As a person who loves his country, I am very troubled that America and Americans have become increasingly divided, angry, and mistrustful when it comes to politics and government. I believe that we, everyday Americans, need to reject and overcome these divided conditions by calling for policymaking that starts with being fully informed, looks for middle ground, and proceeds with communication and trust. My entire professional career informs this belief; and I also know that the only way forward is for Americans to lead the change. Thus, nusspectives.com was born.
For three decades I worked with the California Community Colleges, the agency that guides and oversees California’s renowned system of community colleges. While serving in various capacities—including as systemwide Chancellor for eight years—I honed my skills in public policy as well as negotiation and compromise. I worked with the Governor and the Legislature, with community college districts and their various colleges, and with a vast array of special interest groups. The experience of these many years taught me that the best policies are those that reflect a thorough understanding of the subject matter as well as a thorough effort to find common ground in constructing the solutions. I learned that opposing sides who refuse to cooperate and try to force their will upon one another often end up blocking one another or producing contested results.
After retiring as Chancellor, I began teaching at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 2006. I serve as Adjunct Faculty in the “Capital Lawyering” concentration, which I helped design. The pedagogy focuses on public policy development, where students learn and practice two contrasting methods. The “traditional method” involves parties trying to impose their will upon one another, using methods that emphasize differences and demonize one another. The “alternative method” involves parties working together to understand differences, identify and pursue common interests, and develop solutions that all parties can support, accept, or tolerate.
What I Hope to Accomplish With This Blog
There are two major purposes for this blog.
Identifying the Roots of Division
Americans need to understand that the predominant way we’re making policy in this country is in and of itself a major reason why we are so divided, angry, and frustrated with government. We’ll explore how political parties, their elected members, interest groups and many of the country’s media outlets seek to win elections and gain control via demonizing the other side, stoking fear, and relying upon misinformation. Each side tries to impose its will or prevent the other side from winning, inevitably leading to stalemate, or contested results. Republicans increasingly blame and hate Democrats, and Democrats increasingly blame and hate Republicans. Overall, Americans are increasingly angry and mistrustful of their government.
A New Way of Making Policy
The second purpose of the blog is to help America and Americans to break out of this highly partisan rubric. What are steps that we can take, as individuals, to help lead this change? A key aspect of the blog will be to explore and practice a new way of making policy. We’ll practice policymaking that is based on sophisticated and objective research and analysis, a search for common ground, proceeding with dialogue that is both respectful and trusting, and recognizing the necessity of compromise. In so doing, we’ll come to realize we’re not so divided as we have been led to believe, and that this new method of policymaking should replace the highly partisan rubric.
Inevitably, Americans will have legitimate differences in values and beliefs, and we should never expect unanimous accord when it comes to solving our country’s major problems. Instead, we should look for solutions that build upon common interests, recognize the necessity of compromise, and understand that some will legitimately disagree with and be aggrieved by any of the solutions discussed in the blog.
Philosophy and Methodology
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