The Other Drummer

I just read this great article on deseretnews.com which talks about House Bill 477 which was rushed through at the very end in the hopes that the general public wouldn’t notice or care that they would have less access to government records when all was said and done. Oops.

“The Tea Party Movement, The Scott Brown Senate election, rebellions in Tunisia and Egypt… the 2011 Utah State Legislature. These are recent examples of when 21st-century technologies, combined with traditional media, have irreversibly changed a political trajectory,” says Frank Pignanelli in the article.

Yes! And that’s what so exciting about it. Read on, people! Read on!

Here are some quotes from the article (I encourage you to read the whole thing).

To the surprise and dismay of the news media and government watchdog groups, lawmakers rammed through HB477. The deed was done quickly — planned and executed almost flawlessly to minimize pressure on lawmakers and strike before opponents had time to mobilize.

…

Sure, angry stories and editorials would be written…. But the average citizen really doesn’t care whether a public employee’s text messages are public documents…. So, lawmakers appeared to have won.

Well, not quite. The social media freight train hit them before they could even hold a victory party.

…

Shell-shocked legislators, looking like the proverbial deer in the headlights, wondered what hit them. With surprising speed, the bill was recalled and amended to allow broad discussion and a special session before it takes effect.

The uprising occurred spontaneously, organically. No one really organized it. Even the media lobbyists were in awe, watching in amazement as their cause was embraced in a grassroots uprising that was beyond anything they could orchestrate.

This is what I love about the Internet/social media/modern communication technology: it gives people a voice. Anybody who wants to say something, can say it. The masses aren’t beholden to newspaper editorials to be heard. People can learn, create, organize and act faster and more effectively than ever before in human history – all because of the democratizing power of the Internet.

The political mentality of “Sure, angry stories will be written and there might be a few newscasts, but it’ll blow over because nobody can do anything about it” is gone. Forever. Our representatives must listen to those they represent (crazy, I know), come down from their ivory towers and realize they are no longer isolated in an office, immune from their constituents until the next election.

This is also why net neutrality is such a huge deal (read earlier posts here, here and a longer post in Wired here). If we don’t protect the Internet from telcos, other huge companies and even the government itself, all the democratizing power and freedom that it’s enabled will be threatened.

Image courtesy of karmadude.

I’m a founder of the EFF and I care a lot about individuals and their own importance. Finally, the thought hit me that every time and in every way that the telecommunications careers have had power or control, we the people wind up getting screwed. Every audience that I speak this statement and phrase to bursts into applause….

We have very few government agencies that the populace views as looking out for them, the people. The FCC is one of these agencies that is still wearing a white hat. Not only is current action on Net Neutrality one of the most important times ever for the FCC, it’s probably the most momentous and watched action of any government agency in memorable times in terms of setting our perception of whether the government represents the wealthy powers or the average citizen, of whether the government is good or is bad. This decision is important far beyond the domain of the FCC itself.

Emphasis added. Read the rest of his post here. Definitely worth reading.

There’s some major stuff going down right now. And it’s not some theoretical, maybe-someday-in-the-future-our-great-grandkids-might-be-impacted kind of stuff. The FCC voted on it today.

I plan on posting more about this over the next little while, hopefully in bite-sized, highly applicable and easy to understand chunks.

I know it’s the Internet. I know you’re probably thinking all this is nerd stuff and has no application to the average Joe. Wrong.

The Internet is “the most remarkable engine for economic innovation, democratic participation and free speech ever invented” (hard to disagree with that) and it is being seriously threatened. Right now.

Please take the time to read/watch, understand and act. For more information check out this site.

It’s worth the five minutes. Be sure and consider the questions he asks at the end.

Rock on, Ron Paul. Way to stand up for what you believe in even if it isn’t popular amongst your peers.

Ron Paul 2012.

I just read an article by Bruce Nussbaum in which he argues the political scene in the US (combative, insulting, winner-take-all) is at odds with the values of Gen Y-ers (whoever they are) which is why voter turn-out is low amongst that demographic.

Toward the conclusion of his article he says:

When Gen Y wants to change the world, it becomes an Acumen fellow, launches a new social media company, joins Teach for America, changes its own consuming habits or goes to Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Voting is just too yucky.

His conclusion is correct – political activity will continue to be sparse among younger generations. But it isn’t because of conflicting values or because it’s too “yucky”. It’s because it’s ineffective.

If we know anything about the younger generation, it’s that we’re impatient.

And if the Federal Government has taught us anything, it’s that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. Government is notoriously bloated, slow and stuck in its ways. Why waste your time trying to move a mountain to get somewhere when you can build whatever it was you wanted, yourself?

Think the government should be more concerned about kids dying of thirst in Africa? Lobby all you want. Or, instead of asking for birthday presents, ask your friends to donate $20 build a well, as is the custom with Charity: Water. That donation will give one person enough water for 20 years.

Want to help rebuild a community theater in your town but don’t have the money to do it? Fill out paperwork at city hall. Then post the idea on Kickstarter and if enough people like it, they’ll fund it.

Or you can take the opposite approach: want to support good causes without getting off the couch? Donate to Utah startup Tipping Bucket which helps fund social entrepreneurs who go out and do the hard work for you, all over the world.

As Nussbaum stated above, Gen-Y is going out and doing something about the causes they believe in instead of waiting for the government to do it for them. (Not a bad idea since I don’t think it’s the government’s role to act as a charity anyway.)

This isn’t because values are different, but because one group will actually make a difference while the other remains lodged in its bureaucratic ways.

Voter turn-out may be low, but activity amongst the up-and-coming generation is at an all-time high. Bring on the yucky.