Newsletter - October 2025

Vacation and the Jewish High Holidays offered me a chance at reflection.

There is so much to be stressed and upset about. The government shutdown is at the top of the list for me. Nothing epitomizes the dysfunction of our government than when our leaders can't have enough respect for each other and for the American people to keep our government running!

One theme I have thought a lot about recently is the many ways that conflict and polarization are rewarded and promoted by our institutions.

Social media makes money through "clicks". Social media posts that trigger emotions tend to generate the most clicks.

News media generates revenue through increased viewership; controversial and divisive headlines by the news media are designed to attract attention and drive viewership.

Most of the campaign related communication we receive from politicians and political parties demonize the opposition and are designed to motivate voters through anger and fear.

Regardless of what state you live in and what political party you support, 40% of the people support different candidates than you do! The vast majority of those people are decent individuals that want the same things from life as you do!

Bottom line, institutions try to trigger our emotions and divide us, causing strained relations and preventing us from having constructive relationships with nearly half of the population!

As I reflect on how I can be a better person, I resolve to resist the temptation to label someone as evil or unintelligent based on the candidates or political party they support. I will remain engaged on social media but will resist the temptation to respond to people who vent or post toxic content. I will try to check the accuracy of controversial information rather than unnecessarily jumping to conclusions.

Angst and tribalism are too often ruling the day and preventing us from working together as Americans to make life better and solve the difficult problems that we all face.

I am continuing to work with Voice of the People and Braver Angels on our participatory democracy pilot and have begun cursory analysis on an objective and non-partisan approach to the decennial apportionment process for the House of Representatives (i.e. redistricting and gerrymandering).

Stay tuned for more info on both items in my next newsletter.

Have a great month and a happy Halloween!

Follow Speak Up for Good Government on Facebook and follow me on LinkedIn and X.

Newsletter - August/September 2025

In my last newsletter I provided details about my work with Voice of the People and Braver Angels to pilot a framework for constructive engagement with our elected officials.

As I mentioned last month, a statistically representative group of voters in Northeast Ohio was provided background information on current spending and taxation levels, with arguments for and against a number of proposals. Leveraging the Braver Angels approach to civil discourse, the results of that survey were shared at a Braver Angels Northeast Ohio Alliance meeting on August 27.

Twenty-five Ohio residents attended the event. And a staff member from the office of Rep. Max Miller (OH-7) attended to listen to the Ohio residents. Attendees were pleasantly surprised at the level of bipartisan agreement on tax and spending recommendations. They found this approach to public consultation refreshing and felt that going through the policymaking simulation was very enlightening.

“As opposed to the original town hall model that often fails, this model is a beautiful example of a non-inflammatory way of bringing together people to discuss and advocate for real policy solutions,” voiced an attendee in the closing segment of the event.

The full survey findings and results of the in-person forum can be found here: vop.org/NEOhio

Over the next couple of months, we will be leveraging lessons learned from the event to expand this pilot to other congressional districts and other Braver Angels' local alliances. Other groups such as the Grand Bargain Project are launching similar efforts to engage citizens, with the objective of overcoming partisan gridlock and providing elected officials the cover they need to support bipartisan solutions to the difficult problems facing our country.

The exact approach to this type of constructive engagement will likely vary by Congressional district, and the prospect of success is uncertain at best. However, events like the one we just completed in Northeast Ohio provide me with hope that people are tired of partisan polarization and want a government that works for all of us.

I am about to embark on a much-needed vacation. Stay tuned for my next Speak for Good Government newsletter in October.

Follow Speak Up for Good Government on Facebook and follow me on LinkedIn and X.

Newsletter - July 2025

A core principle of good government is that our elected officials should be committed to problem solving through civil discourse and bipartisanship. Unfortunately, such a commitment remains elusive at best.

Fortunately, individuals and organizations are stepping in to do this hard work.

I am actively working with Voice of the People and Braver Angels to provide tax and spending recommendations to our U.S. representatives in Ohio's 7th and 13th Congressional districts. The 7th district is represented by Max Miller (R), who won his district with 51% of the vote. The 13th district is represented by Emilia Sykes (D), who won her district with 51% of the vote. Both districts are adjacent to each other, just south of Cleveland.

Leveraging methodology developed by the University of Maryland's Program for Public Consultation, a statistically representative group of voters is being provided background information on current spending and taxation levels, with arguments for and against a number of proposals. The results of this survey will be presented at a Forum for Northeast Ohio Braver Angels members on August 27. Congressional representatives and the media are also being invited. At the forum, we will discuss the results of the survey and we'll discuss the viability of this model for engaging constituents to partner with and inform the votes of their elected representatives.

Over the last two months, I have shared information about similar efforts across the country, and I will continue to share information and support this type of work going forward.

Party loyalty and the next election currently provide an overwhelming counterweight to what should matter most, listening to and working with constituents to promote civil discourse, and a good faith effort by our elected representatives to solve difficult problems in a way that accounts for the differing needs of all Americans.

I am hopeful that these disparate efforts can galvanize a movement that neutralizes the forces that are keeping us from constructively moving forward.

---

Social media posts since my last newsletter:

• Bipartisan Policy Center report on the effect of open primaries on turnout and representation

• Results of national survey conducted by the Program for Public Consultation on tax and spending preferences – note that within this article there is a link that allows you to learn about federal taxes and spending and take the Federal Budget simulation yourself

• Announcement about the local pilot that is the focus of this month's newsletter. For newsletter subscribers that are part of the Ohio 7th and 13th Congressional district, this link allows you to take a comparable budget simulation to the Federal Budget simulation referenced above. This local version of the survey gives you the option to receive an email of your tax and spending preferences, and provides instructions for sharing your results with your Congressional representative. A summary of these results, along with results of a more formal survey of Ohio 7 and 13 constituents will be shared at our August 27th forum.

• Politico article about a depolarization experiment in Pennsylvania

Once information becomes available, I will share on social media registration details for the August 27 Braver Angels forum.

By early September, I will publish a brief newsletter with forum highlights.

Follow Speak Up for Good Government on Facebook and follow me on LinkedIn and X.

Take care!