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Is it too late?

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Trump's insurrection wreaks havoc on the Grand Old Party
Photo credit: Brynn Anderson/AP

I am terrified at the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House. I am so frustrated that our judicial system has not been able to hold him accountable and actually bring him to trial so he can be judged and found guilty of the crimes we know he committed. Having him on record asking an election official to find votes for him; seeing photographs of highly classified documents unsecured and improperly taken to a private residence; and all the actions and inactions related to the January 6 insurrection — surely an impartial judicial process would lead to multiple convictions. But still, there he is, enabled by Republican legislators and activists who either don’t understand or don’t care about the idea of handing power to a man who has repeatedly demonstrated that he is only out for himself, that he doesn’t respect the rule of law, and that he has no regard to the public good.

I could go on, but that’s not the point of this blog post. The point of this blog post is to explore what can be done, now, before it is too late.

A picture taken from a position in southern Israel along the border with the Gaza Strip on January 19, 2024, shows an Israeli tank rolling along the fence as damaged buildings are see in the Gaza strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Photo credit: Jack Guez | Afp | Getty Images

For the record: I know Joe Biden is an imperfect candidate on the other side. I am horrified by what is happening in Gaza and the apparent inability or unwillingness of the administration to use the leverage we have to bring an end to the violence. I also know that Donald Trump would be even more pro-Netanyahu and anti-Palestine. I also see an amazing record of Biden administration accomplishments, despite the dysfunction in Congress, of using the power of the federal government for the benefit of communities around the country, making us safer, healthier, and more productive. The economy is strong, and moving in the right direction.

Call me naive, but I still believe that people hold power. All the elected officials we disdain were put there as a result of elections – the folks who voted and those who stayed home are responsible for the Mike Johnsons and the Jim Jordans and the Matt Gaetz’s of the world. If someone else had gotten more votes, that someone else would now be in those offices. There are obstacles to overcome, starting with how we fund our elections, but those obstacles can be removed with the right people in power.

We The PeopleIt is not a new idea. But it matters now more than ever. WE THE PEOPLE hold the power. We can run for office, we can educate ourselves about who is running for office at every level – school boards, local government, all the way up the chain. We can get involved in political party bureaucracy and try to influence the choices of who runs and who gets funding and other types of support.

Republican Party | Definition, History, & Beliefs | BritannicaThere may not be many Republicans who read this blog, but I wish there were more courageous Republicans who would work to take back the reins of their party. It would be good for the country to have a diversity of viewpoints within the fundamental framework of our constitutional democracy. How can we engage and empower all eligible voters to have their views and values represented and their rights protected?  We need to offer more choices across the political spectrum. I’m not anti-Republican as I used to understand the Republican Party. I disagreed with many of their positions, but as President Biden said in the State of the Union address, “you can’t love your country only when you win.” I’m proud to have been a civil servant in both Democratic and Republican administrations in my years in Washington.

In my four years on the Encinitas City Council, I won some and lost some, and that’s how it should be. Not every idea is a winner, and honest debate, open-minded listening, and mutual trust can often lead to a better outcome. But I fear the current political establishment lacks all three of those needs – there is dishonesty and intentional disregard of facts; there is more posturing than listening; and there is a deep lack of trust.

What to do? It takes leadership and time to move us into more productive waters. We first need to do everything possible to make voting safe and secure; to support and protect election officials who are essential in performing this sacred duty. Then we need to encourage and support good candidates from both parties who demonstrate integrity and a commitment to serve for the common good, not for personal power.

Help register people to vote. Offer to work at voting centers. Join a civic organization and learn about the role of different offices and work to elect people you trust. Donate money to candidates and organizations that are working to promote your views and values. Among other things, I have written over 3000 postcards to voters across the country in elections at all levels of government to encourage them to vote. It is vital to VOTE in every election you are eligible for. You vote is your voice. It matters. For the sake of my granddaughter, I have to believe it’s not too late!

Everyone for Ten Minutes

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I just spent a lovely week at a health resort in Tecate, Mexico, with 50 or 60 other guests. One of the people I met early in the week was a recently first-time elected official I’ll call Serena. We bonded/commiserated over the privilege and challenge of public service and shared some of the high and low points in our political journeys.

