series. Coming up:
Jun 9, 2010
Only better policies can really save us
This is post 3 of a 5 part series. Previously:
In the previous posts in this series, I argued that we must reduce our oil consumption and outlined individual actions we can take to do so. Unfortunately, all manner of structural problems conspire to limit how much difference we can make as individuals. As a simple example, consider what happens to the supply and demand of parking if you stop driving: parking becomes easier or cheaper for someone else to find, leaving everyone else with less incentive to change their behaviour. Unfortunately, this is just one example of a much broader phenomenon. Oil is a fungible commodity, meaning that whatever is not used in one place can be trivially transferred to use elsewhere, and without wholesale economic systems change we are on a course to use the last drop we are capable of extracting from the ground, at ever higher costs. If we are really to escape the terrible consequences of oil use, we must change the way our economy is organised comprehensively enough that we can actually leave oil in the ground.
To achieve this sort of change, we have to build up from individual actions to local, national and ultimately international policy. The local part is the easiest to get a handle on. Local governments make decisions every year that have important impacts on the behaviour of, and opportunities open to, the people who live in their jurisdiction. Many of these are straightforward allocations of resources; investing in more, larger or faster roads increases driving while transferring those same resources over to improving public transport, bike infrastructure or the pedestrian environment encourages people to leave their cars behind by giving them better alternatives. Here in Seattle, we face a particularly extreme allocation of resources into oil-dependent infrastructure with the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement megaproject, which will plough $2 billion into a downtown highway bypass while almost certainly sucking away all the resources that might have been spent on improving travel within downtown.
Local government also exerts a lot of control over urban form by means of building codes and zoning laws, and these make a huge difference to resource use. Everything that encourages car-friendly infrastructure over pedestrian-friendly, and especially if it encourages sprawl over dense urban living, contributes to making us all use more oil as we travel past each others' houses to get to anything. Local examples include a set of townhouse design rules which both increase the amount of space one house needs and leads to hostile pedestrian environments, and the very limited area in which developers are allowed to build multifamily housing. Many cities in the US have similar issues, and if they were all fixed we would consume significantly less oil as a country, simply because we'd be travelling so much shorter distances going about our business.
Nationally, we need not only to introduce policies that deliberately reduce oil use (such as Cap and Trade in some form), but also to remove the huge number of subsidies that make enormously resource-wasteful activities economical; the most obvious being highway subsidies. We can and should take this further, and use a huge economic lever to reduce demand for oil by shifting taxes from income and goods to pollution. This is where we start to get multiplier effects that approach the scale of the problem.
Of course, the same argument about fungibility that applies between individuals applies between countries, so ultimately international treaties will be crucial. I won't go further into that here, because the international influence of the US is so huge that it's clear that no worthwhile international treaty can be passed until we are seen to be fixing our own problems, so we must focus on domestic policy first. And domestic policy is somewhere where you can make a difference by educating yourself about the issues, talking about them, and writing to elected representatives wherever you are.
If you take one thing from this whole series of posts, please let it be the importance of advocating for policies that wean us collectively off oil.
Jan 4, 2010
The New Mayor of Seattle
The atmosphere at the swearing in event was hopeful, optimistic and rushed. The new mayor of Seattle Mike McGinn was sworn in today for the first day of his term at the City Hall on Fourth and James at 2:00 p.m. right on time. The general feeling that the newly elected officials were: renewal, cooperation, collaboration, and sustainability.
Mayor McGinn spoke in front of a crowd of over one hundred and fifty and a additional overflow room of seventy or so citizens after his swearing in ceremony. He spoke of his campaign to be elected hearkening back to his promises he made during the grueling fight with Mallahan and promised to put his progressive values to work right away. Mayor McGinn announced that he had ready to sign a series of executive orders that were mainly economic in nature. One order was a wage freeze for senior level city employees and another executive order was to review all consulting contacts the city has in order to trim the fat from the budget.
The mayor talked about how he wants his administration to be open and transparent. He also spoke about the need for citizens, which he referred to over a dozen times in his ten minute speech, to be more involved in civic life. Town halls and citizen actions are to be a center point in how he collects information and gets ideas.
"The citizens of Seattle believe in this city." Mayor McGinn said as he wrapped up his speech. He then rounded out with a list of our common beliefs such as: opportunity, fair treatment, economic security, innovation and solutions to be an example city to others. He also spoke about making his "Progressive Agenda" come to fruition.
