Transcript Slide 1

Supporting Government’s Role in
Tea Party Times
OR Advocates Academy
October 12, 2010
Patrick Bresette – [email protected]
Public Works: the Dēmos Center for the Public Sector
www.publicworkspartners.net
Dēmos: A Network for Ideas & Action
www.demos.org
This is not about:
This is about:
• “Liking” the government • Recognizing the unique
we have
role of government in
society
• Making excuses for
government when it
does not work
• “Big” government or
“small” government
• Government vs.
business
• Politics
• Aspiring to create the
government we need &
deserve
• Public systems and
structures that are
essential to quality of life
• Management &
Stewardship
“A new Pew Research Center survey
finds a perfect storm of conditions
associated with distrust of
government -- a dismal economy, an
unhappy public, bitter partisan-based
backlash, and epic discontent with
Congress and elected officials.”
- Pew Research Center, April 18, 2010
The Washington Post/Kaiser Family
Foundation/Harvard University
Role of Government Survey – 10/2010
The Washington Post/Kaiser Family
Foundation/Harvard University
Role of Government Survey – 10/2010
The Great Disconnect, Circa 2006
How Public Confusion Impedes Political Solutions to Some of
Our Biggest Problems
Condition #1: public cynicism, negativism, and
skepticism about government . . . at the highest
levels in 30 years of doing quantitative and
qualitative research in Oregon.
Condition #2: decreasing awareness and
knowledge about government . . . about 30% of the
general public cannot name a single tax that is
used to help pay for public services.
- Adam Davis, City Club Speech, May 12, 2006
When we try to talk
about government . . .
GOVERNMENT
A Shared Cultural Joke
"More Americans can name the three stooges than
the three branches of government.
Well, that's because the three stooges are more
likely to get something done." - David Letterman
The Challenge
• Dominant and Resilient images
consistently misdirect thinking.
• Concrete images of the systems and
structures of government are
missing.
• Consumerist thinking narrows
understanding and responsibility.
The Good News
• The “idea” of government is not lost
• Responsible citizenship is still valued
• A desire for collective action,
respecting consensus, and problemsolving
• Stewardship and planning for the
future – roles for government
Just Politics
a partisan
blowhard
spectator
sport
“Bi-Partisan”
Steve Benezue
Mission and Purpose
Mission &
Purpose
VALUES
• Common Good
• Quality of Life
• Community Wellbeing
• Public Purpose
ROLE
• Protector
• Manager & Planner
• Steward
• Consensus-Builder
Critiquing, Not Undermining
Focusing on the inherent value
of government – on the unique
and essential roles of
government programs and
services – can offer a way to
critique government action or
performance while upholding its
essential role.
Once again the actions of our city housing
department show that its all about who you
know if you want to get anything done. If
you don’t have some big money political
clout you can’t get any response out of that
bureaucratic mess of an agency. As always
our neighborhoods of working-class people
of color are just overlooked. But we are
taxpayers too! We paid our share into the
city coffers and we should be getting some
attention and services in return.
One of the most important roles of our city
government is to help create clean and safe
neighborhoods were residents can live, work
and play. Unfortunately, our housing
department is not living up to that essential
responsibility. The system seems to pay
more attention to developers with money
than the many neighborhoods and residents
that create our thriving city. It is time for all
of us to work together to get this important
public agency back on track and focused on
community needs.
Mindless Bureaucracy
blurry and
undefined;
only dimly
understood
Systems and Structures
Systems &
Structures
• Concrete and vivid
images
• The public systems
we have created
• How they work
• Why they are
important
Government as our Public Structures
The main advantages that make America so
successful come from the Public Structures it has
created. These Public Structures include the
physical structures (highways, airports, and
communications grids) and the organizational
structures (the postal system, courts) we need to
get things done, and the social support systems
that help to ensure the health and well-being of
our communities. It is our well-functioning and
supported Public Structures that are essential for
overall success.
Responses to the Public
Structures description –
• What are they?
• Why are they important?
• Can you name some of the
important public structures
we rely on?
Rounding Out the Story
Consumer Stance
Our
Government
What’s in it for
me, and what
is it going to
cost?
Government
as Vending Machine
Citizen Stance
Citizen
Thinking
• Interdependence
• Working together
• Problem-solving
• Everyone has a role
to play
• “Our” Government
• The Common Interest
Dominant Stories
Just Politics
Bureaucracy
Vending Machine
. . .can’t solve anything . . . not my responsibility
Which model is being triggered?
Access to health care, good nutrition and cash
assistance is vital to low-income families. Yet,
enrolling in programs like Food Stamps and
Medicaid has gotten harder and harder over the
last year. The new computer eligibility system
is riddled with problems. And, turnover in state
workers means untrained workers are often illprepared to help families get the benefits for
which they qualify.
Which model is being triggered?
Of every tax dollar collected by the state of
Minnesota, roughly 80 cents is returned to
communities and individuals in the form of aid
and grants. The remaining 20 cents pays for
such things as state highways, appropriations to
colleges and universities, prisons, state parks
and state government. Some areas receive less
than their citizens pay in, while other areas
receive more.
Which model is being triggered?
Our children deserve better. They need an
education accountability system that provides
fair, accurate and understandable information
on the effectiveness of our schools. But, rather
than debating the merits of our accountability
system our Governor and Legislature are
slugging it out in that legislative boxing ring we
call the Capitol.
New Stories
Mission & Purpose Systems & Structures
Citizen-Thinking
. . . our tool for solutions & the common good . . .