At mealtimes, most people happily sit at tables of 6 or 8 people and try to get to know each other a bit. Most of the guests turn out to be wonderfully interesting and quite diverse – this time there was a retired woman cattle rancher; someone who offers workshops based on her near-death experience some years ago and her subsequent study of others who have come back from near death; amazing musicians; an anti-corruption attorney; a retired foreign service officer, and many more.

When I revealed that I had been elected to public office and served for four years, or when Serena shared her job title, people were very interested, very concerned about the state of our democracy, and very appreciative of our having stepped up to run for office. But most were not at all engaged themselves, other than keeping up with the news. While it has been more than a decade since I was elected, and I have done many other things since then, this piece of my resume seemed of most interest. And I still feel the need and desire to continue advocating for greater civic engagement from everyone. My new friend and I probably said to someone at every single meal, or to the whole table if they were listening, that they should get involved, run for office, volunteer for a commission, or at least actively support good candidates, including after they get elected.

One of the activities at this resort was a workshop on improv which led to a performance by the six of us brave guests who stuck with it. The main rule of improv, I learned, is to say “yes and” instead of “no” when presented with a new or unexpected situation. Accept what is and figure out what to do about it. Saying “no” and rejecting reality doesn’t really get you anywhere. This is a good lesson for life as well as for improv.

Another rule is to have each other’s back. If a scene is floundering, someone else can step in and support the storyline, or redirect it so it works. In public office, this is also essential. Most people only speak out when they’re unhappy about a situation. They write angry letters to the editor or post comments on social media or just gripe to their friends. That’s ok, but it’s also important to acknowledge what is going well. Let an elected official know that you appreciate their vote on that issue you care about. Write an op-ed supporting your local government when they fix a problem. If there is unfair criticism in a community paper or public social media site, chime in and set the record straight, or at least offer a different point of view.

Everyone has a voice, whether in elected office or not. Every citizen has a vote, which is another type of voice. And everyone spends money. Every time you express your opinion, you move the needle a bit. Every time you vote, you help shape government. And every time you buy something, you are endorsing the entity whose products or services you are procuring. Wouldn’t it be nice if we used our voices wisely, based on realistic expectations, knowledge of the opportunities and constraints around our issues, and supported responsible businesses that strengthen our communities? We have the power. Silence can be deadly.

Vote smarter, please!

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Why be a voter at all? It’s confusing. Does it make any difference anyway? Yes, voting matters. Do you want your school board to ban books or discussion of certain topics? Or do you want teachers to focus on teaching critical thinking skills by presenting controversial topics and helping kids think for themselves? Your vote for in school board elections determines who decides. At every level of government, decisions are being made that impact your life. Fundamental rights are being defined and expanded or limited by Supreme Court justices appointed and approved by the president and Senate – all elected officials. The people making decisions about housing, transit, and climate action are the people that WE elect. If we choose different people, we get different outcomes. So, how do you become an educated voter? Step one: register to vote. It’s easy. If you live in San Diego, go to SDVote.com. If you live somewhere else, look up your Registrar of Voters. Just to be sure, do it TODAY! In general, there are three types of elections: primary, general, and special. The primary election determines who the candidates will be in the general elections that are held every two years in November. Not every office has a primary – some are just in the general election. Special elections can happen at any time to fill vacancies, for example, when an official dies or leaves office for another reason. Once you are a registered voter, you should receive information about specific elections that you are eligible to vote in. You will see and hear ads, and get lots of mailings and other communications about candidates and issues. Read and listen carefully. Always look at the source, follow the money, and consider what their agenda might be. Mailings must include “paid for by.” Look up any organization you don’t recognize to see who’s behind it. Fact check and talk to knowledgeable friends and colleagues. Consider setting up a potluck discussion group to share information and opinions. Nonpartisan organizations, like the League of Women Voters, offer objective information. The League studies issues and offers pros and cons for major ballot questions. They post candidate statements and studies on the VotersEdge.org website. The League never endorses candidates but takes positions on some ballot questions. Go to candidate forums and hear directly from the candidates. A challenger with no track record can easily promise to solve difficult problems but may not really understand the legalities and complexities that an incumbent must address. Look beyond specific issues to the candidate’s character, values, and experience. You don’t know what might arise in the future. Past actions speak louder than empty words. No candidate will be perfect. Choose the ones that you think will take us in the general direction you want, or at least the one who isn’t going to take us in a direction you don’t want. “Confirmation bias” makes us inclined to accept information that matches existing beliefs and reject conflicting views. Think critically. Vote wisely. The health and well-being of our families, our communities, and our nation depend on it.

