Category Archives: All Politics Is Local

Yes, Washington, There Is A Democracy

 

Our dysfunctional Congress sometimes moves even the staunchest supporter of democracy toward errant thoughts. This is democracy? This is what we are trying to encourage in the rest of the world? This week an event in my local Island County (state of Washington) commission meeting restored my belief in government by the people.

A packed house at the commission meeting on continuing a conservation futures levy resulted in a 3-0 decision by the commissioners to continue the levy. Two of the commissioners are Republican, and one is a Democrat.

According to the local South Whidbey Record, hundreds of the county’s residents contacted their commissioners in support of the levy. The levy uses taxpayers’ money to buy easements for conservation purposes in the county. Commissioners had considered placing the levy on hold.

The meeting to consider continuation of the levy was packed. One attendee said, “It’s interesting that we have a packed house. There’s bigger value in life than a dollar sign.”

Amen. The other Washington, as the place on the Potomac is known here, might want to take notice.

Bridge Over Partisan Waters

 

“ . . . I am convinced that the common good requires us to be both personally responsible and socially just. These are the two best big ideas of conservatism and liberalism . . . .”

“What are the best and biggest ideas from each side that we will all need to listen to?”

—Jim Wallis, Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America’s Future

The magic word: listen. Can we do that in Washington? In budget committees? In congressional debates? In local politics? In family conflicts? Can we choose not to hate but to respect someone who has different ideas or a different take on the same ideas?

I can remember opinions of mine, over the years, that I concluded were false. But many more of my opinions were not wrong in themselves but were transformed into a better idea when I listened to others.

Listening is a magic wand, more powerful than any brandished by the students of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. And we don’t have to be magicians to use it. We just need a mustard seed of humility.

Patriot Tax?

 

How about a Patriot Tax to pay off the war debt which the United States accumulated as a result of the Afghan and Iraq wars? Those who favor tax increases to lower our debt and those who favor spending cuts might cease their constant paralyzing disagreements by considering this tax.

Those who wish to raise revenue through taxes could recognize a Patriot Tax as a way to pay off debts without cutting Social Security or Medicare. Those who wish to cut spending could nevertheless see the Patriot Tax as justified, since this tax would pay only for the debt from two wars voted by Congress, in which our troops risked their lives.

Normally, when the country fights a major war, Congress and the President raise taxes to pay for it. We did not do this for the Afghan and Iraq wars. Thus, a Patriot tax seems fitting, even if a bit late.

Shutdown on Whidbey Island

 

Due to the U.S. government shutdown, hundreds of workers at the naval air station on Whidbey Island, Washington State, where I live, have been furloughed. The impact of hundreds of people worrying about their paychecks will certainly impact the local economy.

A country commissioner pointed out that the local government is just now recovering from the recession and sequestration. She wished that the national government would stop manufacturing crises that only hurt the ordinary citizen.

The executive director of one of the Island towns commented: “Let’s just hope for a quick resolution to this. When you take people’s pay away for no good reason, it hurts everybody.”

As of this writing, the shutdown has entered Day 5.

Shutdowns, Debt Ceilings, and the Safest Currency in the World

 

The government may shut down. We’ve done this before, and Congress has usually resolved the issue in a few days time, albeit, at varying levels of inconvenience to constituents.

Far more serious is the threatened debt ceiling crisis. When Congress approached the brink on the debt ceiling in 2011, Standard and Poor’s, the credit rating agency, lowered the credit rating for the United States for the first time in history. At the last minute, Congress raised the debt ceiling (albeit at the cost of the infamous  sequester agreement) and the United States dollar remained the safest currency in the world. If we actually refuse to pay our bills this time, our premier standing will be at risk.

To our discredit, we lack understanding of how our financial crises influence more than our domestic interests. We don’t take into account how they affect our foreign standing in the world. How much would our influence in the world decrease if, say, the Chinese renminbi became the world’s top currency? And how can we expect others nations to aspire to democracy if they see the world’s most famous democratic nation writhing in constant financial paralysis?