The other swear ins were the new City Attorney Mr. Peter Holmes and City Council members. Peter Holmes was sworn in immediately after the Mayor left the stage and the first words out of his mouth was a quote from Mark Twain. "If you carry a cat by its tail, you will learn more than any other way." He compared the campaign to a wrangling of different cats and the struggle to remain focused and forward thinking. Mr. Holmes went on to talk about his main objective as city attorney was to keep Seattle in the forefront in a nation of law.
Mr. Holmes took a strong stance against simply locking up those who commit crimes. He stated that the United States puts more of its citizens in jail or prison than any other country in the world. He then said that "Seattle will not be in the jail building business." to scattered applause. He then pointed out that civil liberties and public safety are not mutually exclusive themes and he pledged to do his best to protect civil liberties and work in partnership with law enforcement and citizens to uphold public safety.
The council members who were sworn in today at City Hall were: Richard Conlin, Nick Licata, Sally Bagshaw and Mike O'Brien. All the new council members spoke after their swearing in session for a few minutes highlighting their main objectives with the exception of Mr. O'Brien who spoke only thanks to his supporters, family and constituents.
Mr. Conlin spoke mostly of renewal and neighborhoods working together. He also emphasized transportation as a means to connect neighborhoods more efficiently, such as light rail and bicycle paths.
Mr. Licata was sworn in by his stepson who needed assistance up to the podium as a person with physical disabilities. Mr. Licata thanked his stepson and supporters while wiping away tears after he was sworn in. He went on to speak about the power of commissions and participatory democracy.
Mrs. Bagshaw gave a truncated version of her acceptance speech with five priorities: creating a job growing economy, housing for all economic levels, transportation reform with more focus on bicycle boulevards and pedestrian pathways, strengthening the public school system, and neighborhood character protection in regards to population growth.
After the ceremony there was a brief session of the city council with the voting for the president going unanimously to Council member Conlin. He was the only person nominated and before the process even began one of the members jokingly said into the microphone, "The fix is in."
Now that the officials that were elected are officially in their positions it is time to see what they will do. We need to be involved and hold them accountable to us their constituents and we must be ever vigilant and grateful for this new chance to make this city better.
What are the priorities for Seattle and the surrounding areas for 2010? What can we accomplish and how are the ways we can accomplish them?
Mayor McGinn spoke in front of a crowd of over one hundred and fifty and a additional overflow room of seventy or so citizens after his swearing in ceremony. He spoke of his campaign to be elected hearkening back to his promises he made during the grueling fight with Mallahan and promised to put his progressive values to work right away. Mayor McGinn announced that he had ready to sign a series of executive orders that were mainly economic in nature. One order was a wage freeze for senior level city employees and another executive order was to review all consulting contacts the city has in order to trim the fat from the budget.
The mayor talked about how he wants his administration to be open and transparent. He also spoke about the need for citizens, which he referred to over a dozen times in his ten minute speech, to be more involved in civic life. Town halls and citizen actions are to be a center point in how he collects information and gets ideas.
"The citizens of Seattle believe in this city." Mayor McGinn said as he wrapped up his speech. He then rounded out with a list of our common beliefs such as: opportunity, fair treatment, economic security, innovation and solutions to be an example city to others. He also spoke about making his "Progressive Agenda" come to fruition.
The other swear ins were the new City Attorney Mr. Peter Holmes and City Council members. Peter Holmes was sworn in immediately after the Mayor left the stage and the first words out of his mouth was a quote from Mark Twain. "If you carry a cat by its tail, you will learn more than any other way." He compared the campaign to a wrangling of different cats and the struggle to remain focused and forward thinking. Mr. Holmes went on to talk about his main objective as city attorney was to keep Seattle in the forefront in a nation of law.
Mr. Holmes took a strong stance against simply locking up those who commit crimes. He stated that the United States puts more of its citizens in jail or prison than any other country in the world. He then said that "Seattle will not be in the jail building business." to scattered applause. He then pointed out that civil liberties and public safety are not mutually exclusive themes and he pledged to do his best to protect civil liberties and work in partnership with law enforcement and citizens to uphold public safety.
The council members who were sworn in today at City Hall were: Richard Conlin, Nick Licata, Sally Bagshaw and Mike O'Brien. All the new council members spoke after their swearing in session for a few minutes highlighting their main objectives with the exception of Mr. O'Brien who spoke only thanks to his supporters, family and constituents.