A Mormon, a Mennonite, and a Unitarian walked into …

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A Mormon, a Mennonite, and a Unitarian walked into a historic inn and gave me hope.

I am in Laurel, Maryland, staying at a lovely historic B&B. This morning at the breakfast table were two other couples. Holly and Dave (all the names have been changed) are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who had traveled from Utah to tour the Mormon Temple here. (The temple has been under renovation and is open to the public until it is reconsecrated.) Andy and Jen are Mennonites from Lancaster, PA, here to visit family. I am a member of a Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in the San Diego region, visiting my daughter.

So what did we talk about at the breakfast table? Sustainability. Climate Change. Carbon footprints. Regenerative agriculture. Open space conservation. I’m pretty sure we do not identify the same way politically (the innkeepers ask that we not talk politics at the table) but we were all on, or close to, the same sustainability page. This gives me hope. We talked about shared values and common concerns. We related as human members of our society. THIS is what we need to do more!

Whether you believe that some higher power, possibly called God, created the world and gave “man” dominion over all the creatures, or you think we are part of an interdependent web of all existence where no specie is more important than any other, everyone at our table agreed that we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment. Religious differences, in other words, but core values that were the same.

Furthermore, Dave works for a very large international food company and part of his responsibilities include corporate sustainability efforts. He said that there is a substantial financial cost to meeting sustainability targets that were set by the corporate CEO. But his company has embraced the effort and incorporated these targets into management compensation calculations, creating incentives for leadership to do the right thing.

When I said I thought the there were significant benefits offsetting the costs, Dave did acknowledge the intangible benefits (which I would argue can be made tangible) in terms of recruitment and retention of talent, as well as direct savings from reducing waste, reusing water in industrial processes, energy efficiency, and longer-term benefits from reducing future severe weather events. It’s hard to operate a factory in a tornado, wildfire, flood, or extreme heat event. And possibly more important than all this in terms of giving me hope, he was PROUD that he was working on these issues.

Andy and Jen both came from families that owned farms. Neither of them attended college. He works for a renewable energy company and one of their sons (who has a joint engineering/MBA degree from MIT – no slouch academically!) is pursuing a career in corporate sustainability. Jen told a sad story about her family’s farm that her son was trying to arrange to put into an agricultural trust in perpetuity when the family matriarch died. He wasn’t able to complete the arrangements before the property passed to Jen’s 26-year old nephew who is not interested in farming. That property’s fate is likely to be determined by financial and tax consequences, not ecological considerations. Andy’s family’s farm has already been developed into residential housing. Andy and Jen were very committed to the preservation of small-scale family farms, and to advancing sustainability efforts in their way, including participating in a local sustainability organization working at the county level to reduce their overall environmental impact.

The innkeepers joined in the end of our breakfast discussion. They belong to a green tourism association, recently joined a CSA program, and proudly explained to me their municipal composting program, among other “green” initiatives.

This has been a very tough few weeks. Gun violence, innocent children and adults slaughtered, political campaigns centered on who will advance the gun agenda most, and the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as continued Covid pandemic. It’s so easy to feel sad and disheartened and to lose hope.

My fellow travelers have been a delightful reminder that real people, honest, hard-working people, really do care about the same things – they want clean air and water. They want safe streets and healthy children. They want to stop contributing to climate change. We may not all have the same faith traditions or the same academic pedigrees, or use the same language, but real people are trying to find ways to get to the same outcomes. Today I am more hopeful.

