Missing: The Profits, but We All Profit!

Post #52

In my previous blog entry (#51 dated 5/3/10), I addressed the first of two glaring omissions in the  textbooks used in the State & Local Government classes I teach at Montgomery College.

Concerned about these gaps in the curriculum, I spent additional time working with the students to get them thinking about these issues as they relate to government and our lives.  The first, as I addressed in the last entry, was ethics. What could be more important in this day of mistrust of government?  But the other missing and highly important piece is the role played by the nonprofit sector, and the impact these vital organizations have on our community.

Too often, this critical part of our economy is overlooked and underappreciated.  While most people can reel off the names of national nonprofit organizations (The Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, American Heart Association, etc.), but how many of us are aware of the local groups?  Their work has a huge impact on our lives.  And how many of us are aware of the multitude of smaller organizations doing equally wonderful and much-needed work in our community, often with limited resources?

I suspect it would surprise most Marylanders to learn that our state is home to 27,000 diverse nonprofit organizations, employing more than 250,000 of our friends, neighbors and family members.

Our nonprofit organizations provide child care, employment and training programs, education, arts, recreation, religious and cultural activities, housing, health care, social services and so much more.  The nonprofit sector also helps to drive the economy of every county statewide through expenditures on goods, services and payroll.

I distributed to my students a list of about 60 Montgomery County-based nonprofits.  Each of them did research on three of the organizations and shared their knowledge with the class.  They were impressed by how many had started at someone's kitchen table, how much work they could do on a shoestring budget... and how much demand has increased in these tough times.

We are all better off because of the work done by these important organizations.  I urge you to support these groups by your donations, your time as a volunteer, and by voting for legislators who support the role that government plays is keeping this sector funded and healthy.  In these perilous economic times, such support is more vital than ever.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  How do you think the nonprofit sector can increase its visibility and therefore respect (and support) among the general public?  How much government support do you believe they deserve?  Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#52) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Missing Ethics?!

Post #51

There are two surprising omissions in the textbooks I use to teach my class in State & Local Government at Montgomery College.  The first oversight is the vital role of the nonprofit sector.  Even more egregious, in my view, is the lack of any material on the topic of ethics.  The absence of ethics in politics (perceived or real) is the source of many Americans' cynicism about their government.  How often have we heard comments like, “They're all crooks!” as we talk with friends about our nation’s leaders?

To remedy this omission, I have added to the curriculum an entire class devoted to the topic of ethics.  I show a DVD on the topic from the National Conference of State Legislators.  I also asked students to research various public figures whose transgressions have either marred or totally destroyed their careers.  They presented reports on people including Spiro Agnew, Kenneth Lay, Gary Hart (whose name was completely unfamiliar to every one of my students!), and Robert Pilatus of Milli Vanilli.  Some of the people had gone to jail; most had not.  Information about their wrong-doing, however, was easy to find in the briefest biographical overview.

The students’ greatest surprise tends to be the variety of ways that people had gotten into trouble.  Transgressions included 'traditional' embezzlement to deception to misuse of the prestige of office or of taxpayer money.  Even when taxpayer money is not directly involved, perception matters.  The loss of trust or confidence is enough to politically disable an otherwise effective political leader. My classes reviewed the records of Maryland legislators with questionable ethics; I believe that more rigorous and frequent disclosure requirements and consultations with ethics staff in Annapolis could have avoided some of these disastrous decisions.  

Everyone in public life professes to support high ethical standards; it’s how these same officials act in a non-election year or when the spotlight of the press isn’t upon them that counts!

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Do you think we hold the public sector to unreasonable standards?  Is it ever possible to have an ethical lapse and retain the people’s confidence? Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#51) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Which Pronoun?

Post #50

Now that the latest legislative session in Annapolis has adjourned, Delegates and Senators are sending out letters to their constituents lauding their accomplishments.  In an election year, sensibly skeptical voters should be on the lookout for legislators inflating their own importance.  One simple test is to look at the pronoun used in the letter: is it “I” or is it “we”?

When I was in the House of Delegates, a professional media consultant suggested (as a friend) that I used the word “we” far too often in describing my legislative work.  I argued that it takes a team to pass or kill a bill, win support for a project, or forge a bipartisan coalition.  She reminded me that it was my leadership that initiated the effort and educated colleagues and the community on the issue.

So which should it be: I or we?  And how should voters determine the level of personal accomplishment when reading a legislative record?

Most legislators are careful never to take credit for other people’s work.  They will rarely claim to have sponsored a bill if they didn’t.  But they’re perfectly justified in saying they supported or backed a proposal if they voted for it, even if they weren’t a sponsor or co-sponsor; it’s left up to the voter to determine the legislator’s level of commitment and effort.

