"Just the Facts, Ma’am!"

Post #43

My recent blog on courtesy (see #42) included a reference to Jack Webb’s character in Dragnet, who was known for his line, “Just the facts, ma’am.”  Too often, facts are woefully absent in our policy debates today.  I fear that voters will not become informed on the issues when conversations are based on rumors or allegations.

Let me offer two examples that bear out my concern:

1)      A recent Harris poll showed shocking ignorance among respondents answering questions about President Obama, of which:

• 23% believe he is anti-American;
• 20% believe he is “doing many of the things that Hitler did”;
• 25% think he was not born in the U.S. and so is not eligible to be president;
• 13% believe that he wants the terrorists to win; and
• 32% believe he is a Muslim (in fact, he’s a Christian).

Are these results based on gullible acceptance of “facts” presented by right-wing media commentators? Could the respondents actually hold such beliefs, or are they blinded by fear, hatred, or racism?

2)      Closer to home, I gave a “pop quiz” to my students at Montgomery College on the just-passed health care reform plan.  Every one of them knew that it had passed, that most Democrats supported it while Republicans opposed did not, and that President Obama had worked hard for its passage.  (That’s especially impressive, considering they were on their Spring Break during debate and the final vote!)  But sadly, they were murky on the details.  Two thought that health care would now be free for all Americans, while another suspected it would be more difficult for her to find insurance because the bar for coverage would be raised! 

Both these examples make me wonder about information sources.  Are they hearing only from those who have no desire to offer a balanced presentation of the facts?  I have confidence that Americans, when fully educated about an issue, can come to their own conclusions.  While I may not agree with their opinions, I could respect them if I thought they had access to the same facts and data that I did.   Only in that way can we truly engage in a spirited and constructive debate regarding the best choices for our state or country.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  What are your preferred information sources?  Do you seek outlets that profess to be “fair and balanced” or those that actually present both sides?  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 (#43) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Is Courtesy "Old School"?

Post #42

During rehearsals for the musical “Oliver!” at my synagogue, a young boy had placed his feet (in shoes) on the seats in the sanctuary.  Another cast member scolded him and asked him to remove them.  He did so.  I gave her a thumbs-up and indicated that I thought I was the only one who would have admonished him in this way.  My colleague laughed and said we were both “old school.”

This made me wonder: “Is Courtesy ‘Old School’?”

Politics is often rough-and-tumble, but nowadays we are seeing something far more troubling. We should be offended by the name-calling and partisan bickering that has accompanied the national debate over health care reform.  One of the rules in most legislative bodies (including in the General Assembly in Annapolis) is that one never addresses a colleague by name on the floor during debate.  This formality takes the edge off the disagreement when one is arguing with “the gentleman from Southern Maryland” rather than taking issue with “Mr. Owings.”

Instead, we’ve seen members of Congress shout out “You Lie!” or “Baby Killer” in the Chamber of the House!  Perhaps they’re just following the example of some of their constituents, who hurled epithets and actually spat on duly-elected Congressional leaders.  Both should be strongly condemned as inappropriate, disrespectful, and unhelpful to policy-making.

Let's debate important policy issues without impugning the opposition’s motives or character.  Perhaps our legislators and activists would do well to remember Jack Webb’s character, Sgt. Friday, who constantly implored, “Just the facts, ma’am.”  That’s not “Old School.”  It’s called respect, dignity, courtesy… and might even allow them to get more done!

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  How can we prevent the rude and offensive behavior we see more and more lately?  How do you model respect for others, even when you disagree?  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 (#42) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Debating Debates

Post #41

During every presidential campaign, we read about the debate over debates.  Who should be included?  How many should there be?  Who should ask the questions?  Where should they be held?

At the state level, things shouldn't be that complicated.  The constituency is local, campaign budgets are small, and most candidates relish any opportunity to speak to groups of voters.  Incumbents have records of bills they have sponsored (or cosponsored) they usually love to brag about.  Challengers have community experience and issue differences with the incumbent they want to share. 

I believe that debates are among the most fundamental and important methods for candidates to interact with voters.  I am hopeful there will be a number of dynamic debates that would offer each candidate plenty of time to share her/his views. A number of elements need to come together to schedule such debates.

First, organized community groups are needed, with an engaged membership that will come out for an event and ask constructive but probing questions of the candidates.  These groups may have to find a venue where the event could be held.

Second, relevant issues need to be at stake.  An organization with nothing pressing before a City Council, for example, might be less interested in the Mayor & Council races in its municipality.  The membership may wait for the State or County elections to reach out to its membership.

