Building The Government We Do Want
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
In reading through my morning newspapers and getting a feel for the theme of the current moment (since that seems to be the length of our ability to stay on track, going anywhere)…the next big thing is going to be our President’s effort to convince us that he really is fiscally responsible and is going to do a lot to address the needs of the middle class.
Now this shift in the direction (without actually going anywhere yet, just thinking about it and talking about it) is not something universally thought of as a good idea. There are some who see even the hint of not expanding government further as doomsday itself.
The reality is that nobody is actually going to do much about anything and there will be a lot of noise that comes from the total process of going nowhere other than where we are. The politics of 2010 will take up most of the attention and unless we as voters can send a strong enough signal through the system to get the attention of those who represent us – we’re not going to have anything much different than what we’ve got.
If We Could Make Change Happen:
Instead of taking the Gary Hart approach of fretting over the end of big government, I would like to suggest an outcome that would be based on government living within its means and actual areas of responsibilities. At the state and national level, this vision would be based on getting to an approach for government where boundaries are limited and activities carried out within those boundaries are performed well.
Expansion of individual responsibility would need to go with the shift away from government supposedly taking care of our needs. In the short term there would be a lot of tension over the newness of having to take care of the things we’ve considered government’s job to take care of on our behalf. There would be some bumps and yes even failures.
Not all would advance equally. There would be those who had more and some who wouldn’t have anything. Some prices would be higher than we’d like and some business returns would be less than necessary. When we ran to our elected officials and asked for their assistance – to make things right – under my ideal system of government…they would listen and then politely tell us to go home and work it out with our neighbors or on our own. An important key in this -- we would be able to trust that this same message would be given to everyone and no one would be favored or selected to gain special considerations.
In the government system that I would like to see created, public issues would be given full consideration through public debate with ideas and input welcomed from those who are governed. Instead of the leaders going into backroom parlors to figure out what political solution could be agreed to – or how to advance their pre-determined agenda - the conversations would take place in an open forum.
Priorities would be determined in line with a full understanding that not everything can be done by any government, but what does fit within the realm of responsibilities will be carried out with a maximum degree of accountability and performance will be judged on delivering quality outcomes.
I don’t know if we’ll be able to elect enough local, state and national leaders to give us this type of government, but I think that if we don’t work at trying to surface and empower them to fit this model – the route we’re taking now is going to get us someplace other than where we’d be better off being.
In reading through my morning newspapers and getting a feel for the theme of the current moment (since that seems to be the length of our ability to stay on track, going anywhere)…the next big thing is going to be our President’s effort to convince us that he really is fiscally responsible and is going to do a lot to address the needs of the middle class.
Now this shift in the direction (without actually going anywhere yet, just thinking about it and talking about it) is not something universally thought of as a good idea. There are some who see even the hint of not expanding government further as doomsday itself.
The reality is that nobody is actually going to do much about anything and there will be a lot of noise that comes from the total process of going nowhere other than where we are. The politics of 2010 will take up most of the attention and unless we as voters can send a strong enough signal through the system to get the attention of those who represent us – we’re not going to have anything much different than what we’ve got.
If We Could Make Change Happen:
Instead of taking the Gary Hart approach of fretting over the end of big government, I would like to suggest an outcome that would be based on government living within its means and actual areas of responsibilities. At the state and national level, this vision would be based on getting to an approach for government where boundaries are limited and activities carried out within those boundaries are performed well.
Expansion of individual responsibility would need to go with the shift away from government supposedly taking care of our needs. In the short term there would be a lot of tension over the newness of having to take care of the things we’ve considered government’s job to take care of on our behalf. There would be some bumps and yes even failures.
Not all would advance equally. There would be those who had more and some who wouldn’t have anything. Some prices would be higher than we’d like and some business returns would be less than necessary. When we ran to our elected officials and asked for their assistance – to make things right – under my ideal system of government…they would listen and then politely tell us to go home and work it out with our neighbors or on our own. An important key in this -- we would be able to trust that this same message would be given to everyone and no one would be favored or selected to gain special considerations.
In the government system that I would like to see created, public issues would be given full consideration through public debate with ideas and input welcomed from those who are governed. Instead of the leaders going into backroom parlors to figure out what political solution could be agreed to – or how to advance their pre-determined agenda - the conversations would take place in an open forum.
Priorities would be determined in line with a full understanding that not everything can be done by any government, but what does fit within the realm of responsibilities will be carried out with a maximum degree of accountability and performance will be judged on delivering quality outcomes.
I don’t know if we’ll be able to elect enough local, state and national leaders to give us this type of government, but I think that if we don’t work at trying to surface and empower them to fit this model – the route we’re taking now is going to get us someplace other than where we’d be better off being.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 1/26/2010 5:31 AM 
Categories: 2010 Elections
Tags: Nevada Government Taxes and Spending Obama Proposed Spending Freeze Government Programs and Policies 2010 Elections
Categories: 2010 Elections
Tags: Nevada Government Taxes and Spending Obama Proposed Spending Freeze Government Programs and Policies 2010 Elections
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