Kansas and Missouri!

“People want government to do the right thing but there’s increasingly no agreement on what the right thing is –“

Wisdom from the Heart of the Country

With lush fields and bright blue skies as a backdrop, I got a good dose of Midwestern pragmatism and problem solving. I was invited into a session of the long standing “da coffee crew” – a group of guys who have met for years on Saturday mornings to talk about stuff. There were a couple of new themes in the sessions this time – the first was the importance of local control and accountability; the second was related – the importance of avoiding over regulation. These guys were proud that Kansas City had just passed an $800 million bond issue to address basic infrastructure needs such as water, sewer and sidewalk. KC is a thriving place, and they could afford to make these investments.

So, what of the Federal Government?

Folks in Kansas and Missouri want to limit and define where the federal government is vital. Simplicity reigns when describing what the federal government should do: create an overarching system of laws and figure out how to manage shared resources. It makes more sense to have a national security plan, and we need to share infrastructure – roads, airports, harbors, bridges. They weren’t sure about all the other areas where the federal government was involved, and just because the federal government would perhaps not have primary authority didn’t mean that state and local governments would just allow for anarchy.

Over Regulation

Once folks got talking, however, it was clear that many felt that the federal government has over reached. Sometimes the regulations have unintended consequences. I don’t pretend to understand all industries, but I do understand when folks say that the regulations don’t make sense, that they can’t continue to serve clients or that they can’t find the kind of support that is required because of regulation. Where does fault lie? It’s hard to say because there was general consensus that some regulation is important for protections say from the investment scheme charlatan or the snake oil salesman, but over regulation poses its own set of inhibitions on commerce and jobs growth. It’s a balance –and it may have tipped too far in favor of regulation.

Healthcare is a Building Block of a Productive Country

Even though folks are certain that Uncle Sam has over reached in certain areas, they felt very sure that Uncle Sam should offer Americans the same kind of basic healthcare that they see in similar countries. Even doctors are ready for a single payer system. How folks get to this answer varies a lot – some think that administrators at all of the private insurance companies are responsible for the increasing costs and that the middle management costs do not lead to more healthcare, just more expensive healthcare. Elimination of these middle managers would likely help restrain the cost of having a healthy citizenry. Some felt that good basic healthcare was a right, just like the right to vote and that it should not be tied to employment or any other artificial or unrelated status. At the end of the day, everyone agreed that a healthy population would ensure a healthy work force that would increase productivity and opportunity for all. Basic healthcare is a building block of a productive society.

Some Things are Extra Important

While I admit, I did prod a bit on the environment, I was surprised at how important da coffee guys felt clean air and water were. Their answer is that issues relating to the environment should both be driven by facts and by the federal government because pollution doesn’t recognize borders.

These guys also wanted to underscore the importance of a great education which they acknowledge is not cheap. In all of their communities, they have increased their local taxes to ensure a good educational system. This local effort unfortunately led to big differences across their states. Hard to find the right answer here for balancing community willingness to invest in their own vs. in communities where maybe funding or interest in education is not as high.

More Road Tripping!

All of the great food and company and conversation just got me more excited to make the next trip. Stay tuned. This adventure is still not my day job but more to come; the conversations are incredible.

Continuing the Conversation

Are we a country of citizens or groups?

In talking with citizens as we prepare for future philosopher sessions, I have been struck by a common refrain – fairness. 

Fairness has become the Greek chorus every time we discuss a topic.  A lot of people think that fairness is code for something else, perhaps resentment.  But, I would like to take the concept of fairness at face value, and think about ways in which we have some fundamental differences in how different groups relate to the government or to the state, about the most basic concepts of our social contract and what government is supposed to do.

Some French History

I took a step back to my training in French history. The French revolution and subsequent rule of Napoleon Bonaparte was structurally revolutionary in ways that were not as easily identifiable in the American revolution.  France was an aristocratic and monarchial society; there were sub groups based on social status, religion, even craft or job. 

Before the revolution, each of these groups had what were called “privileges”, which were, in essence, special rights or obligations that were enjoyed only by that group.  Those privileges could have been economic, such as being part of a guild and therefore having the right to earn money in a certain specialty; those rights could have been being able to follow religious law instead of secular law as was the case for Jewish groups before the revolution. There are many more examples. 

