Americans look to 2009 for a renewal of pride, peace, and prosperity. The world looks to soon-to-be President Barack Obama to restore American leadership in the regulation of the international financial system, in the effort to prevent environmental degradation and global climate change, and in the promotion of the rule of law and norms of decency everywhere. As we toast the the new year, we hope America can rise, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the Bush presidency.
In addition to our other New Year's Resolutions, let us all commit ourselves to do our part to make this happen. I pledge to be more engaged with politics and my community, to be more environmentally conscious, and to be better citizen of my country and our world. For the first time in many years, I believe that making an extra effort can actually make a difference. So I am looking forward to 2009 and I think it will be a very good year.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year!
Posted by Dr. Strangelove at 8:58 PM
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5 comments:
Hear! hear! I don't want to get complacent but the US has come back from bad even disastrous Presidents before. Remember that in the 1960s and 1970s we had Johnson and Nixon back to back then had Carter (who, whatever you may think of his presidency, exorcised the spirit of Nixon from the White House). In the late 19th Century we had one corrupt plutocrat after another only to produce Teddy Roosevelt.
This isn't a unique American quality. All democracies, all countries really, are capable of this even if some don't do it very often.
Dr.S says he believes that his (or our) making an extra effort can actually make a difference. A lot of modern social science wonders if this is really so. I have yet to hear of a model of political behavior that attempts to factor in whether the citizens are making more of an effort to be engaged. I will blog on this much longer later, but I think it's interesting to ask if it really matters, and if so, how we can measure or appreiate that.
LTG, I'm not sure what you mean by "making more of an effort to be engaged." Robert Putnam's work is largely concerned with citizens' participation in politics and local organizations etc - so is much of G. Bingham Powell's work. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean, there is a huge amount of research on this in political science and probably in sociology as well. Unfortunately, this is a little outside of my own area of specialization so I can give you better ideas of where to look.
Resolutions typically are made, broken and forgotten far too quickly, I'm afraid.
I will nonetheless strive this year to grow more food for my family, convert as much of the rest of my land to native, drought-resistant plants, and continue teaching my 2 year old the value of please, thank you, and sharing.
If any of you are interested in being more "engaged" this year, I will be more than happy to use your talents to help pass the Employee Free Choice Act. I will at a minimum be needing phone bankers. As has been noted before - this will be the first opportunity for the conservatives to bloody Obama's nose in a significant way. We need to prevent them from even lacing up the gloves.
- Rolleroid
I am determined to bring inappropriate and unethical behavior to light as needed. This is my small way to hoping we head to a better life.
Dixie Burkhart
Facts Don't Matter
www.eloquentbooks.com/FactsDontMatter.htm
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