My Political Perspectives
I do my best to keep The Saturday Morning Muse out of the political spectrum, but this week I will make an exception. As we march toward election day on November 5, 2024, it’s important that our voices are heard and that we exercise our rights to free speech. This episode is on the longer side of things and should be watched in its entirety. To do otherwise would mean that what I have to say has a high probability of being taken out of context and twisted for political gain.
Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King are examples of extraordinary humans who have uttered publicly some version of the following: “silence is complicity.” I am in no way extraordinary, but I compelled to speak out. I will not sit quietly in silence, nor will I throw anonymous barbs and insults in public spaces. Far too many of us fall into the trap of amplifying unverified, mis/disinformation that only serves to get everyone riled up. This creates tremendous unnecessary emotional waste.
Andy, Where Do You Stand?
I am a proud citizen of the United States of America and also a proud resident of planet Earth. We all live together on this pale blue dot that circles an unremarkable star in our unremarkable corner of the Milky Way galaxy (paraphrasing the late Carl Sagan). Our existence is fragile, beautiful, and rare. It should be treated with great care. Therefore, international cooperation is of paramount importance to our success as a species. Organizations like NATO, the WHO, and the United Nations are essential. Are they perfect, no. Should they be invested in and continually improved? Absolutely. We must learn to live and work together. To do otherwise will ensure our destruction.
I am an independent fiscal conservative who has voted for Republican and Democratic candidates in the past. I choose the best person for the job and believe that unflinching loyalty to the dogma of a political party leads to fixed mindsets, unnecessary partisan conflict, and unproductive gridlock. Unfortunately, the Republican Party’s leadership has abandoned me as a voter and citizen. There was a time when I voted primarily Republican, but the consistent, demonstrated willingness to denigrate, ignore science, bully, ally with conspiracy and hate, and bend to the will of one individual by whitewashing a heinous attack on American democracy disgusts me. If you’re wondering what attack I’m talking about, it’s January 6th, 2021. I will never forget what I saw that day as I watched those events unfold in real time on live television.
I believe in rational thought, logical reasoning, scientific inquiry, and the “light” that lives in all of us. I believe that education is the key to a brighter future where we tap into the best versions of ourselves as individuals and as a society. We must embrace the power of diversity, lead with equity, lift up voices, and listen with an intent to understand and include. Education, and the essential skill of critical thinking, can be used to break down conspiracy theories and act as a check on the blatant lies that politicians tell to exploit education gaps. Do you really think that one person—the President—has direct control over the ebbs and flows of the stock market, gas prices, and grocery prices? Global economic markets are wildly complex—you can’t call the President a bumbling idiot in one breath and simultaneously accuse him or her of pulling the strings of global markets for their personal political gain (or to make “the other side” look bad). Let’s make continuing, lifelong education a priority. If we want America to be the truly exceptional leader on the world stage, this is how we do it. Right now, we’re taking huge steps backward by vilifying higher and continuing education in this country.
I believe strongly in the separation between church and state. Religious liberty should be upheld as a primary objective. My choice of the word “liberty” is purposeful. My religious affiliation (or lack thereof) should not impede on your right to pursue a different line of thought. For more on the difference between liberty and freedom, see my Muse from August 2021.
I believe in efficiency, continuous improvement, and getting “as close to the work” as possible. This means that government at all levels should be compact and agile enough to meet the needs of society in any given span of time, but strong enough to withstand unexpected shocks and external threats. Also, the implementation of Federal policy decisions should be localized to capture the nuance of what matters most in a particular region and handoffs between agencies and state/local governments should be smooth.
I believe that waste and unbridled spending at all levels of government will saddle our children with a burden that will be difficult to bear - especially as wage-earner population growth slows. The U.S. national debt as a proportion of GDP stands at roughly 123% as of 2023. Research by the World Bank suggests that debt-to-GDP ratios above 77% lead to a loss of real economic growth. Until recently, we were living in a fantasy world of near zero interest rates and free money. In more normal interest rate environments like the one we see today, our national debt will begin to become a crushing burden. Governmental agencies at all levels need to embark on a continuous improvement journey to eliminate waste, improve organizational health and clarity, and focus on the needs of the customer (the U.S. taxpayer). Don’t get bamboozled by the the old tired line that “we need to run the government like a business.” This is a false narrative—government isn’t business and there are distinct differences in their respective remits. However, all institutions can benefit from installing a management operating system based on the tenets of organizational health and continuous improvement.
I believe in a woman’s right to choose. For centuries, men—particularly white men like me—have been designing laws and making decisions on behalf of women. Is it tragic to terminate a pregnancy? Yes. Is it tragic to force a woman to have a baby only to socially abandon them in a nation with some of the worst family leave policies and weakest social support programs for young families in the developed world? Yes. Since both answers are “yes,” the decision to carry or abort is deeply personal and should be had within the confines of a doctor-patient relationship. I take my lead from, and listen intently to the majority of women in this country who support a woman’s right to choose. My voice is one of allyship and support.