Reality Check; California Dreaming

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I worked as a mail ballot drop-off monitor for the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. That means I was one of the people tending a big red ballot box for the last four weeks while we wasted $300 million verifying that we really did want Gavin Newsom as governor. California makes it very easy to vote, by mailing ballots to everyone, and giving voters many options and lots of time to return their ballots. You could put them in the mail, postage paid; drop them at one of many locations available for four weeks; or go to a polling place during the three days leading up to the actual election day. It was reassuring that there was high voter turnout, and a clear outcome.

Recently my husband and I drove from San Diego to San Jose, following Interstate 5 through the Central Valley. The temperatures were cooler than usual, “only” in the low 90s. There were many “Recall Newsom” and “Larry Elder” signs, not yet taken down despite the recall election results, along with billboards that read “Build More Dams, Prevent Manmade Droughts.”

As we passed extensive acreage with grapevines and what we think were almond trees, it was easy to imagine the fear of these landowners, these farmers, as they face the ever stronger impacts of climate change and population growth on their access to the water essential for their economic survival. One imagines the generations and the sweat that built up these land holdings and nurtured these groves and vineyards, and their reluctance to give it all up.

What I have trouble imagining is why these agricultural entrepreneurs think that a climate-denying political party would help them. What I don’t understand is why they haven’t taken relatively easy actions to conserve water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We saw open, uncovered waterways that allow the sun’s radiation to evaporate their precious resource. More than ten years ago I was reading about floating covers for reservoirs and canals to reduce evaporation, some with photovoltaics that generate energy. If as much effort (and money) went into energy and water saving modifications as goes into negative politics, they might be able to save their businesses.

We, as a society, need to worry about what happens to agricultural workers who can no longer make a living in their field, and how our growing population’s food needs will be met. We need to figure out how to promote climate adaptation strategies, such as regenerative agriculture, moving to more plant-based diets, and growing crops that take less water. It will take a toolbox full of new ideas and resurrected ancient practices to allow us all to thrive on our stressed planet.

I still have hope that we will recognize our common interest in moving to a more sustainable future, socially, politically, and biologically. We are all in the same boat. There is no room for “personal freedom” if it means taking action (or avoiding action) that will sink all of us.

How do you know what’s true?

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In my last blog post, I asked how we can be educated about important issues and feel confident that we are getting fact-based information. I have several recommendations, none of which are my own unique ideas.

  1. Check your sources. Who is writing or speaking? Instead of reading someone’s interpretation of a new policy or a speech by a public official, try to find the actual documents. Read the speech or policy yourself. It takes more time to read original sources, but it will help you understand commentaries you may find online. It will also allow you to calibrate the commentators.
  2. If you read secondary sources, ask whether they have an agenda that they might be advocating. Anonymous posts are less likely to be objective. Ask yourself why someone might be afraid of putting their name on their views. Academics aren’t inherently objective, but are more likely to document statements they make, and provide back-up references that you can check out for yourself.
  3. Look for multiple but independent sources. If you read the same thing in multiple places, it might add credibility, but often people just repeat what they read somewhere else.

It is well known that confirmation bias affects most of us – this is a phenomenon in which we tend to believe information that confirms what we think we already know, and we discount information that conflicts with our existing perspectives. It takes awareness and effort to be open to the possibility that we might not know everything, that new information might mean we have to adjust our position on an issue. That’s important, because reaching consensus and healing some of the deep divisions that exist will require people to be humble and open to new ideas.

And remember: just because you saw it on the internet, doesn’t mean it’s true, and just because a conservative spokesperson said it, doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t true.

“I don’t pay attention to politics”

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I met a young man, a recent MBA, working for a financial advisory company. In his attempt to establish a connection, he asked if I was a fan of the Golden State Warriors, since I live in California. He is in the midwest. I laughed a bit and said I wasn’t even sure what sport he was talking about. Later in an email exchange, I said “I’m not much on sports, but if you ever want to talk politics, I’m all ears.”

