April 17, 2010 11:39 PM UTC

Issues and Ideas

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• by: Steve Harvey

Let’s dedicate one diary to novel (or at least not generally known) ideas concerning the issues that face us. I’ll throw out some topics and questions, and if anyone cares to mobilize information and share analyses that they feel adds something new and useful to the discussion, then please jump on in.

This is a chance to get into the weeds, to avoid broad panaceas and blanket ideological proclamations, and share instead detailed policy suggestions that take into account social institutional dynamics and unintended consequences. If you’re particularly knowledgeable about something, make the rest of us knowledgeable as well. If you have specific questions, ask them. If you have a novel idea you’ve always wanted to float, go ahead and float it.

Education: How can we restructure our public school system to more effectively teach our kids? What are the kinds of things we should be striving to teach our kids? What reforms and programs would help us to achieve those goals?

Fiscal Policy: How do we address Colorado’s fiscal challenges? In what ways are the constitutional and statutory fiscal constraints currently in place beneficial to the state of Colorado, and in what ways are they harmful? What are the actual systemic consequences of our policies, and how do we retain their beneficial aspects while curing their detrimental aspects?

Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment: What policies can we implement that will most effectively provide Colorado with sustainable clean energy, and conserve our natural heritage?

Family and Community: What policies should state and local governments implement to ensure children’s welfare, and to accommodate cultural and technological changes (such as the various forms of surrogate parenting) in the structure of our families? What role should communities play in the lives of families and individuals? How can we use the political process, or organizational efforts, to strengthen families and communities in Colorado?

Business, Labor, and Economy: What economic policies best serve the long-term interests of all Coloradans, including small business people, investors, workers, and consumers, balancing all interests and creating the most robust and fair economic environment possible?

Civil Rights: What issues do we face, and how should we address them? How can we refine our laws to make sure that all Coloradans enjoy the same rights as all others, and how can we address the cultural and political obstacles to doing so?

Social Services: What health care policies, anti-poverty and general assitance programs, outreach efforts, and other attempts to use government to improve the lives of the people of Colorado should we implement?

Anything and Everything Else: I just threw out a few quick topics, but the purpose is to discuss any and all policy issues that we, as a state, face.

I have no idea if this diary will get any responses at all, but it’s worth a shot! There’s so much knowledge distributed among the participants on this blog, if we put our heads together to address issues, we might actually start to make a useful contribution to the political process we are all so fascinated by.

Like I said, it’s worth a shot.