You can Sustain the Way
A change is on the horizon. It's time to make sure the Way is suited for the long term.
Editor’s Note: The Way Needs Your Help
**portions of this article were originally in The San Francisco Chronicle
I’m not from a military family. My Grandpa served in WWII, but that stint of service didn’t shape my upbringing—I never had the chance to meet my Grandpa and few people in my life had deep ties to any branch of the armed services. Simply put, military service was just something that I thought other people would do...that’s probably true of most young Americans: just 33% of those under 30-years-old say they have an immediate family member who served in the military.
Collectively, then, we’re putting a lot on a few: we’re putting our security, our peacekeeping, and our democracy building in the hands of a seemingly ever smaller slice of our society.
Today, I’m bucking the trend and trying to reverse the notion that service can be delegated to other Americans. I’m enlisting in the Air Force to join the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps.
Though our country has been engaged in sustained warfare for nearly twenty years, just 0.5 percent of the U.S. population has served in the active or reserve components of our armed services at any given time during that period. It’s true that we’ve seen spikes in service, such as after 9/11, when the call to serve has been particularly clear. In general, though, an all-volunteer force has put all too heavy of a burden on a few Americans from a few parts of the country.
For an all-volunteer force to work, we need to develop a norm of service.
In fact, for our democracy to work, we need to develop a norm of service.
We should all feel compelled to find our way to contribute to the collective well-being, to serve. Service can look like joining the Air Force, signing up for AmeriCorps, or working for your local, state, or national government.
This isn’t a new idea, but it is a foundational one. Take it from President George Washington:
It may be laid down, as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defence of it[.]
I’ve long benefited from the protections of a free government. And, today, I have a chance to give my personal services to the defense of it. I cannot miss that window.
For more than a decade, I’ve been writing about the importance of service. For at least the next four years, I will have a chance to live that message. Today, I have the chance to contribute one small act toward building a norm of service of fellow Americans.
I could not be more excited about the days, months, and years ahead. The armed services are steered by our democracy, directed to go where We the People dictate, and obligated to put everything on the line in defense of those at home. I am humbled and honored to join those Americans who have done their part to further a norm of service and to advance our democracy at home and to assist democracy abroad.
As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s imperative that a spirit of service persists and that a norm of sacrificing for one another pervades our communities.
How will you serve? What will you sacrifice? Which “personal services” will you lend to the protection of our government?
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Sadly, this means that my time editing The Oregon Way is coming to an end (though it will be a minute before I have to fully step away). It has been an honor to work with incredible Oregonians from around the state.
I could not be more grateful to our contributors and our community members for making The Oregon Way possible. This blog’s mission—to uplift pragmatic, nonpartisan voices across the state—is ongoing; therefore, the blog’s operation will be too—with your support.
Let’s raise $10,000 to hire someone to keep this community going on a part time basis. If you or your organization is in a place to support The Oregon Way, any and all donations would be greatly appreciated. We’re already $2,000 of the way there, thanks to our subscribers.
In my opinion, each of The Oregon Way contributors is performing a tremendous public service (they have been working hard and on a volunteer basis to share their perspectives) and contributing to a norm of communicating in a collaborative and thoughtful way.
For Oregon’s future, for its democracy, for its cohesiveness, let’s keep The Oregon Way going.
If each subscriber donates $20, we’ll hit our mark. Contribute here.
If you would like to take a larger role in saving the Way, please let me know.
To a better Oregon,
Kevin
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To read:
How do we return to a norm of “sacrifice”? Andrew Kalloch shares his suggestions:
“‘Sacrifice’ was a complete nonstarter in U.S. culture before COVID," said study author Patricia Greenfield, a professor of psychology at UCLA. However, after the onset of the pandemic, Google searches significantly increased for many words associated with collectivism, from “sacrifice” and “share” to “help” and “give.”
Unfortunately, too few leaders—in Oregon and across the country—appear willing to call this commitment to question by asking their constituents to sacrifice for the greater good. Instead, we are told that there are no losers when it comes to free trade deals; that we can expect “unprecedented levels of prosperity” from major climate legislation (as opposed to near term sacrifice for long term benefit); that we “no longer have to worry about budget deficits.”
The River Democracy Act has the potential to be a classic win-win, according to State Senator Jeff Golden:
Today, representing this region in the State Senate, I continue to see environmental and economic values working together. Our rivers and wild places are vital resources for reviving our local economy, maintaining the wellbeing of residents and tourists alike, and tempering the impacts of climate change.
That’s why U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley deserve our thanks for introducing the River Democracy Act, which would preserve some of Oregon’s rivers for future generations to enjoy. The legislation was shaped by Oregonians from across the state who submitted over 15,000 suggestions, including my nomination of undesignated waters in the Rogue and Klamath River systems for protection.
What does it mean to be a hero? Elden Rosenthal offers a nuanced take:
What is it that distinguishes heroes from the rest of us? Would I have had the courage to step aside, as did Captain Edward Smith, and allow others into life boats while the Titanic was foundering? Would I have risked execution as Miep Gies and others did to hide Anne Frank during the occupation of Amsterdam? Would I have registered voters with James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in Mississippi in the spring of 1964, or marched across the Pettus bridge with Martin Luther King in 1965?
What’s the politics of the Best Next Steps? Learn from Tim Nesbitt’s piece on the Biden Rescue Plan.
As we saw with Bill Clinton’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, the next steps are best when they prove their value to the voters, no matter which party champions them. That’s when they become durable and, over time, gain bipartisan acceptance.
Elden Rosenthal offers his perspective on how to resolve Oregon’s redistricting quagmire:
Political pressure is undoubtedly pressing on the seven Justices of the Supreme Court to do the expedient thing and permit Oregon to ignore the state’s constitution. The price of doing that is too high. Sometimes things need to be done the hard way. Our nation’s entire political and economic system is grounded and anchored by the rule of law. A central component of the rule of law is adherence to the constitutions of the federal and state governments. Autocracies ignore constitutions and do what is deemed expedient. Constitutional democracies obey the express requirements of the law.
To look forward to:
Jared Wiener assessing the implications of working from home on Oregon’s future economic development, and culture.
Brenda Smith discussing the importance of helping our youth catch-up on all they missed this past year.
Rich Vial analyzes the need to update how vacancies in the state legislature are filled.
John Horvick examines the conflicting goals of Motor Voter and closed primaries.
To answer:
Tweet at @the_oregon_way to win & tell us who said this:
We believe that every decision must be brewed in the light of the whole public interest; that goverment must exercise proper concern with all elements of our economic and social life.
To a better Oregon!
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