Ninety-Nine Percent: Less Money for Everything From Mall Trips to College Education

 

The top one percent (1%) of Americans earned over nineteen percent (19.3) of household income in 2012, according to news reports. This share is the largest since 1928, shortly before the Great Depression. Inequality is not merely the result of the recession that began in 2008. Income inequality has been growing for three decades, according to the reports.

Last year, as the recession eased, the income of the top one percent rose twenty percent. The income of the remaining ninety-nine percent rose one percent.

The generosity of wealthy people is well known: Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and countless others. However, a vibrant economy needs a large middle class. They spend more of their income. They are more numerous and buy more goods and services.

We may, and should, discuss the morality of a country in which the rich grow richer and the income of ordinary workers does not pay for decent housing and education. A just society rewards those who work hard, even if they don’t make huge incomes. However, sheer desire for a productive, growing economy compels us to address the reasons behind the increasing income inequality.

Syria? New Candidate For The Blame Game?

 

If the United States gives weapons to the Syrian rebels, they may fall into the hands of terrorists. If we don’t give weapons to Syrian rebels, Syria may become a terrorist state. If diplomatic solutions are pursued, they may fail. If we don’t act now, bad things may happen. If we do act now, different bad things may happen.

As many have said, Syria presents no good options. Ethnic conflict has developed which is difficult to put back into the bottle. It has spilled over into Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel. No doubt some options are better than others, but it may be a while before we know if we have chosen the right one. And even the right one is bound to be less than ideal.

Perhaps we should just go for the “best bad idea.” Only, it is doubtful that the ending will be as happy as the Academy Award winning tale of the rescue of six Americans from Iran in 1979.

A problem for Americans is our belief in the quick, happy ending, as in the movie. Always. A way must exist for the Syrian crisis to be resolved peacefully, democratically, and justly. Preferably in a few weeks. If not, we must find a villain.

Americans want their leaders to make perfect decisions when no such decisions exist. Sometimes, because of the unfortunate political reality of today, leaders make no decisions or make them later than they should. They know fallout is going to result whatever they do. Each political party will attempt to make political mileage out of  it.

“Politics stops at the water’s edge,” is attributed to Republican Senator Arthur Vandenberg in 1947. The idea is that partisan politics stops at the water’s edge, since both parties should desire the best for the country and present a united front in facing the nation’s foreign policy problems.

Alas, Senator Vandenberg, where are you now?

 

Iraq, Ten Years Out, and Almost Forty for Vietnam

 

The late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas wrote a book in 1966 called The Arrogance of Power. Fulbright was the longtime chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was respected for his knowledge of foreign relations and was strongly anti-Communist. However, he spoke out against America’s growing involvement in Southeast Asia that eventually led to the Vietnamese conflict.

He did not fear, he said, that the United States would seek to dominate in the manner of a Hitler or a Napoleon. He feared rather that we would drift into commitments that were beyond our capacity to honor. We should, he suggested, confine ourselves to doing only those things that truly matter to us.

Like another senator known for his foreign policy expertise, Richard Lugar of Indiana, Fulbright was eventually defeated in his party’s primary. Politicians risk losing their constituency when they emphasize global concerns. “All politics is local,” U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill once said.

Are we concerned only for our, admittedly important, domestic concerns?

Perhaps we would never have committed so much blood and treasure to Viet Nam, now a byword for a failed U.S. foreign policy, if we, the people, took more time to understand the rest of the world. And what about Iraq, ten years out? Was it worth it?

Attention, Mr. President!

 

Parade ran an article “Attention Mr. President!” in its November 4. 2012 news supplement. The article included suggestions from citizens involved with various organizations in the United States.

Suggestions included: reform the way Congress works; enact tough fiscal measures seen as fair to all segments of American society; build on proven ways to educate all American children; reform immigration laws to insure a pipeline of hard working, talented immigrants; reign in healthcare costs with more efficient billing methods; adopt measures to achieve energy independence; create training and jobs for veterans; strengthen infrastructure. (Examine the details here.)

We Americans have had a reputation as a practical people, able to seek the middle ground and  hammer out innovative solutions to problems. The point of the article was a wake up call to our leaders to conquer our present tendency toward paralyzing polarization.

