Creating Good Things, Not Sound Bites

What do we need at these levels of social interaction?

Local (Municipal and County):

            Strong education infrastructure

            Strong public infrastructure: roads, water and sewer, streets, traffic controls, etc.

            Arts and Culture: access, education, performance/exhibit, nurture

            Public Safety: police, fire

            Criminal justice system

            Strong public institutions: library, parks, churches, charities, service

                  organizations

            Stable and equitable finances 

State:

            Strong public infrastructure: highways, water/sewer/Stormwater management

            Public safety: police, criminal justice system, prisons, emergency management

            Sound financial footing for all state operations, agencies

            Public health systems; access to

            Public Education: primary/secondary and higher education systems

            Public pensions fair, equitable and soundly financed

            Regional economic development, public welfare

            Environmental protection and regulation 

National:

            National defense

            International relations and peace building

            National education goals, nurture of achievement

            Science and Space research and development

            Emergency management

            Economic development and stability

            Money and Banking systems sound

            Criminal Justice system sound

            Health and Welfare initiatives and system access, financial soundness

            Pension access and financial safety

            National public infrastructure support: highways, bridges, air, rail, water/sewer

and Stormwater systems

            Environmental Protection

This is a partial list but a good start on cataloguing the functions of each level of government. Scanning the lists for each of the three levels of government, repetition and specialization of similar functions become obvious. Coordinating these points of intersection is also a function of the governments involved.

Scanning the lists again we can identify probable needs for each of the functions, each of the government levels. Why? Because things are not perfect at any given time for all things. The continuum of effort toward a high standard of achievement is an on-going presence in government management circles. Competing issues and scarce financial resources limit what can be done at any given time. So, needs exist.

Knowing how prevalent these needs are and how far reaching the needs have become are important if the public can reasonably expect good management to persist in these areas. Each need should be understood regarding their affect on other operating areas of governance. Setting intelligent priorities to each of the needs is important if society is going to make progress on the problems in an orderly and logical manner.

Designing solutions is an important management phase of these issues. Why? Because interdependency of the issues suggest common sets of facts, common functional systems, and sharing among the three government levels. Efficiencies can be obtained. Resources can be efficiently managed and waste limited. Creative ideas can be shared and applied to the management tools.

As issue management moves toward solutions, two things become transparent: complexity and interdependence of all of these matters, and the commonality of creating workable solutions and management systems for each issue area.

That last paragraph is important. Especially in a period of elections and campaigns.

Setting workable goals within a reasonable timeframe is important. Setting priorities is important. Getting down to work is vital. Electioneering is distracting and counterproductive.

When candidates campaign they should produce ideas, proposed goals and policy and program proposals that support goal achievement. Critical comments about the status quo is not helpful. We know what the problems are. Solving them is the objective. How would you do it? What are your ideas? In what priority order would you solve the problems?

This is the information voters need to make candidate decisions. Nothing else.

The rest of campaign rhetoric is noise and distraction. Ideological argument is unnecessary. So political parties take note, so too candidates. Tell us what you can and will do. Tell us why that is important. And then sell the idea. Do not tell us why the other candidate won’t be as good as you. Let the value of your ideas tell the voters that!

If voters demand that of all candidates, our society would be focused on problem solving. It would help the public understand the scope of the problems and the cost to manage them. Priorities help everyone understand what can be done in a given timeframe with available resources. If the latter are insufficient, the problem either awaits a better time or is defined out of the current work load.

In any case elections would be more informative, creative, and accountable. Campaign costs would decline and further reduce special interest influence.

From the Optimism Revolution comes this quote:

            “I choose to live by choice, not by chance

            To be motivated, not manipulated

            To be useful, not used

            To excel, not compete

            I choose self-esteem, not self pity

            I choose to listen to my inner voice

            Not to the random opinion of others.” 

Can we make these happen? How?

May 24, 2012