Philosophy
Thursday, Mar 13, 2008
Dear diary, Do people like me have the courage for a new kind of politics?
Dear Diary,
It’s 9 p.m., and I just got home from a town hall meeting convened by the two men and one woman who represent my district in the Minnesota State Legislature. Almost skipped the meeting for a much needed workout at the gym, but if my state legislators are making an effort at dialogue, it’s my duty to show up, right? Plus, I was curious.
The conversation was held in the octagon-shaped chapel of a local college – state legislators lined up in the middle facing mostly-gray haired constituents in rings of pews. Although the first legislator to speak encouraged us to use the space for dialogue with each other as much as with our elected officials, it didn’t take long – approximately 75 seconds – before the blaming/accusing/finger-pointing started. One of the very first “questions” was about property taxes and why You [legislators] keep raising them. This was followed quickly with a question about You People [legislators] raising the gas tax – don’t you know the price of fuel is skyrocketing? And why are You letting higher education tuition go up? And what about my property taxes?
There were a few words of thanks for past support of clean energy initiatives, and a legitimate question or two, but I could see what was going on: the folks who were speaking up thought they had elected These People to Fix Things. And They either weren’t Fixing Things, or They Weren’t Fixing the Right Things, or maybe They were Fixing Things, but They were spending too much of Our money doing it.
I composed comments in my head that went something like this:
Thursday, Mar 6, 2008
Conventional wisdom misses the mark on the election
I am convinced that conventional wisdom misses the mark on what will determine the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. The key will not be toughness, experience, or a message of hope. Rather, it will revolve around whether any of the candidates gives flesh to civic agency.
Civic agency means the development of people’s capacity to be agents and architects of their own lives, shapers of their communities, and collaborators with others who are different on common challenges. It is different than service.
Thursday, Feb 28, 2008
Is Democracy Worth the Time it Takes?
In his “Meetings Series,” artist Paul Shambroom uses photographs of government meetings to raise questions about the responsibility and the challenge of democracy. These are topics I recently considered while watching Minnesota state government “work.”
It all started when I decided to report my cell phone company to the Better Business Bureau. I felt their business practices were reprehensible and when I tried deal with them directly, I had no ability to make change. As a pretty engaged citizen, I knew there had to be something I could do.
Soon after filing my report with the BBB, I got a call from the Attorney General of Minnesota. I was asked to both take part in a class action lawsuit against the cell phone company, and was also asked to testify about my experiences as a consumer in front of a Senate Committee upon the beginning of the Minnesota Legislative session.
Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007
Power: have you got it? do you want it?
“Power trip, power hungry, power move, power politics, even power lunches and power ties! Chances are you use the term ‘power’ in a variety of phrases every day. Few of those phrases have positive connotations--power is generally seen as an oppressive force associated with compulsion and authoritarianism. When used in English, power generally connotes an individual or a group exerting a will over another, less fortunate, person or group.” – introduction to a written reflection on power by Eric Fretz, director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning at the University of Denver
Where does power come from? How do you get it? How do you use it? Should some people have more power than others?
Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007
What is civic agency, and why do we need it now more than ever?
Many of us would conclude that peace negotiators - among others - would have to look for new work if more of us had civic agency, or "the capacity to act cooperatively and collectively on common problems across our differences of view." In fact, Harry Boyte describes a lack of civic agency as the central problem of the 21st century.
Boyte, who is co-director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship, was invited to write about a solution to this problem for the independent global affairs web site openDemocracy.
In his essay, Boyte lays out a practical framework for building civic agency, and includes a resource guide for those who want to know more. Read Building civic agency: the public-work approach at openDemocracy.net.
Monday, Nov 19, 2007
What is politics without public participation?
What role do citizens play in the politics and policies of today?
This issue is at the heart of the analysis that Peter Levine provides in his blog post "The case for Nehemiahs." Levine reflects that "no policies can solve problems without public support and public participation" as he discusses Harry Boyte's November 16 Star Tribune editorial "Our passive society needs some new Nehemiahs." Levine compares Boyte's arguments to the ideas put forth by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman in his November 16 column "Played for a sucker."
Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007
Welcome to 'By the People'
Whether you know us through the Jane Addams School, Public Achievement, Minnesota Works Together, or our efforts on the West Side of St. Paul, we are the Center for Democracy and Citizenship. All of our work is grounded in the belief that a healthy democracy requires everyone’s participation, and that each of us has something to contribute.
It is our intention that this blog, By the People, will keep you informed—and inspired to get involved—with real-life stories of civic engagement that works, reflections on democracy, and suggestions and examples of how policy makers, elected officials and citizens can work together to solve public problems and build the common good. The name of the blog comes from President Abraham Lincoln’s famous speech at Gettysburg, where he described a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.—Abraham LincolnGettysburg Address
November 19, 1863
We hope you’ll help the blog live up to its name, and add your own perspective and ideas by posting comments. We’ll occasionally feature guest bloggers, and are interested to hear your suggestions for topics and useful links. This is our way of keeping you connected to the work that you have something to add to—so don't forget to join us.
A weblog on civic engagement produced by the Center for Democracy and Citizenship
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