Profile in courage

Profile in courage

A number of my posts have the same central theme: We need to acknowledge that we are missing the “opportunity of this crisis” to embrace a fundamental new approach to how government works; we need to have the courageous honesty to talk about how to embrace this crisis and promote meaningful reform; we need to tackle old problems with new energy and spirit; we need to redefine our very definition of ‘leadership’ so we’re not looking for someone to push from the top but to unleash from the bottom; we need bold, systems thinking about structural challenges because our old model of tinkering with symptoms is simply no longer working.

As a backbench member of the Legislature, I appreciate that things take time. I appreciate that my job is to learn. Yet there is also something powerful afoot when we appreciate that we’re all community organizers now. As we design a comprehensive strategy for legislation in 2010 and beyond, we need to recognize that people are inspired by a belief that we can be so much more than what we’ve become.

Let’s face the truth: We are missing the opportunity of this crisis. The danger today is that we are self-censuring ourselves before we’re even out the door with new ideas, new approaches, new policies.

We face four fundamental, central, structural issues in our state today. The issue today is whether we’re going to have the courageous honesty to acknowledge the need for bold action plans.

Health care
Education
Taxes
Government

On health care: We are essentially punting to the Obama Administration to fix the ‘insurance’ side of it all. Yet that is a FRACTION of the problem. We need a courageous new approach toward a prevention oriented system of care. We could do amazing things if we linked city, county and state employees together and DEMANDED a new approach to prevention and wellness. Example: If you smoke as a public employee, we’ll give you 12 months and free access to programs to quit. At the end of that time, if you still smoke, your deductible increases sharply and dramatically. Same with obesity and other problems. We need to hold people accountable for the long term costs of their behavior. We are choosing not to do these things with passion and conviction. King County’s program is good but not enough. Cities and other counties and the state are nowhere near where we need to be. Time for bold action. We can’t punt and wait for the feds to ‘fix’ the issue for us when it is consuming our budget and doing so with radical inefficiency.

On education: We made modest, thoughtful and genuine steps forward with the Education Reform legislation, HB 2261. But now we have to tackle funding and how we use those dollars. Washington is losing out on federal dollars in this area because we don’t have quality data, measurable systems, charter schools and other systems that Obama feels are vital to reform. We need to have that dialogue as a state and stop pretending we are leaders in innovation in so many areas where we actually lag. It’s not about one tactic versus another, it’s about a deeper recognition that our education system needs bold new energy. 62% high school graduation rate in Seattle–don’t forget how serious this challenge is now.

On taxes: We need a more equitable, useful, stable and diverse tax structure. My preferred model is lower property taxes, low personal income taxes, low sales taxes and low corporate profit taxes. We need to reduce our dependence upon the consumer driven taxes but not shift everything to any other system such as income. Without diversity we will struggle as other states are now experiencing as much as we are. Our sales tax is too high; our B&O tax crushes small business; it’s time for reform that is based not just on getting more money in the door for government but looking at structural issues in a genuine and thoughtful way.

On government: It’s been a long, long time since there was an entrepreneurial spirit of innovation in government. It’s been a long time since there’s been accountability for outcomes and deliverables versus inputs and process. I acknowledge that it’s a long journey from the high tech world to government, and I admit to struggling at times, but surely our government agencies can improve how they relate to customers and taxpayers without setting up a new program. We need a “Nixon goes to China” approach; the governor and legislature that does care about making government work well needs to tackle the structural and systems issues directly. State government is paralyzed, in my view, and has become lethargic about changing how it does the people’s business. We need a new approach.

I do not have a sense of how to move forward nor the answer to every challenge. But I have a belief that we in Washington need a generational shift in our thinking that is dramatic and real. We need to unleash the spirit of what’s possible and embrace the politics of hope. For real.

Embrace the opportunity of this crisis!

Yes we can!

UPDATE: CROSSCUT.COM ASKED ME TO TURN THIS POST INTO A GUEST COLUMN, WHICH IS POSTED TODAY. www.crosscut.com