Local Democrats: Process more important than improving world through World Service Corps?

Local Democrats: Process more important than improving world through World Service Corps?

Dwayne Hunn

From athletic coaches to statesmen, political reformers, and castle builders, life’s taught me that working for or with folks who have vision adds zest to one’s life, as well as to the nation’s.

For example, because:
• Some coaches knew how to plant visions in our heads, we won some games we perhaps should not have.
• John Kennedy implemented a Peace Corps vision, over 175,000 of us, much less than the millions Kennedy wanted to serve by now, gave something back to nation and world. Most of us felt we received more than we recognized we gave.
• Ed and Joyce Koupal formed People's Lobby Inc. (PLI) at least 50 of us learned how to use the grassroots citizen-initiative process to pass laws, clean the environment, raise the public’s political IQ, establish California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, stem the construction of nuclear power plants nationwide, and train others to create citizen law. We volunteered thousands of hours. In return, Ed and Joyce gave us a zest for life and political reform that money couldn’t buy. http://www.peopleslobby.us
• A handful of us worked freely and playfully with castle building dreamer, Mike Rubel, we learned how to turn a muddy reservoir and empty wine bottles into castle walls. We banked nothing but building and recycling skills, along with everlasting memories that cascaded out of building an iconoclastic Rubelian castle 7½ stories high from river bed rocks, collapsed freeways, mind shafts, junk steel, rail road ties, and parties of people who loved being different, even if just for a period of time. Everyone said building a permit-less castle in suburbia couldn’t be done, except for a dreamer and a handful of folks who liked building, dreaming, and having some fun. http://www.dwaynehunn.biz/rubelia.htm

WHAT DO ALL AMERICAN POLITICAL PARITIES LACK TODAY?

Visionary policies that add zest to all Americans lives and give our nation and the world more can-do Americans, who like building and having some good, clean fun.

Is that zest returning to local Democratic Party politics?

After explaining how to return healthy passion to politics via passing citizen-initiated legislation, consider the following two stories, and you decide.

Early in 2005, rather than grouse about current affairs, the Koupal’s spirit drove me to write two citizen-initiated Congressional Proposals for PLI. If passed in Congress this year, the World Service Corps (WSC) laws would annually ramp up America’s best resource until by the sixth year one million Americans, or .6 of 1% of those aged 18 – 60+, would voluntarily serve in their choice of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, and other organizations such as the International Rescue Committee, OxFam, etc.

Among other benefits, Americans would be:
• Doing lots of good.
• Combating the Ugly American image.
• Reducing terrorist recruitment.
• Alleviating famines’ effects.
• Fighting poverty.
• Helping refugees.
• Spreading understanding and erasing ignorance.
• Making life easier for our soldiers.
• Improving living conditions at home and abroad.

Upon completion of service, WSC members would receive two years of community plus two years of state college tuition, equivalent educational loan pay off, or equivalent investment in Medical or IRA Accounts. This updated mini GI Educational Bill of Rights would give the do-good governmental and non-governmental organizations the mix of enthusiastic, experienced, can-do Americans, who would make the world safer and better. http://www.worldservicecorps.us

If passed, it would be one of the most significant pieces of legislation and programs in decades. Relying on the adage that all politics is local, I asked to speak to Marin’s Republican Central Committee. They said only Republicans could speak to them, which is a story for another time. My request to the Marin Democratic Central Committee (MDCC) warranted 5-10 minutes to pitch the WSC proposals to fewer than 10 of their members.

In seeking a resolution supporting the WSC proposals and a link on their web site, I was told to submit the WSC proposal to the Resolution Committee for their decision.

Several weeks later about thirty people turned out to a MDCC meeting to hear an elected official talk about the sad and confusing state of health care. At the end of the meeting, the Resolution’s Committee chair quickly stated that they had chosen not to endorse the WSC proposals.

“Why?” I asked, after the meeting had ended.

“Because it wasn’t flushed out enough,” the Resolutions Committee Chair curtly replied.

I then asked her and the two other members if they had gone to the http://www.worldservicecorps.us web site, read its information and the legislation, or called me with any questions prior to making their decision?

None of them visited the web site, read the legislation, or called with questions.

THE IMPORTANCE OF “DIGNITARIES” IN PARTY POLITICS.

