Of Politics & Policy: Why people who reject politics are wrong

January 31, 2012 • Beliefs, Blog, Politics • by
0 Comments

Last week my favorite mystic theologian (we all have one right?) put up a quote on his blog by Alexander Solzhenitsny.

“I must say that among educated people, politics occupies far too great a proportion of their time. . .Questions of higher spirit cannot even be compared to the sort of blinking frivolity of politics. The ultimate problems of life and death show the colossal nature of this difference even more…People are prepared to stuff their heads with anything, and to talk on any subject, while actually blocking off any true contemplation of the [whole] issue. This is the reason for the increased pettiness of our society, and our concentration on the small and the irrelevant.”

I come across this anti-politics sentiment a lot. You’re hard-pressed to find anyone who has something good to say about politics. Yet I feel that the “politics is a waste of time” worldview is short-sighted. I think people forget that politics leads to policy.

We interact with policy everyday. Its the basis of the infrastructure we rely on. Many of us are graduates of an education system created by policy. It keeps us safe from terrorists, mad cow disease, and the super-flu. You might not like certain policies and wish that the government did more or less but I think we can all agree that policies matter. There is little else that affects the lives of so many.

It is tempting to look at our political system that is corrupted by money, the 1%, the left or the right, and want to just reject the whole system. Unfortunately I believe many people do just that. But there really is another option. We can work to change the system to rid it of corrupting forces as much as possible. We can work for reform, innovation, and a government that is truly reflective of its populace.

I too am frustrated as I watch today’s politicians duke it out like schoolchildren but I believe in change. I believe we can create something new. I believe I can use my voice to bring change. If you reject politics you’ve given up your voice. That is why I think people who reject politics are wrong.

political fight

Policy Matters

September 20, 2011 • Beliefs, Blog, Public Policy • by
0 Comments

With the current state of our political system, it might be tempting to dismiss politics all together. In fact, I think many of my peers have done just that. What enthusiasm they had initially for President Obama has waned and all we hear about in the news is how each side has become entrenched and the entire system is a mess.

Yet politics and, more important, policy matter.

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the Illinois Forum to Combat Human Trafficking, hosted at Park Community Church. Speakers included Congressman Peter Roskam from the IL-6, Holly Burkhalter of IJM, Lynne Hybels, and representatives from several local organizations.

Speaking last, Holly Burkhalter, gave an impassioned speech about why policy matters. She shared about IJM’s work prosecuting human traffickers around the world. The big difference between today’s slavery and that of the trans-atlantic slave trade in the 19th century is that today, there is not a single country where slavery is legal, she shared. That means that the law is on the side of the slave, the victim, versus on the side of the slave owner as it was in 19th century America.

As a recent graduate of public policy school I have been convinced of the need to promote policy. It is what shapes our lives, our society, and our world. Laws and policy move trillions of dollars and are quite literally the difference between life and death. It is vital then, that people become active in the political system.

So call your Senators and Congressman, tell them to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The bill is currently in committee in both the House and the Senate and it is vitally important to fighting human trafficking both domestically and around the world.

Fundraising Tree

Why Limiting Charitable Deductions Might Actually Help Charities

July 11, 2011 • Blog, Development, nonprofit • by
1 Comment

The Philantopic blog had a great post today about the Obama administration proposal on limiting itemized deductions on charitable giving. It quoted a survey by the Association of Fundraising Proposals that found that development officers expect to see at least a slight drop in giving if the proposal goes into effect.

As a University of Chicago trained economist, this make sense. As it becomes more expensive to give, people will do less of it.

But is it a wholly awful scenario? Read More…