Elections, Laws, and Lives

 

“There are not enough jails, not enough policemen, not enough law courts, to enforce a law not supported by the people.” So said Hubert Humphrey, one time candidate for the U.S. presidency.

Such was the case with the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Ratified in 1919, it prohibited intoxicating beverages. A backlash against it, however, led to its repeal in 1933. Too many people made “bathtub” gin or bought bootleg liquor (leading to an increase in organized crime) for the amendment to work.

Elections are important, but more for incremental change than sweeping mandates. The direction of a nation changes dramatically only if a broad consensus of citizens wants to go in that direction. We may suppose that an election will perform miracles, but it rarely does.

The day-to-day lives that we lead, the persuasion we bring to bear in civil discussions, and the proofs we are able to offer that one way is better than another count more than any election. Our nation is, after all, a republic. Before lasting change comes, not just the hoopla of an election, a significant percentage of the citizens must be committed to it.

When Losers Become Prophets

 

I had forgotten about former Senator George McGovern until his death was announced last week at the age of 90.

My memory of his brief appearance in American history as the candidate against Richard Nixon mostly concerned  his stunning defeat. McGovern took the electoral votes only of Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

Now I wish I had known more of him. He was the son of a Methodist minister and briefly considered the ministry for himself. According to reports, he remained a deeply committed Christian all of his life.

Many thought of him as a radical, joined in their minds with hippies who burned the American flag. Though McGovern fared poorly because of his opposition to the Vietnam conflict, he was not a pacifist. Like George H.W. Bush, he was a decorated veteran of World War II.

Richard Nixon became the president remembered for his resignation because of the Watergate scandal. McGovern, the loser, had spoken out against our military involvement in a small nation in Asia because he did not believe the country threatened us. Only later did so many others agree with him that Vietnam became a code word for failure.

Today, it is spoken when questions are raised about a proposed American military entry into a foreign country. Will it become another Vietnam? we ask. Perhaps that is George McGovern’s legacy.

 

Avoid Flaming Up

 

Our small island recently was invaded by a hate group, inflaming passions. Like the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, several people attempted to pass out hate literature to the public in several of our communities.

The literature wasn’t an intelligent discussion of a point of view, but epithet hurling diatribes.

Some citizens were incensed and called the police. The police came and watched but said no laws were broken. The group operated within their rights of free speech.

Those who ignored them appeared to offer the best response, in some cases silently walking around them on the sidewalk. It seemed the best response was indeed a refusal to engage, thus depriving the group of the attention they craved.

Such episodes illustrate the necessity for  exercising wisdom in our encounters in this deeply divided country. Blessed is a discussion between two citizens of differing opinions ruled by common courtesy. Each may learn something. They may even be able to compromise on a few issues or at least retain respect for the beliefs of the other.

Our Right To Say Outrageous Things

 

Members of Westboro Baptist Church picket the funerals of soldiers killed in the line of duty.

Their message is offensive to those who mourn loved ones. Courts in the U.S. have judged that the picketers have the right to protest even if their actions are scorned by the majority of Americans.

Some of our election campaigns trumpet messages demeaning to various candidates. Atheists and evangelical Christians routinely trade barbs.

Our ideals of free speech, which allow for the expression of sometimes unpopular views, remain difficult for those in the non-Western world to fathom. We see this in the protests over the video trailer demeaning the Muslim prophet Mohamed. Some press for “blasphemy” laws against such acts. Christians and other minority religions in countries like Egypt and Pakistan fear these laws, which have been used to persecute them.

In our current political campaigns in this country, we have passed the level of civility. Some ads resemble pitched battles rather than a discussion of the issues between intelligent citizens. Nevertheless, our freedom of speech remains precious. I can only encourage public revulsion against that which destroys rather than enlightens. In this country, corrections to excesses are always possible.

I have found my Christian faith strengthened by listening to those who don’t believe as I do. I develop reasons for my faith that allow an honest dialog with those of differing beliefs. A faith protected by laws can become a tepid faith.

They Also Serve

 

Recently, after my airline flight touched down, the attendant deviated from the normal landing remarks to thank our armed forces, both active and retired, for their sacrifices in the service of our country.

