Newsletter – November 2021

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

An annual tradition at the start of our Thanksgiving meal is that everyone at the table shares something they are thankful for. It’s a great way to capture the true spirit of the holiday. I have so much to be thankful for, and I particularly want to thank all of you for your support of this work and for the counsel and feedback I have received from many of you during this first year of Speak Up for Good Government.

The primary focus of this month’s newsletter is the launch of our newly redesigned website. Continuing in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to my nephew, Justin Cohn, for the amazing work he did in updating the site.

I mentioned last month that in order for us to achieve the objectives of Speak Up for Good Government, we need to be part of an active grass roots movement that advocates for and facilitates change.

The following website enhancements are designed to help support that “mission”:

• An “About” section that articulates the mission of Speak Up for Good Government

• Newsletters are now located in a Blog section where readers can post questions and comments

• Each principle has its own page with resources and calls to action

• We've consolidated the expert input and no conflict of interest principles

It’s important to note that there is limited info in the resource section of some of the principles. We’d like your help in identifying resources and/or organizations that actively support individual principles. I’m particularly interested in learning about efforts and/or organizations that actively support principle #5: regional differences.

Incorporating feedback I received from last month’s newsletter, rather than creating a separate gerrymandering principle, we broadened the free and fair elections principle (principle #1) to include gerrymandering. Free and fair elections require objective, data based congressional districts that encourage and empower voters to feel that their vote matters! The degree of gerrymandering in both red and blue states is very alarming to me and should be unacceptable to all Americans. Elections should not be pre-determined based on cynically drawn legislative districts designed to preserve power of those in charge. Elections should be won and governing should be done based on the free and fair exchange of opposing ideas that both drive voting decisions and the content of legislation.

I am also very alarmed by the demonization of those that cross party lines or support opposing views. The recently enacted infrastructure bill was the product of good faith work by members of both parties on legislation that is supported by a strong majority of voters in both parties. Threats against those that supported the bill are unacceptable. People with opposing points of view are not enemies. We are a country of many different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. That’s a big part of what makes our country great, and it’s time to embrace those differences rather than demonizing them.

In the spirit of civility and working together I want to highlight both the Problem Solvers caucus in Congress and the Bridge Alliance. The Problem Solvers Caucus is comprised of representatives from across the country—equally divided between Democrats and Republicans—committed to finding common ground on many of the key issues facing the nation. The Bridge Alliance is a community of 100+ organizations that has agreed to adhere to the principles of Embracing Our Differences, Collaboration, Citizen Voice, Solutions, and Open-mindedness. We have added the links to both organizations under the Respect for Opposing Views principle.

I also want to further highlight the work of Voice of the People and the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. I was very fortunate to have a call last week with leaders from Voice of the People. They provided many great suggestions for how we can increase the influence and impact of Speak Up for Good Government and they provided great insight into their efforts to advance Voice of the People. The model that Voice of the People uses to get voter input and identify policies that draw bipartisan support is a great model for driving our legislative agenda. Here is a link to a Washington Post article that details climate polices that enjoy strong bipartisan approach.

Meaningful things can be done on a number of very important issues by focusing on those items that share bipartisan support. Such an approach might not win elections/preserve power, but it will meet the primary objective of our elected officials: serving the public through good faith efforts to address our biggest problems. Voice of the People is working with legislators and their staff to do policy making simulations with the ultimate objective of broad adoption of their methodology as a standard tool for creating and advancing bipartisan legislative solutions. One of my key activities in 2022 will be to pursue policy making simulations with members of the Ohio congressional delegation, with good government organizations I have begun working with, and potentially with members of Speak Up for Good Government! More to come in future newsletters.

Stay tuned for the December edition of our Speak Up for Good Government newsletter where we will look back on our 2021 journey and look forward to 2022.

Take care.

Allan

Newsletter – October 2021

Welcome to the Halloween edition of Speak Up for Good Government! Although Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, I will try not to make this month's newsletter too spooky.

Establishing and enforcing strict rules to prevent conflicts of interest will go a long way towards establishing the effective and accountable government we want and need. Late last month, Issue One sent out an email that summarizes their research on "How leadership PACs became politicians' preferred ticket to luxury living". Simply put, "some politicians are amassing money from special interests in their leadership PACs to foot the bill for meals at fancy restaurants, trips to elite resorts, rounds of golf at premier courses, and more." Here's a link to a petition that urges Congress to close the loop

that allows politician to use funds from leadership PACs for personal

expenses.

Last month, I mentioned The American Society for Quality Government Division's Election Integrity Working Group. That team has established a Center for Electoral Quality and Integrity (CEQI). The vision for the CEQI is to be known as a resource that government leaders and citizens turn to regarding the standardization of election processes that ensures the highest possible quality and integrity. I share their belief that it's possible and essential to make it "easy to vote and hard to cheat." My understanding is

that Kentucky is a best practice for this principle.

I continue to be very interested in the work of Voice of the People. Their

work strongly supports and promotes an active partnership between the public

and our elected officials. Check out this Policymaking Simulation on paid family and medical leave legislation in front of Congress. In this simulation, you will be introduced to the proposal that would guarantee up to 12 weeks of family or medical leave per year for all workers and cover the cost of two thirds of workers' earnings during that period. Once you finish the simulation, you'll have a chance to send your recommendation to your Congresspeople.