What is important is that the French abolished these special privileges–or rights–with the revolution, and with Napoleon’s code civil and made all men equal citizens.  Every citizen had the same rights, and related directly to the national government instead of some corporate entity like a guild or a religion or social position.

Our American Idea

Of course, the French were inspired by our own American revolution, and the simplicity of our founding ideas in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution. 

The French example is suddenly, perhaps, instructive to us as we struggle to balance the rights of individuals and the equality of fellow citizens with the interests of at-risk or harmed or minority communities, and as we try to moderate the power of the disproportionately wealthy in our society. 

Unfortunately, in staking out ways to empower the less empowered, we may have fallen into a pattern of creating sets of privileges and special rights assigned to groups as opposed to individuals.  Public unions, for example, have a special relationship with the government since they have the power to stop work and the power to control the political futures of their bosses.  As such, public employees have worked as a group to create salaries that are 30% higher than non public union jobs along with pensions and healthcare that are radically superior to average Americans.  The existence of this group makes regular, non public union Americans wonder about fairness. 

Twist of Privilege

Similar kinds of privileges have been meted out to oil companies in the form of subsidies, to religious groups who don’t pay taxes and get exemptions from legislation, and to corn farmers who receive subsidies as well.  In fact, even homeowners have been given special privileges in the form of tax credits or write-offs. 

We have to consider what are the unintended consequences of a very atomistic approach to solving group issues, as opposed to looking at laws and tax policy that would allow individuals to maintain a direct and equal relationship with the government.

If, for example, public employee unions convinced their bosses – our government – that their healthcare needs are fundamental, then too should we be legislating for all citizens to have access to healthcare?  

In other words, do we need to evolve from the ‘benefits” of belonging to a group to the rights and responsibilities of all individual citizens?  Should we entirely reframe the discussion about rights assigned to groups or individuals?  Instead, can we think about the basic requirements or building blocks of a just and fair economy for all?  Don’t we all benefit from a clean environment, well built infrastructure, public safety and secure borders, education focused on preparing our population for work, providing for essential healthcare so we have a healthy citizenry that can work and providing for a secure retirement for our elders?  These seem to be the most basic building blocks for which we share and need and from which we all benefit whether we are billionaires or regular folk. Maybe you have a different set? 

Let me know! >>

Anyhow, food for thought on some of the basic ways we all relate to the government.

First Stop: Chicago

My Dream

I am amazed by the wisdom of individuals from every walk of life.  So often, folks make observations that I wish the world could hear. The disconnect between the heartless repetition of strife and disagreement that has become the public conversation just seems at odds with how people actually deal with their friends and neighbors in communities all over the United States.  So, I wanted to get a bit elemental, to push beyond the rhetoric of partisan politics.  I began to wonder – what is this experiment that we call America?  How do we think about the society we have created? What kind of governance do we want?  I am tired of clichés and talking points.  What do real people really think?  Finally, here on AOMD, we will get to hear these profound thoughts!

The First Stop

AOMD’s first stop is Chicago. Chicago is an amazing and vibrant city full of all of the wonders and challenges that large urban centers experience.  It is also a mecca for mobile Midwesterners who relocate here after college.  There are a lot of folks here from Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota just to name a few.  Our first group of citizen philosophers (whom you can see) is a motley crew – different ages, genders, perspectives.  That’s our goal.  Get folks together who may or may not know each other and have them talk about their very individual notions of the role of our government and their own rights and responsibilities.

Our Challenge

Our challenge is to consider the role of government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.  It’s not as obvious as it might seem.  As we begin our discussions, we’ve asked our citizen philosophers to think about the kind of society they prefer to live in and then to talk about how that society is created through government.  Their ideas.  We may all have different ideas, and that’s our right.  We will be wading through the discussion looking for common threads and what we believe is a uniquely American consensus.

A Few Conclusions

Well, our first group was just incredible.  I really wasn’t sure how the conversation would flow or if we would lop over into the toxicity that surrounds us.  Each member had a distinct set of ideas, but there were some areas of consensus.  As we began to talk, we each realized that the very idea of having a discussion about what the government ‘should’ be doing was a mark of the nature of our democracy; in a dictatorship, our thoughts would not be relevant, but in a democracy of the people, we probably don’t spend enough time thinking about these issues.

