Leveraging Policy for Good
Policy touches us throughout our entire lives–for better or for worse. At its best, policy touches critical areas so each step of our lives can be taken with a minimum of bureaucratic interference, letting people make smart choices for their own lives. Good policies are designed to restore liberty through accountability and transparency in American governance so we can all achieve our American Dream.
It starts with education. Instead of Marxist indoctrination, policy should ensure schools are educating children in American exceptionalism. Students must be armed with the knowledge to protect their individual liberties from creeping collectivist threats. Only through the robust education of young citizens can we secure future liberty and prosperity.
The best way to ensure a child gets a good education is to create an environment that rewards the best teachers. And this doesn’t mean teachers who have met state standards, most of which are too low. Instead, they need to be recruited and rewarded based on merit. And classroom funding needs to be transparent so communities can advocate for solutions that positively impact outcomes, so students are ready for the workforce.
What’s good for schools is good for many public institutions. Radical ideology should be eliminated when taxpayer dollars are involved, public positions should be filled based on merit, and the public should be able to see how their money is being spent. It just makes sense.
Smart policy can ensure the American job market is prepared for this new workforce of the future. By limiting regulations and effectively leveraging AI, states can encourage innovation and create more jobs in the U.S. that support our economy.
Employment is also an indicator that a person will not enter (or re-enter) the criminal justice system. So, states that embrace earned time credits for probationers and parolees can reduce recidivism and help people find a new path in life. Those who work in probation and parole systems should also have a stake in public safety, being paid for performance instead of volume. Prisons should operate under the same system to help make our communities safer.
The bottom line is that there needs to be more accountability. For homeless people in need of housing, for service providers who help these populations, and for local officials to enforce the laws of the state. People who cannot help themselves should have mandated treatment to get well and keep communities safe.
Along this path, it is critical to remember that health is integral to the American Dream. Yet, Americans are spending more than ever on medical care while getting sicker and dying younger. Good policy will help patients save money, eliminate monopolistic healthcare contracts, modernize health records, and increase access to care. For patients in an era when doctor shortages are ever-increasing, healthcare must become more accessible and more affordable.
These solutions all work together in ways that can make a life better for each of us and our loved ones. It is bipartisan. They bridge the political divide and bring together unlikely allies in unexpected ways. It’s time to leverage good policy for what is right.