Last week I attended Global Fact 8, a virtual conference dedicated to fact-checking worldwide. As indicated by the title, this is the eighth year of the conference, with the last two years being virtual due to the pandemic. I was struck by the truly global nature of the conference with presenters and attendees from all over the world. The work of fact-checkers and the International Fact-Checking Network is truly critical to ensuring

the availability of accurate and unbiased information.

Some key takeaways from the conference:

• Tech, including the Google News network, TikTok, and Facebook were sponsors and active participants in the conference.

• The role and responsibility of tech regarding disinformation and the impact of social media on children, etc. are worthy of scrutiny and potential regulation.

• Although it could be argued that tech's active involvement in the fact-checking community might be somewhat self-serving, I came away with the impression that they are vested in fact-checking and it would be most effective for dialog to be collaborative with broad-based representation on panels that draft future regulations. Those panels should include social media representatives and everyday users.

• As I read in one article this morning, Facebook failed or struggled to address the issues related to "Stop the Steal" groups and posts immediately after last year's election. Bottom line, although social media has some culpability in the spread of disinformation, I believe we will be better off if they are involved in crafting solutions.

• There is a fine-line between censorship and promoting factual information.

• Fact checkers are subject to considerable harassment in their work.

• Effective fact-checking requires access to good/reliable underlying data. This is part of the challenge of making fact-checking quick and easy for the "average person".

Speak Up for Good Government has been primarily a source of information for newsletter recipients and subscribers. In order for us to achieve our objectives, we need to be part of an active grass roots movement that advocates for and facilitates change. Next month we hope to unveil our new and improved website that will include calls to action and will ultimately facilitate online dialog and collaboration. As such, I will be promoting active engagement and feedback initiated through these newsletters and through the website.

To start the engagement and feedback, I'd like your opinion on whether I should add a tenth principle that speaks to gerrymandering. It seems to me that a truly representative Congress will be more responsive and more able to come up with common sense solutions that solve our critical problems. I was reading an article last week that detailed the diminishing number of competitive districts and the impact that has on reducing collaboration and increasing polarization. Let me know your thoughts on adding a gerrymandering principle. I've added voting buttons to this email that should make it very easy for you to let me know whether a gerrymandering principle should be added. I look forward to your feedback!

Anticipated themes for next month include the rollout of our updated website and an update on outreach to some of the organizations I have previously connected with.

Have a great Halloween and a safe and restful Thanksgiving.

Allan

Newsletter – September 2021

Speak Up for Good Government is now six months old!

I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished in such a short time, but very humbled by the enormity of this undertaking and the obstacles to addressing the gridlock in our Federal government.

Between the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the recent Jewish high holidays, this last month was a very appropriate time for me to do some soul searching and introspection.

Thinking about the time immediately after the 9/11 attacks, there was a strong sense of purpose and self-sacrifice. These are traits that would serve us well during the challenging time we live in. I continue to believe that most people are good and want to work together despite differences in ideology or perspective. It is this belief that continues to drive my work, and I am hoping that in the months ahead we can get others to actively support this work.

With the help of one of our subscribers I have begun to upgrade the Speak Up for Good Government website to support broader participation and engagement.

Speak Up for Good Government continues to be based on the nine effectiveness and accountability principles that I first articulated in April and further clarified in my July newsletter. Meaningful progress on each of the effectiveness and accountability principles will require an overwhelming demand by the American public for a change in how our government operates. Nothing better illustrates the need for change than the “game of chicken” currently being played by both parties that could result in a government shutdown or a default on our nation’s debt. This is an unacceptable way to run our government and has the potential to have a negative impact on all of our lives. I truly encourage all of you to “Speak Up” and to encourage others to do the same.

One of my accountability and effectiveness principles speaks to money in government and the need for strict rules to prevent conflicts of interest. Take a look at this video produced by Issue One that speaks to “the outsized influence of political megadonors." Please be sure to share with friends and family!

Looking back at my April newsletter, I am very pleased to see that the first year approach that I envisioned at that time is still valid. For the remainder of this year through much of the first quarter of next year, my primary focus will be establishing the foundation necessary to ensure long term progress and sustainability by establishing connections with organizations that support each of the nine effectiveness and accountability principles. Part of the planned upgrades to the Speak Up website will be to include links from each of the principles to applicable websites.

Last week I hosted a webinar for the American Society for Quality’s (ASQ) Government Division. Objectives of the webinar were to share my approach to using effectiveness and accountability principles to anchor this work, discuss the entrepreneurial/opportunistic approach necessary for this work, and discuss common opportunities and barriers to improving government effectiveness.

There is an obvious connection between ASQ’s longstanding support of Quality and my good government principle of “a shared commitment to excellence, leveraging continuous improvement principles to drive government effectiveness." ASQ’s Government Division has three major initiatives in the works - the Center for Quality Standards in Government, the Election Integrity Working Group, and the Government Performance Excellence Forum. These initiatives support my “free and fair elections” principle and, as mentioned last month, provide a framework for measuring the success of Speak Up for Good Government. I look forward to continued engagement with ASQ’s Government Division and plan to actively promote their work.

My likely focus for October (and theme for next month’s newsletter) is touching base with many of the organizations I have previously connected with, including a check-in with the Select Committee for the Modernization of Congress.

Have a good and safe month.

Allan