Governing

Divisions among the body politic are part of democracy. The pluses and minuses of issues are the grist of discussion most of the time. Working out differences is a function of compromise. That is not an easy process to master. Our nation’s history is a constant reminder of this very fact.

But compromise we must do. That is the only way we move ahead, survive the times, struggle to improve our lot. The body politic decides this daily. Sometimes the process is orderly and timely. Most of the time it is disorderly and slow to form. Solutions are often too few, too late, and not up to the job.

Our social order has valued education. To that end we have created schools, classrooms, curricula and professional teaching standards. We have created an advancement protocol stemming from pre-school through high school. Post-secondary education emerged a very long time ago. The European standard was adopted in America. We have tweaked it many times to a much higher standard we see today.

College and university life is a continuation of high school, allowing students to advance their understanding of general course material as well as their chosen fields in an academic major. That study used to be all that was needed to gain a foothold in a profession or career. In recent decades technology and information has exploded in most academic areas. The result is a proliferation of masters and doctoral degree studies. Research is the key. And that has produced the growth of knowledge and change in our social order and history.

Today a career increasingly requires a master’s degree. Some fields demand and get PhD’s. But then, many of us started careers with a BA or BS degree, then realized we needed to study more to be more valuable and knowledgeable in our careers. This has been good for our employers, institutions and higher education. It has also been terrific for government and corporations.

Our society knows more. It has more capability of making a difference in many difficult areas. We ask our universities to research solutions. We ask government agencies to do the same. When legislators address common problems, they ask experts to testify on the problems – cause, effect, result – and use that knowledge to guide legislation. Ineffective laws are those that miss the boat on knowledge sharing or are intentionally clouding the picture. Gun laws are often handled this way intentionally.

Regardless of the issue, however, we have a lot of solid information and knowledge to solve our problems. Not using those resources, or not authorizing the research in the first place, is an intentional blockage of governance.

Mitch McConnell knows what I’m talking about. So does the conservative cabal in the House and Senate. And don’t forget this very same battle is taking place in each and every state legislature.

The body politic needs to know this fact of life. And then they need to vote into office those folks who have a legitimate program to apply to our problems. That’s the way modern government should work.

Will we make the necessary investment to use it?

July 8, 2022