Since my husband is a retired army veteran, I appreciated her remarks. However, I did wonder about our ignorance of others who serve and sacrifice for our country. The week before, one of our ambassadors and three of his colleagues were killed in an uprising in a foreign country, yet this was not mentioned. Many of our diplomats serve today in countries where mob violence breaks out against the embassies and consulates where they are stationed. They send reports to our government in Washington that aid us in our foreign relations. They provide language skills, local knowledge, and other support when U.S. officials visit foreign countries.  They serve American citizens with mundane tasks such as passport renewals but also carry out tasks like visiting Americans imprisoned in foreign jails.

Other Americans serve in less dramatic ways that we overlook: border patrol agents; scientists who test medicines to determine if they are safe to place on the market; air traffic controllers; forest rangers; customs agents who check shipments for dangerous material; clerks who check and file documents needed for evaluation of potential immigrants; those who process social security payments to senior citizens, to name a few. We forget about them, but they make our lives safer and more pleasant.

I have lived in and known countries where governments were not so sympathetic to their citizens’ needs, countries run by corrupt and sometimes dangerous leaders. Their jails are filled with prisoners who are guilty of no more than peaceful disagreement with their government. Others are imprisoned because they are of the wrong religion or ethnic group.

The freedom to complain about aspects of our government that we do not agree with is a precious gift. May we not take lightly that gift, and may we be ever thankful for those who provide the services that we depend on every day.

 

Politics and the Prayer of St. Augustine

 

Lately, so the polls tell us, fewer Americans identify themselves as Democrats or Republicans. More of us call ourselves independents. Apparently, the current political scene has caused many to disavow party loyalty. Will we now choose more wisely?

Can we study issues instead of casting our ballots according to political sound bytes? Can we understand and respect those with whom we disagree? Never disparage them even if we come to different conclusions? Search for intelligent compromises?

Evidence of maturity is a realization that holding a political belief is not equated with God’s anointing. We are all humans with human failings. A successful democracy in the United States, the Middle East, or elsewhere requires the understanding that the political process is not just about me or my group. It’s about the community, be it nation or neighborhood. It’s about the people with whom we disagree as well as ourselves.

St. Augustine prayed:  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. In a political sense, we need the serenity to accept that not all issues spring from politics nor can they be solved through laws and elections. May we have courage for those issues that require difficult political decisions, and may we know wisdom to discern ways we can work together for the good of all.

To Appreciate Our Right To Vote, Live In A Country That Doesn’t Have It

 

Less than half of eligible voters cast ballots in our state primary this year. What kept the voters away? A long ballot? Not enough time? On vacation? Thinking it didn’t matter?

Voting for me is automatic. So far as I know, my parents never campaigned for a candidate or contributed to a political party, but they voted in every election for which they were eligible. They volunteered as workers at my school, the neighborhood polling place, on voting day. We discussed candidates around the supper table, never with bitterness or hatred but with serious questions and opinions. Who was the best candidate? Why? What incumbents had done a good job and should be reelected or hadn’t and should be voted out of office? My dad, who never finished high school but loved history, provided background on the political development of our country.

Voting and taking an interest in elections seemed as natural as going to church. I’ve voted ever since I was eligible. Many of my votes were absentee because I worked and lived overseas, places like Saudi Arabia and North Africa. As a U.S. consular officer, I notarized ballots of many overseas Americans.

A local employee who worked for me in Saudi Arabia once asked if he could see my ballot that had just arrived. To him, unable to vote in free elections as I was, I suppose it seemed as priceless as a valuable manuscript. He treated it almost with reverence.

Perhaps that’s the reason I can’t understand why my fellow citizens don’t exercise this wonderful gift that allows them to elect their leaders. Perhaps they would if they’d lived in countries where the citizens have no elected leaders.

 

Fair Play and Community

 

C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity states his belief in a moral law of nature which most people in most cultures adhere to. We, by and large, believe in things like fair play and unselfishness. Nevertheless, though we profess to believe in these principles, we may fail to carry them out in actual practice. We excuse ourselves when we fall from our own standards by suggesting that, in our case, an exception can be made. We are overtired, stressed out, or deserve special consideration.

