Today’s political environment is so oppositional that it is difficult to truly understand what either party stands for. Increasingly, Democrats and Republicans are defined not by what they stand for but by who they stand against. The State of the Union Address and the minority response did little to convey a true strategy for the coming year. I have been a Democrat all my life, since my grandma took me to see Jack Kennedy give a stump speech in 1960, but I think the time has come for me to articulate what that means.
At the most fundamental level, my personal political philosophy is based in a view of why we have governments. I believe that, in a democracy, government is not a separate ruling elite or an impersonal bureaucracy. It is how individual citizens come together as a community to protect each other and our communities and to improve the lives of all citizens. We elect representatives from within the community to act on our behalf to ensure safety and to encourage continuous improvement of the community itself. Government is how we establish and sustain community in a democracy in order to main the quality of life in our community. Sometimes the impact is a direct result of governmental action; other times, it is more indirect. The interstate highway system is an example of direct governmental action to benefit the community. National safety standards for vehicles that use those highways is an example of indirect action.
The question for all citizens is simple: to what extent do we want to help our neighbors be safe, secure, and happy—or, as the Declaration of Independence put it, to what extent do we want to ensure “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”—the three “inalienable rights” of all citizens? There is a continuum of feeling on that issue which, unfortunately, is often perceived only at the extremes. Ultimately, however, these criteria should be the basis of a party’s platform or governing strategic plan:
First, we should use government to ensure a physical and regulatory infrastructure that is equally available to all citizens, giving them equal access to resources. A good example is our national highway system, but infrastructure also includes proper control of rivers and other waterways, safe drinking water, access to electricity and other forms of energy, and so forth. Ultimately, the role is an infrastructure that ensures that all citizens have equal access to a healthy environment and the ability to make a living.
Second, our government should also ensure that all citizens have equal access to health, education, and other services that help ensure a standard quality of life for all citizens and that helps ensure the ability of all citizens to realize our potential as members of the community.
Third, our government should protect citizens from threats. This can be threats from other nations, natural threats like climate change, or threats to our economy and health from uncontrolled actions by individuals and organizations. The goal of government in this context is to protect our ability as citizens to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. One factor that must be considered is that America’s place in international conflicts has changed greatly since the end of World War II. We now live in a highly integrated, global, information-based economy in which many industries—and countries—are increasingly reliant on each other for materials in an international supply chain and as a marketplace. This does not mean that we don’t have enemies or that our partner nations don’t have enemies. However, it does mean that, increasingly, we cannot limit the impact of our actions on us alone. We need to consider global impacts—on our political allies, on our industry partners, and, yes, even on our competitors when we act internationally.
With these broad purposes in mind, here are a few items that I think should be the basis for a platform and governing strategy in the political debate as we move toward the 2020 President election:
Climate ChangeThis may be the most critical issue facing our society today. We need governmental action to reduce emissions and minimize the damage that has already been done and to provide citizens with alternative sources of energy (solar, wind, nuclear) that will do no further harm to the environment. We can only do this at the national level. In this case, social interest must override commercial/industry interests. We must demand that our representatives take this issue seriously and build an international coalition to minimize climate change and find ways to overcome its inevitable impact.
An Infrastructure for the Information AgeWhile a national transportation system—first trains, then the Interstate highway system—were hallmarks of the Industrial Revolution, we are now seeing the need for an online information system that makes the Internet truly accessible to all communities. Today, more people are working remotely, linking in from their homes rather than commuting to offices. At the same time, the supply chain in almost every industry has become international, requiring easy communication with distant colleagues. And, traditional retail stores are giving way to e-tailing. Unless communities have easy access to the web, they cannot thrive. It even affects the ability of local schools to access knowledge for their students. Universal access to the Internet is as important today as roads, trains, and Rural Free Delivery were to the last revolution.
Universal K-14 Education As the Information Society matures, the need for new services that enable citizens to be successful is becoming clear. One of these is universal K-14 education—providing public funding for the first two years of a college education. This reflects a simple truth: the Information Society has made work more complex and requires greater entry-level skills. New York has already taken steps to provide free tuition in its public institutions for resident high school graduates—essentially funding a K-14 education for all. We need to ensure this in every state.
Universal Health Care Of equal importance is the need for publicly funded access to health services, combined with governmental control over the price of medicines. As lifespans increase in the new environment, all citizens deserve equal access to health services. This is a complex issue, but one that must be addressed.
Immigration The current concern about immigration is not just limited to the border between Mexico and the U.S. It is a global concern, driven by the huge disparities in governance, rights, and economics in a new global society where everyone can easily see the alternatives. It is driving political discourse in developed countries around the world as they try to limit the economic and social impact of refugees. This will only increase as the new global economy continues to evolve and, perhaps most important, as global climate change forces dislocation in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries. Clearly, fences and family separations, etc., are not a true solution. While we need to maintain control of international entry points, that is not the sole issue. For a long-term solution, we need to help our neighbors to the south respond to the political and economic problems that are driving their citizens away from their homes. The factors that contribute to the issue also suggest that we need to take a long view and work with other developed countries to address the core problems that are forcing families to leave their homelands in search of a better life.
Competition It has become clear that, in this new environment, our ability to function as an independent nation is being challenged by long-time opponents like Russia and China who can use technology and the internationalized economy to interfere with our democratic processes. This is not, in the final analysis, a simple question of cultural or political or even military competition. The real challenge is how we maintain our political independence in an increasingly “connected” cultural and political environment. This is how we can be strong as a nation in this new environment: we remain proud of our personal identities as members of a national culture, but we increasingly must also see ourselves as public members of a broader community that knows no national boundaries. We are Americans, but also citizens of the world.
Controlling the Use of Guns The first month of 2019 saw more than 1,000 gun deaths in the United States. The Hill reported that nearly 40,000 people were killed by guns in the U.S. in 2017. Mass gun killings seem to be on the rise. Here in State College, the new year began with four people (including the shooter) being killed in one incident. This week, Pennsylvania legislators discussed allowing deer hunters to use semi-automatic weapons. Gun control is one of the most divisive issues in the U.S., pitting gun manufacturers and gun advocacy groups against the general citizenry. It is time to solve this problem. We test drivers before licensing them, and we require that all motor vehicles be inspected and registered. We need a similar universal system to control access and mis-use of guns.
Thoughts??
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