Consistency is also important. After being relatively inactive for the first three years of a term, some legislators will dramatically ramp up their sponsorship and co-sponsorship of bills in an election year, just so they have a record to share with voters in an election campaign.  But are we really electing representatives to a four-year term, just so they might be actively engaged in their jobs for the final few months?

This kind of last-minute legislative window-dressing can extend to the practice of amending a bill to add oneself as a co-sponsor on a measure that’s about to pass.  That way, the legislator can claim part of the political glory without doing any of the actual work—also wasting legislative time and taxpayer dollars in the process.

Legislating is complicated and difficult.  It should not be about grabbing headlines or padding a resume.  And it’s certainly never a one-woman (or man) show. That’s why, if I’m lucky enough to return to Annapolis in January as the State Senator from Montgomery County’s District 17, I will likely continue to use a lot of “we” in order to share the credit with all those who make success possible.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Is this a semantic and irrelevant issue, or do you tend to notice pronouns… especially in an election year?  Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#50) you're addressing.

 Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

On the Environment: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Post #49

Today is Earth Day, a day dedicated to reflecting on the effect of human activity on our planet.  Thanks to former Vice President Al Gore’s leadership and the accumulating data that shows the increased reality of global warming, more people than ever are focused on protecting our environment. 

Unfortunately, Americans still tend to value convenience and consumption over conservation or sacrifice.  It’s only when gas prices soared that we saw measurable changes in car-buying behavior, mass-transit use, and carpooling.  The most persistent questions about Rockville’s Town Center have been about parking.  Where is it?  How expensive is it?  When is it free?  What if we’re just using the library? 

Especially on Earth Day, we should be asking far more significant questions about what we can do to help save our environment.   At the 1^st ever Earth Day celebration in Rockville tonight, the young performers reminded us that it’s not just about “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” but about educating others!   As a candidate for office, I’m painfully aware that political leaders usually profess their support for the environment in a loud voice, but too often neither their votes nor their actions match their words.

Did you know that our homes are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions?  That’s why last year, my husband and I researched the possibility of shifting to  100 percent  wind power, and wound up choosing  a Rockville-based company called “Clean Currents.”   Not only is it a green alternative to traditional sources of energy, but with tax breaks and other incentives, it’s even a little cheaper.  (You can learn more and sign up to switch by visiting www.CleanCurrents.com.)

When we renovated our kitchen, in addition to making obvious choices like Energy Star appliances, we decided to reflect our personal environmental beliefs in more inventive ways.  This meant instead of granite or Corian, our countertops are made with recycled glass.  They are beautiful, unique, and a small step towards supporting a more sustainable world.  Our floors are made of bamboo, which regenerates quickly, rather than a wood product whose harvesting contributes to the shrinking of the rain forest. We installed more environmentally-friendly lighting, too, including under our cabinets, where LEDs are not only more energy-efficient, but brighter as well.

Our composting takes very little time or effort and creates rich fertilizer that develops from our discarded banana peels and orange rinds.  Not only that, it reduces the amount of waste ending up in our landfills.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  What have you done personally to help protect our planet?  Are there tips you can pass along to others? Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#49) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

It's THAT Time of the Year Again (Part One)

Post #48

Yes, it's "Tax Time" again.  April 15^th is an infamous day to many folks, since it’s when we pony up to the government.  Some might have filed their return already, anticipating a sizable refund that will help cover household bills, while others (including us) will feel a pinch as we write checks to cover the amount due.

Because Americans work so hard to earn the money that fills the government's coffers, I think government needs to treat those funds with great respect.  Most of us can’t wrap our brains around the enormity of a $32 billion Maryland state budget or even $4.3 billion Montgomery County budget.  If elected officials were to treat the budget they oversee as if it were their personal account, I suspect that the spending decisions might be more carefully considered.

Here's one example of a costly and foolish decision our state made in recent years. In 2001, the General Assembly voted to jettison the fully functional voting machines, replacing them with new electronic systems.  I vigorously opposed the change and was the lone voice in opposition to this sure-to-pass legislation.  By raising concerns about cost, security, and the reliability of this new technology, I came within six votes of defeating the bill.  Unfortunately, the state went forward.   

Just a few years later, legislators voted nearly unanimously to ditch the new machines and revert to the Optical Scan systems that 14 jurisdictions had already been using.   Modifying a decision based on updated findings (like security and reliability of this new technology and lack of a paper trail) is fine, but this mistake was at a cost of over $100 million dollars in taxpayer money!

Whether big or small, all government expenditures should be carefully analyzed.  Is a particular program performing the way had expected?  Are Marylanders being served well?  At tax time and at all times of the year, it's what taxpayers should have the right to expect from their representatives.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  What sort of litmus tests do you think decision-makers should use when analyzing a proposed budget?  Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#48) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.