Parallel Challenges
• Mission and purpose obscured
• No system awareness
• Limited sense of personal role
Government
The Economy
Economy Defaults
How does the Public Understand
the Economy?
A “Natural Economy”
Based on this latest survey, most Americans believe
that the U.S. economy won't reach placid waters for
some time. But as they struggle to steer through the
rapids, each major group in society increasingly
appears to be piling into its own boat. And more and
more of us feel as if we are paddling alone.
Paddling Alone On The Economic Rapids
Allstate/National Journal Poll - Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
The Individual Actor Economy
Implications:
• Moral qualities and personal
choices shape economic actions
and outcomes
• A broadly shared model
Inequality Happens
Tough Times Don’t Help
For some time now, many families have felt
squeezed between high hopes and declining
prospects. Most Americans strongly believe
in working hard and moving up the ladder of
success. They "identify up" with people more
rich, famous, and lucky than they, rather
than "identifying down" with people more
poor, obscure, and unlucky.
— Arlie Hochschild, The Chauffeur's Dilemma
Suspicious of Governmental Role
•Last Resort
•Creates Dependency
•Stifles Business
Limited Vision of Government’s Role
• Policing the
“Bad Actors”
• Protecting the
Deserving
. . . and after the fact.
Limited Vision for Our Role
Worker
Consumer
The Desired Transformation
Default
Goal
• The economy is “free” &
“natural” – have to adapt.
• The economy is man-made and
intentional.
• Individual character/luck
determine outcomes.
• Systems & Structures affect
outcomes.
• Everyone competes for their
own interests.
• Everyone’s interests are
connected and interdependent.
• The strength of the overall
• The economic wellbeing of
economy – GDP, Stock Market –
average people matters.
matters.
• Government’s role is minimal
and reactive.
• Government’s role is
fundamental and proactive.
Connecting the Dots
Purpose
• What is the Economy for?
Intentionality
• How do we create the
Economy we desire?
A Powerful Mythology
The American Dream
“ . . . life should be better and richer and
fuller for everyone, with opportunity for
each according to ability or achievement . . .
regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of
birth or position . . .
- James Truslow Adams, 1931
An Intentional Middle Class
A strong middle class – the
engine that drives our
economy – doesn’t arise by
accident, but is the result of
deliberate and proactive
policy choices.
The Middle Class is No Accident
“Having a strong middle class is an indicator of a
healthy country.”
53-year old Democratic woman, Oklahoma
“The middle class drives the economy, so government
economic policy should be crafted to allow for a broad
middle class that can succeed through hard work.”
30-year old Independent man, New York
“As the middle class goes, so does the economy and
that it is important for the government to make policy
that reflects that.”
28-year old Republican man, Ohio
Public Structures as
Economic Foundation
Public Structures (like the FDIC,
community colleges, & Social
Security), that have been created
and maintained by government are
foundational to prosperity,
opportunity, economic stability, and
a strong middle class.
Public Structures are Essential
“Although there are more ways to promote economic
growth and stability, one of the most important ways is
the use of public structures.”
34-year old Republican man, South Carolina
“The average middle class person relies on these systems
and structures to maintain a healthy, productive
lifestyle. These systems allow Americans to save money,
and continue on with their lives at a productive pace.
Without these systems the quality of life for Americans
would greatly diminish.”
25-year old Democratic woman, Maryland
A New Conversation
about the Economy
Elements of the New Story
• Context: protecting our core public functions is
essential to our successful recovery & future
prosperity
• Values: protecting and promoting opportunity,
prosperity and the Common Good.
• Systems & Structures: the public systems and
structures we create and maintain are the
foundations of our economy and quality of life.
• “Civic” Thinking: our economic outcomes are
interconnected; we are the stewards of the
common good and the future of our state.
A New View - A New Role
Citizen Managers:
we shape the
economy we need
The only thing that has ever
created a good economy is the
hard work, ingenuity and
smart choices of our people.
Government involvement just
creates dependency and stifles
personal initiative.
The foundation of our economy rests on the
health and stability of our public systems and
structures. Economic activity depends on our
transportation systems, energy and
communications grids and it is supported by the
courts, the postal system and our educational
institutions. Business activity and private
enterprise would be impossible without these
essential public functions. America’s strong
investments in public structures in the past have
been the keys to building our economy, creating
jobs and paving the way for innovation.
State Budget
& Tax
Debates are
Crucibles
for Attitudes
about
Government
Government in an
Economic Downturn
Dominant Story
• Budget Crisis means Cuts are the answer
• So taxpayers can keep more of their
money
• Government Spending must be
controlled
• Taxes will Make Things Worse
A Standard Budget Crisis Narrative
The proposed budget cuts will leave
thousands of the most vulnerable among us
without the critical government services
they need to live, work and thrive. The
reason we are in this situation is because our
tax system lets the wealthy and big
corporations off the hook. We need to
restore these budget cuts and get the
wealthy and big business to pay their fair
share.
A Bigger Story
The quality of life we enjoy in our state is
directly connected to the public structures
we have created over many decades. Our
parks, community colleges, social services
and infrastructure are what make our
communities good places to live and work.
The proposed cuts to state programs and
services will undermine the public systems
we rely on every day. It is time to focus on
finding new revenue to keep our state
functioning well, now and into the future.
“. . . while the solutions won't come easy,
priorities should. As policymakers tackle
another shortfall in a still-sputtering economy,
they should support the public structures that
have long been the backbone of our economic
prosperity – our world-class universities,
community colleges and schools – and help
those Californians hardest hit by the economic
downturn. To do that, they must choose a
balanced approach over ideological rigidity.
- Jean Ross, California Budget Project