Months later, in August, I attended a Democrats for America meeting and met one of the Vice Chairs of the State Democratic Central Committee. The lady, in her professional suit and beaming political power look, was introduced as a “dignitary.” As such, she seemed uninterested in knowing too much about the WSC proposals. I tried pointing out to her that this grassroots movement to get can-do Americans to roll up their sleeves to improve the world, could use some help from the top down, while it worked to build a citizens movement from the bottom up.

“A Resolution of Support from the state DCC, a link on your web site, or other support would be helpful as we try to educate and inform the nation of the benefits of doing the WSC,” I urged.

When she suggested I start with the local DCC, I explained the previous problems and said that’s why it would be helpful to get some people from the top of this Democratic organization supporting it. She repeated that I should re-undertake the months of MDCC political processing and, since I was not a DCC member, find another member to carry the proposals, or go to the Congressional Caucus and do the same.

In profusely thanking this power broker for helping move a citizen-initiated proposal into being one of the most significant pieces of legislation in decades, my memories raced back to my introduction to Marin Democratic politics. Over a decade ago, I was a DCC member, but found reading a newsweekly at their meetings more satisfying and productive than sitting through stereo- typical political maneuverings prevalent in meandering, result-less meetings. Unfortunately, for the nation’s political health, maybe not much has changed.

To citizens who want clear-cut programs that cost effectively and quickly do good, the stereotypical political processing response from a groomed dignitary represents one of the many things wrong with today’s politics.

Too may politicians love being hailed, love dressing the role, and talking political talk. They have come to believe that wearing the trappings of political power makes them a cog in the wheel that drives political change. They figure, if they do the look often enough, they can become bigger cogs. The system has too many of these devious, do-little, but look-political devices in its policy-making drive chain.

Consequently, Americans with fix-it policies too often throw-up on the hackneyed political system and move on to other endeavors, where their can-do approach is appreciated and understood. Unfortunately, that too often leaves our political system, which dramatically affects the quality of our lives, mired in moribund political muck, spinning wheels that just throw rocks and mud.

The result?

The political system that lords it over so much of our everyday lives becomes increasingly irrelevant because of the preponderance of hacks who have little vision or zest for making life better for Americans. Following a process that keeps their suits looking clean and pressed fits them better than does involving themselves in producing substantial policy changes, which make life better for tomorrow and today’s kids.

In summarizing his twelve-year Senate career, former Senator Mike Gravel, a supporter of PLI’s proposed National Initiative process, constantly repeats what he learned in politics. “As a politician, you are always thinking:
1) How will this help me.
2) How will it help my party.
3) How it will help the American people comes last.”

Part of the problem of making personal political aggrandizement one’s goal in the stereotypical political system stems from not having had enough well groomed suits tasting the good, the learning, and the healthy policy that results from getting their hands dirty in the work of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, OxFam, etc.

THE ANSWER IS SOUL-FULL, SWEET AMERICAN PICKLING

Do you think we’d be in today’s bitter worldwide pickle, if we had implemented Kennedy’s vision?

If today we had millions or tens of millions of Returned Peace Corps volunteers roaming today’s world and our halls of government, how sweet today’s pickle would be.

The answer to soul-less politics?

It is the same answer we always rely on to fix American and international problems. The answer requires enough Americans to bring their reason, insight, initiative, and energy into solving those problems – before it’s too late. Sometimes citizens have to build those solutions from the grassroots up and drive the political system into implementing common sense solutions, in spite of the lethargic, personal power seeking political system.

That’s what the grassroots citizen-initiated WSC proposals are asking citizens to do. Change America and the world with or without the present understanding of the political system. When enough Americans see the common sense solutions the WSC proposals offers, the political system will become as smart as its citizens and introduce and pass the WSC proposals into law.

Learn how to help create the WSC with Congressional law at http://www.worldservicecorps.us/how_to_help.htm
And while there, read the law and sign the Petition, which needs tens of thousands of signature to have impact.

When enough Americans push Congress to present far-sighted solutions to today’s problems, politicians will legislate the programs that will make America and the world safer. One of the most significant proposed pieces of legislation that can do that is at
http://www.worldservicecorps.us/world_service.htm

Read them and help make the WSC happen.