Doing What Individuals Can’t Do

Overall, philosophically, one member set the table with the idea that the government needs to do what individuals can’t do.  Some problems are too big for an individual to solve on his or her own, but governing bodies can manage these larger challenges – like infrastructure, education, healthcare and national security.

Fairness

There was agreement on an idea of fairness, that mostly we are a country of law abiding, tax paying, hard working people and that perhaps our governmental bodies have lost sight of the need to be sure that there is a fair shot for everyone.  The government needs to be involved in maintaining this fairness, and this translated into putting governmental resources into education, infrastructure, national security and healthcare.

Trusting the Government

The closer the governmental body got to the locale, the more people trusted it.  Although there was a general sense that our political leaders and hence units of government had lost sight of their role in serving the people, the citizen philosophers (CPs) wanted to close that gap.  It feels better to the CPs if government folks are motivated out of duty, not a big pay day at the end.

The Most Vulnerable Among Us

Each person said it in different ways, but everyone agreed that caring for the most vulnerable among us is the most important function of government.  Basic preventive healthcare, education, taking care of the elderly, and teaching self-reliance are seen as the foundation of building a society that would prosper and create opportunity.  Even if the ties between us seem distant at times, folks recognize a kind of moral or human obligation toward each other.  Government, along with religious and community institutions, are how we can deliver on this promise.

Join us!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram (scroll down).  Send us your thoughts at info@americaofmydreams.com.  And invite your friends too.

Turning on the Engine

We started.  We had our first conversation with some curious folks who volunteered to test drive this concept and the conversation.  Our first group met in the outskirts of Chicago.  Chicago is the heart of the heartland, and Illinois is a state with challenges across diverse populations. I was nervous; I knew some of the folks, but not everyone.  We came together without political labels – 3 women and 2 men plus me and the photographer (Sarah!).  We sat around the dining room table.  Our citizen philosophers (CPs) started by writing down their thoughts on two questions:  1) What is the role of our government in our democracy?  2)  What is the role of the citizen in the modern United States of America?  We agreed that we were lucky to live in the USA, a place where we could have an open discussion on these elemental questions without fear of retribution, and where we hope and trust that we can make things better.  We had only glasses of water and some chocolate covered pretzel bites to sustain us.

The Rebirth of the Citizen Philosopher

The conversation went even better than I had hoped.  The CPs definitely had different ways of thinking about government, governance and citizenship, but we found agreement on certain principles.  It’s too early to say – we have many more miles to travel – but there is definitely an American perspective on the world and a view of how government should be engaged in supporting its citizens.  Maybe that seems obvious to some, but after listening to the media over the few years, it felt kind of remote.

We have challenges ahead of us. One CP observed that “it feels like chaos everywhere, in cities, in the federal government, in rural areas.” As a group, folks questioned whether the country really is more chaotic – the statistics tell us that crime is actually lower, that unemployment is at a long time low, that real wages are beginning to rise, but others noted that housing values still have not rebounded in the wake of the 2008 recession and many home owners feel underwater with debt.  In the discussion, we realized that we have to find a way to deal with perception and feeling as well as with what the supporting evidence actually says.  In this way, the conversation became more textured, seeing that our feelings about our situation were sometimes more powerful than the situation itself.  In the end, the CPs agreed that they hoped that government would help counter chaos, not increase it.  No one likes chaos.

Tune In and Follow Us

A major theme of the discussion was the importance of individual responsibility with the acknowledgement that we could only be successful if the government were to provide the tools and the frame.  What does that mean?  The CPs believed that the government is essential in providing solutions or protections for issues that are too big for individuals to solve on their own.  Broadly, responsibilities of government were infrastructure, national security, education and healthcare.  Further, there was agreement that the governing class needed to be driven by a sense of duty rather than by greed or monetary gain; to govern is to serve and there is honor in that.  These are some of our starting thoughts; stay tuned to see how these discussions progress.  We’re going to Southern Illinois in a month.  We hope to get to Harrisonville, MO sooner.  Check back with us!