Finding common ground
A Letter from Iowan Ralph Rosenberg
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Can common ground be found by discovering what we agree upon is in the common good in our state?
There continues to be growing anti-government sentiment in our country that surpasses levels observed during my lifetime. Our current society seems to have collectively forgotten the benefits of at least some government-funded programs, at the same time as forgetting fundamental principles of democracy. During my time in the legislature in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the first anti-government politicians rose to power, such as President Ronald Reagan. However, instead of defending the agencies and programs that work people who worked inside our governmental systems (including me) hoped the criticism and cynicism would disappear... Nowadays, very few political candidates run on a platform that praises the government.
I would like to ask readers to write about government-funded programs or public agencies that “do good” for people — those of us living in the “commons.” I am curious if this is a tool or strategy to start a public conversation to demonstrate that there is a role for the government in our society and that it positively affects our daily lives. Common ground understanding of positive programs can’t be all bad (maybe naive on my part).
When you think of a federally funded program that performs on behalf of the common good for people (or other animate or inanimate objects), what comes to mind? For me, it's Social Security – an anti-poverty program for seniors that continues to work. I want Social Security to be solvent. I want the highest income folks to contribute more in Social Security taxes. Those are changes to strengthen a positive program, not as a critique of its benefit to society.
What about state government-funded programs or agencies? I suggest the judicial system. We do not elect our judges. The system works. I may not support all the appellate decisions in our state. I did not support all the decisions handed down by judges during my days in the courtroom. I do not support the politicization by our governor in changing the way judicial nominations work in Iowa. However, these concerns do not translate into throwing out our system.
Lastly, which locally funded government program agency do you think serves the common good? I offer public schools and parks, whether they are local, state or federal. (I do not critique private education systems – I attended both religious and public K-12 schools and I attended both public and private universities – I do critique certain cases of public funding, like the governor’s recent initiatives.)
These are just a few examples of government agencies and programs that act and deliver “common good(s)” for people. They may not be the most important ones for any of you, but they provide a very modest starting point. I often use sports analogies. In baseball, anything above a .333 batting average (33%) would be very good. I am okay with that measuring stick for my ideas.
“All of us bring light to exciting solutions never tried before
For it is our hope that implores us, at our uncompromising core,
To keep rising up for an earth more than worth fighting for.”
— Amanda Gorman, Earthrise
Ralph Rosenberg
Ames, Iowa
Letters From Iowans is a part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. We encourage you, our subscribers, to share your perspective in this column. To make your voice heard, use this form to send us your essay:
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative columnists:
Thanks for this contribution, Ralph! And thanks for all you do.
To get any possible thing to the point of perfection is, for all intent and purpose, impossible! The facts are really what works relatively well at any point in time., especially when State government sits on billions of dollars while cutting the guts out of programs that struggle to do what they can, something is wrong! Not accepting funding for programs for summer food for kids, is simply wrong, when they have no plans to do anything to replace it with anything. If anything in a state that suggests we grow food here for the nation, there is no reason anyone should go hungry here if that is true. Those like Ralph do what they can, but they need support from us, they need us to move people out of the way that make their lives difficult and getting the job done. Put some thought into who you vote for, it really is important!