I believe in common sense gun control. The framers of the Constitution could not have envisaged the firepower that’s available to the average citizen today, and the population density of the 21st Century would have been unfathomable too. It is a well-established medical fact that the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until age 25—especially in men. In most U.S. states, the drinking age is 21 and you can’t rent a car until you’re 25, but an 18 year old can buy an AR-15? The logic doesn’t hold. The ease with which one can purchase a gun in this country is astounding. Let’s take action and save the “thoughts and prayers” for spiritual issues. [In the spirit of full transparency, I am a gun owner with one .22 caliber rifle that I use for target practice and to put the occasional varmint out of it’s misery on our 40 acre property.]
I believe in efficient, legal immigration pathways. Immigrants are and have been an essential component of our collective economic engine and rich, societal diversity—which I see as an asset and not a liability. Unfortunately, for decades the United States Congress has shirked their duty to create and nurture efficient immigration pathways into our country, instead opting to use illegal immigration as a cudgel to bash the “other side” and make it appear that illegal border crossings are the other side’s fault. Solving our immigration challenges is a shared responsibility that very few politicians seem willing/able to tackle with serious effort.
I also believe that we’ve accumulated massive non-monetary debts that must be paid down: climate change, institutionalized inequality, crumbling physical infrastructure, a costly, ineffectual higher education system, and children who go to bed each night with an empty stomach are a few examples. So while I’m an efficient government / fiscal conservative at my core, I see clearly the need for programs funded at the Federal level to solve many of the aforementioned big, hairy challenges we face together as a nation and global community. Should there be a Federal solution to everything? No. Do we need a strong, well-run Federal government to lead on the world stage? Absolutely.
What keeps me up at night is that we have made public service so undesirable that we face a tremendous shortage of skilled talent - especially managerial talent. Without our best and brightest coming together to address our challenges, I’m deeply concerned that simply throwing more money at the problem won’t move the needle (except that of inflation). Can the private sector help? Most definitely, but we need our best and brightest in the private sector to have equally strong governmental leaders and managers to interface with.
A Set of First Steps Back Toward the Center
It is unconstructive to get on one’s soapbox and not offer solutions. At the very top of my list of recommendations is to install strict term limits for our political leaders, completely revamp campaign finance, reduce the role of lobbyists to influence elected officials (this is the true ‘deep state’ imho), install ethical standards that have teeth (i.e., ethical failures lead to education and accountability), and scrap the Electoral College. There is absolutely no way that a race for the U.S. Senate should exceed a quarter of a billion dollars. Get big dark money donors out of the picture and let the people truly decide. Want to “drain the swamp” in Washington? Make the job of Senator a maximum of a 12 year gig. Congressperson, 8 years. The President, one 6 year term. Also, the privilege of being appointed to the Supreme Court should not last a lifetime.
Oh, and let’s get educated. A balanced civics education should be mandatory for all high school students. Many of us wave around the Constitution and our other great documents and have no idea what’s actually in them.
The Road Ahead
There is only one way: forward (which, by the way, is the motto of my home state of Wisconsin) and together. We cannot move forward if we’re so polarized and fixed in our thinking that the act of “listening” to the other side amounts to canned, party-approved responses that paint political opponents and our neighbors as “enemies” and “evil.”
A large proportion of our current crop of politicians is failing us miserably. What we need is more legitimate political discourse that’s targeted at solving real problems. We need politicians who remember their oaths and possess the strength of moral character that won’t crumble at the first sign of criticism from party leadership.
Conclusion
I’ve found the process of writing down my personal political beliefs valuable and I recommend you do the same. It’s easy to fall in line and follow the words/beliefs of others. It’s much harder to reflect upon where you stand, codify it, and then contribute constructively to the conversation.
Also, it’s not lost on me that there are a lot of “I’s” in the messages above - I’m giving you a glimpse into my political mindset so you know where I stand. However, the future belongs to us. Like any business, family, or institution, we succeed by working together.
I love our country - let’s not squander our gifts on infighting and a futile attempt to return to the past. Let’s come together and stop the childish name calling and dehumanization of “the other side.” Instead, vote for political candidates who are passionate about causes that align with your personal North Star and who see the benefits of education, collaboration, compromise, and efficiently paying down the many debts we’ve accumulated.
Oh, and do I expect that you agree with everything I said above? The answer to that is a resounding no. We’re all unique humans with our own perspectives. Do I expect that you’ll engage in constructive dialog as we move through this election season. The answer is also yes. Let’s be adults and treat our obligation to vote and engage with the respect it deserves.
Silence is complicity.
Grace. Dignity. Compassion.
Andy