Mr. Conlin spoke mostly of renewal and neighborhoods working together. He also emphasized transportation as a means to connect neighborhoods more efficiently, such as light rail and bicycle paths.
Mr. Licata was sworn in by his stepson who needed assistance up to the podium as a person with physical disabilities. Mr. Licata thanked his stepson and supporters while wiping away tears after he was sworn in. He went on to speak about the power of commissions and participatory democracy.
Mrs. Bagshaw gave a truncated version of her acceptance speech with five priorities: creating a job growing economy, housing for all economic levels, transportation reform with more focus on bicycle boulevards and pedestrian pathways, strengthening the public school system, and neighborhood character protection in regards to population growth.
After the ceremony there was a brief session of the city council with the voting for the president going unanimously to Council member Conlin. He was the only person nominated and before the process even began one of the members jokingly said into the microphone, "The fix is in."
Now that the officials that were elected are officially in their positions it is time to see what they will do. We need to be involved and hold them accountable to us their constituents and we must be ever vigilant and grateful for this new chance to make this city better.
What are the priorities for Seattle and the surrounding areas for 2010? What can we accomplish and how are the ways we can accomplish them?
Jun 30, 2009
King County Executive Environmental Debate | June 30
This year’s race for King County Executive is heating up fast. Five candidates are running to replace Ron Sims, who was appointed by President Obama as Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The King County Executive is an important position that has considerable impact on Washington’s environment. The next Executive will have an impact on issues such as Puget Sound restoration, transportation, land use, and much more.
Date | June 30, 2009
Time | 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location | Town Hall, 11919 8th Ave
RSVP | RSVP here
Sep 30, 2008
City Club Partnership
Sustainable Seattle has partnered with City Club and Communities Count to promote community action towards our B-Sustainable program goal of Participatory Decision-Making and Civic Engagement.
Our Action Agenda Coordinator worked with City club to compile existing information about our civic engagement- from involvement in community organizations and voting and volunteering rates to participation on arts and culture. Now, City Club is using that information to promote action.
Opening with United Way’s Day of Caring on September 12th and ending on Election Day on November 4th CityClub’s Community Matters Campaign will focus on building our social capital and moving citizens from talk to action, because community matters.
Visit www.seattlecityclub.org to join the campaign and help increase our community level of civic engagement. Sustainable Seattle is hosting a dialogue for the tenants of the Vance Building! Thursday, October 23 from 11:30am - 1:00pm.
Program elements will include:
- Education - In-depth, non-partisan information and opinion offered by experts, community leaders and policymakers. Presented as 7 live public forums and candidate debates on health care, environmental stewardship, public education and imminent elections and ballot initiatives. Each session will be presented to a live public audience. It will also be broadcast multiple times on cable television (Seattle Channel and TVW) and available for streaming and as podcasts.
- Community Dialogue – New this year, CityClub will host up to 50 facilitated community conversations asking citizens to weigh in on the ways they are currently engaged in the community and the barriers and opportunities they see to strengthening that engagement. Participants will also be asked what elected and civic leaders can do to support deeper citizen engagement.
- Action – All Community Matters Campaign participants will be charged to take action to deepen their civic engagement. A web-based “civic action toolbox” will be available as a resource and all dialogue and forum participants will be asked to sign individual pledge cards listing specific investments they intend to make. CityClub will record these civic commitments and mail back copies of the pledge cards to remind participants of their commitments. Additionally, dialogue and online participants will identify strategies we should take to strengthen our social capital. At the end of the Campaign, micro-grants will be awarded to community organizations addressing these identified needs.
- Community Report – The Community Matters Campaign will conclude with a report to the community—policymakers, press, and the public—summarizing what we learn from participating individuals and organizations over the program’s duration.
Sep 26, 2008
Community Questions #1 - Do you think the financial meltdown will affect your neighborhood?
Hello everyone! Welcome to our first community question. We hope that you will come back soon and often to participate in the conversation these questions start. We'll post new questions weekly so come back soon and often. As you can tell by the title of our first blog entry in 'Community Questions', we'd like to know your thoughts on if and how you think the financial meltdown might affect your neighborhood. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and participation.
How is Seattle doing? Want some numbers? You can find relevant indicators on our B-Sustainable site. Here are just a few to get you started:
>> Housing & Transportation Costs as a % of Income
>> Living Wage
>> Neighborhood Social Cohesion
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