Since the recession, much talk has centered on the greed of some Wall Street executives who are paid astronomical salaries in a time of privation for many Americans. Recently I read an article in the Seattle Times by John W. Dienhart , director of Seattle University’s Center for Business Ethics. He suggests that these executives probably do not think of themselves as greedy. They believe their salaries are justified because they work hard or because others who bring in less money for their companies are paid more or for other reasons which seems valid to them.

Dr. Dienhart suggests that all of us, including those executives, look at our choices from the standpoint of the community instead of self-centered viewpoints. Will the community as a whole be better off if I insist on a high salary? Do the choices I make impact the community as a whole for better or worse?

What about the amounts spent on campaign financing? Why do we spend millions to influence elections when job creation and education needs go unmet? Is our democratic community better off if elections are won by those with the most money?

We need to view ourselves as part of a community of all the people rather than a subset of our special interest groups. Is that reasonable or possible? How could that transformation occur?

 

 

Democracy Is Like the National Football League; Only One Team Wins

 

As I write, the Egyptians have discovered that their new-found road to democracy is a rough one. The electorate has chosen between several candidates in two different elections and finally picked the man who will head the new government. The supporters of the ones who lost express bitter disappointment. Welcome to the hard truths of democracy. Like the NFL each year, only one team wins the championship.

Losing is part of the democratic process. Many candidates lose. How they lose is one determinant of the democracy’s success. A first step toward democracy is accepting the loss. The losers vent their frustration by working for the next election, not engaging in violence. Obviously, the winners must follow the rules as well and allow a next election. In addition, corruption and power (including military power) must be contained.

Conceding an election is particularly hard when the contest draws on deeply held beliefs. We fear that if we lose, the country is lost. Perhaps we place too much faith in winning at the ballot box. How we live will influence our fellow citizens more than how we vote. The early Christians, a decided minority, influenced the generations after them as greatly as the imperialistic Roman Empire.

The best candidate doesn’t always win. Political experts complain that emotion rather than reason may carry the day. Injustice has sometimes been voted in at the ballot box. Once in a while, an NFL team wins by sheer luck.

 

Boycotting The Election

 

I’m taking a sabbatical from politics. I plan to vote, but I intend to skip the political ads and speeches. Boycott the season’s entertainment.

For information, I’ll read the analytical articles from observers who have proven track records. Forget the social media rumor mills and the talk shows.

Best to mute the TV adds, too. Avoid contamination from, at best hyped up hyperbole and at worst outright lies.

When I worked overseas for the U.S. government, one of our favorite ways to reach out to citizens of countries with little or no democracy, was through our election night coverage. We would open an embassy site to the public so they could watch our democracy in action on TV. We were rightly proud of our American electoral process.

Come November, I’m sure our embassies will still follow this practice, as they should. After all, compared to the election chaos in, say, Egypt, our process looks pretty good. Explaining the huge amounts of money currently expended by a few rich people to influence voters, however, may prove embarrassing. It may remind those other countries of the money-fueled corruption in their own governments. It may give the impression that American politicians can be bought.

How are you coping with the election season onslaught?

Protests or Bridges?

 

Peaceful public assembly is one of our constitutional rights, including peaceful protests. Yet, I find myself turned off by protests, including those whose ideas I endorse.

Protests suggest an us-against-them confrontation that risks the protest turning into a riot or, at best, toward hardening of hearts on both sides.

 

 

I prefer writing: opinion pieces, articles, and blogs, for example, print or digital, to protesting. Even more, I like personal conversation between two or a few people. Talking together can be risky, too, of course. People may end up shouting at each other and walking away in anger.

A meaningful dialog requires ground rules. The old practice of first repeating what the other person says until the other says you have correctly understood, before you answer, works well. This slows you down before you launch into your position. If you have listened carefully to the other, you are more likely to answer to what the other really thinks and not to a projected stereotype of your own creation

The idea not only is to respect another’s position but even to become friends. Friends are more likely to reach a position of mutual accord, different from what each began with, but stronger for incorporating views of opposing ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opposing tension brought together builds a strong bridge.