Third, a setup that is fair to all candidates participating is needed.  If the deck seems stacked for or against one side on an issue, some parties may feel disadvantaged and hesitate to participate.  Debate rules and guidelines should be shared in advance with all candidates and/or their representatives.  Questions should ideally be screened by a committee to remove any appearance of bias and favoritism.

Such debates, in my view, should provide both structured and unstructured time to address a sizeable and diverse audience.  And I hope they will be held in multiple communities around District 17, with emphases on different issues, enabling the maximum number of interested voters to attend.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Do you find candidate debates helpful as you decide who to support?  Would you rather an open forum with many topics addressed, or one more focused on issues of special concern to you?  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 (#41) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

We’re Number One?!

Post #40

President Obama just released “A Blueprint for Reform,” which outlines his ideas for modifying “No Child Left Behind.”  His Administration is clearly placing a greater emphasis on states competing for federal funds rather that the traditional distribution through formula-based grants.  Will Maryland and Montgomery County be successful in their pursuits for much-needed additional school funding?

For the past two years, Maryland’s schools have been ranked #1 in the nation by Education Week in its annual "Quality Counts" survey.  Clearly, this is something we should brag about; use to recruit good employers with well-paying jobs; and commend our teachers and administrators.

But does this mean we’re doing as well as we’d like?  As I have knocked on doors and talked to community leaders over the past nine months, I have heard more complaints than cheers from parents and teachers about our local schools.  I hear about class sizes that are too large for maximal learning.  I hear about infrastructure that is long overdue for updating or replacing.  I hear frustration about inadequate staffing to effectively teach students with learning disabilities or for whom English is not their primary language.

Respected education policy leader Diane Ravitch just released a new book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, to great acclaim.  Among her theses is that “No Child Left Behind” is a distraction and a misdirection of resources.  There is too much teaching to the test, too much pressure on school systems to show progress, and unfair and punitive penalties for failure to meet goals.  This has led to small and large instances of fraud (by both teachers and entire school systems), which obviously don’t help us measure the levels of improvement.  Once seen by some as a panacea, charter schools aren't turning out to be the laboratories for innovation that many had predicted.

Maryland’s grade was an 87.5%, based on the six categories of measurement, which include student performance on tests and educational policies.  That means we are doing a lot right, but there is definitely room for improvement.  The fact that the State has taken over schools in Baltimore City (and has threatened to take over others) is evidence that many children around the state are not receiving an adequate education.  Funding is always an issue, but so is support (training, mentoring, and compensation) for our teachers and administrators.  We need safe, wired, clean schools to maximize learning opportunities.  And we need to involve parents and community volunteers in tutoring and reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom.

Together, we can work to offer Maryland children the best possible education… and hopefully continue to do it better than the other 49 states!

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Do you agree that Maryland does a B+ job in our public schools?  How good a job does your local school do?  What could make the biggest difference in your community?  How do you think I can and should help?  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 (#40) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Riding... or Taken for a Ride?

Post #39

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has recently been the subject of two big news stories.   First, the board named an interim General Manager in light of John Catoe’s impending departure next month and is actively interviewing for his replacement.  Second, another fare hike of ten cents per ride went into effect.  A dime might not seem like very much to some of us, but commuters will face an annualized $50 increase, even before considering weekend jaunts into town.

For many, this may seem completely affordable.  Metro generally provides safe, quick, and convenient transportation.  That is… except when it does not.

Montgomery County’s own Peter Benjamin is the new Chair of the Metro Board.  He has rightly put a laser-like focus on safety since the series of crashes and fatalities in the past year.  The lengthy investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board after the June 2009 crash that killed nine resulted in many months of slow train rides at all hours of the day.  When the trip takes twice as long; costs more (especially once adding on parking at a WMATA or private lot); and feels less safe than driving (though the statistics obviously wouldn’t bear that out), it’s no wonder that ridership hasn’t continued growing to mirror the area’s population.  Despite our best intentions of “going green,” our schedules and the “green” in our wallet are also valid considerations!

Many of us (me included) believe that our former County Executive, Doug Duncan, would be a remarkable next General Manager.  His decisive management style and ability to recruit and retain effective leaders would help Metro address its many challenges.

Regardless of whether the search process concludes with Duncan or someone else, the new General Manager must regain the trust of riders-- and the U.S. Congress. Being taken over by Congress (as some have suggested) would not be a good outcome.  If ridership falls, we will be faced with worse traffic problems than we have now.

I hope that each extra dime will help with infrastructure improvements, staff training, and recruitment of the best transit experts possible.  We must ensure that this lifeline in our region is financially stable, safe, and well-run.  We’re all counting on it!

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  How often do you take Metro?  Have you become more worried about safety since last June’s crash?  What do you think about the recent fare increases?  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 (#39) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.