“I don’t pay attention to politics” was his reply. OMG. Is there a hotter hot button for me than that? Apathy? Privilege? The sense that one doesn’t have to pay attention? So I responded, perhaps a bit more bluntly than he was accustomed to.  Here’s my reply:

“If you don’t pay attention to politics, you aren’t being a responsible adult. There is some serious stuff happening in local, state, and national politics that impacts all of us, especially younger folks who are going to have to live with the consequences for longer than I will. So please DO pay attention. You don’t have to agree with me on any particular issue, but you should think critically about how different representatives have acted and might act in the future, and how their actions might impact all of us. Think about truth-telling, public safety (Michigan lawmakers occupying your capitol and threatening your governor!), voter access, racial justice, climate change, tax policy, and accountability, among many other issues. I may sound preachy, but I’m quite serious. I would not hire anyone and I don’t really want to work with anyone who enjoys the benefits of our society without taking seriously their responsibility for engaging in the political system, so please pay attention. Not just for me, but for you and your family and your community.

End of lecture.”

After a day, he wrote back, and said he had given my message a lot of thought. He said he may have misrepresented his awareness of the importance of the issues. He said he does pay attention, and he does vote for his values and encourage others to do the same.

He concluded with “I meant to say I give a lot of thought and attention to these issues without paying attention to the bloodsport that is within the political news. …I don’t have apathy or indifference towards politics in general, but rather a general distaste that leads to ‘not paying attention to’ much of the political news.”

I felt better about him, but still discouraged. How do we know what’s going on if we don’t pay attention to political news. It’s not an original idea for me to write that many sources for so-called political news are not objective, and are not driven by a desire to educate the public. What drives many of our information sources is a desire to sell advertisements, to cater to a selective audience that already holds clearly defined views, and to stir up controversy.

So how can we be educated about the issues? How do we know who stands for what? Are there sources that we can trust to be objective and unbiased? Stay tuned for my next blog post for some answers.

Jeff Bezos and me

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My book is now available on Amazon. I didn’t want to do it. I did not publish the book through Amazon, but I just released it through IngramSpark, which is a publishing site linked to independent bookstores, and it also distributes through Amazon. So you can click here you can order the paperback version. I’m told that within a few weeks the ebook version will also be available.

Amazon is a challenge for me. I teach business ethics and corporate social responsibility to college students. I believe one responsibility corporations have is to pay their fair share in taxes to support public investment and social services. I don’t like it when fully employed people need to use publicly funded health care services while their employer reaps huge profits and pays no taxes. I don’t like it when gig workers need unemployment support while Uber and Lyft pay nothing into those funds. I don’t like it when Amazon deliveries depend on the USPS, publicly funded streets and airports, and can call on public safety services if there is an emergency all, while paying nothing in corporate taxes. I know it’s legal, but it’s not right. And it was corporate lobbyists who pushed to create those legal tax breaks for corporations.

At the same time, Amazon is pretty amazing. Jeff Bezos had a better idea and he executes it well. I can simply type in the name or description of what I’m looking for and, with a few clicks, it arrives at my house the next day. I want innovation to thrive, and I want innovators to be able to reap the rewards of their innovations. The challenge is to find that balance between individualism and community; between greed and interdependence.

I don’t think we are anywhere close to the right balance yet. Recent proposals for taxing very high incomes, closing corporate tax loopholes, and maybe even a wealth tax, could make a big difference. Once you have a few billion dollars in your account, would you even notice if the government took a percent or two?

What we need (yes, my middle name should be Pollyanna) is to build trust in government, so that people believe that their tax dollars will be well spent and not wasted. Our taxes are an investment in our quality of life, and the debate should be about which elected officials will invest with the highest return, not who can lower our taxes the most and leave us struggling to meet our challenges.

We also need to (re)build a sense of connection and shared humanity – a sense that what happens to anyone impacts everyone. My thoughts on racism and social justice and privilege will go in other blog posts. In short, I believe that much of what is framed as concern about government waste, or allegations of socialism, is really a cover for overt or subconscious racism, which stems from a deep fear and insecurity, stoked by those in power who haven’t figured out that life is not a zero sum game.

For now, the point of this post is to say that my book is on Amazon and I have mixed feelings about that. I will continue to make it available through other channels as well, working to promote it to independent bookstores. If there is an independent bookstore near you, please ask them to order a copy. And if you live in the San Diego area, contact me through this website and I can offer free next day delivery without Amazon!

 

 

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