Some Thoughts from the Manager |
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The Mission Behind the Washington Outsider
More often than not, the world focuses far too heavily on what Washington is doing and saying. As a result, average Americans, as well as citizens of other Nations, are generally locked out of the political arena. With exception to Election Day and a few town hall style meetings, powerful small groups of political leaders, analysts, and commentators decide what questions are asked, how they are answered, and what policies are developed based on those questions. In global terms, Americans live in a fish bowl with the rest of the global community obsessing about what is happening in the US Capital instead of stepping up to take on a more constructive role in our global affairs. All politicians, global leaders, special interest groups, and mainstream media outlets have their own agendas that serve their interests; whereas, the agenda of this website is solely to learn from others, actually debate issues, and offer comprehensive solutions that address the interests of more than a few people. The goal of this website is to bring people of different perspectives, who are truly from outside of the political establishment, together in order to discuss issues from all sides, ask better questions, and work to develop sound, effective policies that address more of our interests. By directly interacting with each other in the public eye, this site can be used to help resolve the many issues our world faces.
Why I started the Washington Outsider
During my college years, my friends and I, who have quite a few differences in our backgrounds and interests, would meet for lunch where we would discuss social, legal, and political issues among other topics. Due to our staggered schedules, these group discussions could last for hours with different friends coming and going. What we were doing was learning from each others' experiences and views, yet we were, more importantly, pushing beyond the tired rhetoric of the “debates” of politicians and political commentators while trying to create substance that could someday help resolve the issues our Nation and world face. In this spirit, I have been trying to create a vehicle for expanding the average America’s understanding, as well as my own, of the issues while giving everyone a chance to help develop novel policy changes our Country desperately needs. By helping each other express our views and acquire the necessary knowledge, we can better fulfill the vision of our Founding Fathers, i.e. a democratic order that is actually democratic. That said, this website is not just for the American People; all the Peoples of the world must actively participate in their societies and government. The world is a better place when more people are able to contribute their own unique experiences and ideas to the learning process, so innovative and effective solutions can be developed to resolve the issues our society must address. Whether someone makes a million dollars a day or a single dollar a week, he, or she, can contribute something to the world while we must always work with what we have to get what we need. The world has great need and that need can only be satisfied if we find better solutions to problems, so we must get informed, learn to listen, and work together in order to develop, as well as implement, our ideas.
During my college years, my friends and I, who have quite a few differences in our backgrounds and interests, would meet for lunch where we would discuss social, legal, and political issues among other topics. Due to our staggered schedules, these group discussions could last for hours with different friends coming and going. What we were doing was learning from each others' experiences and views, yet we were, more importantly, pushing beyond the tired rhetoric of the “debates” of politicians and political commentators while trying to create substance that could someday help resolve the issues our Nation and world face. In this spirit, I have been trying to create a vehicle for expanding the average America’s understanding, as well as my own, of the issues while giving everyone a chance to help develop novel policy changes our Country desperately needs. By helping each other express our views and acquire the necessary knowledge, we can better fulfill the vision of our Founding Fathers, i.e. a democratic order that is actually democratic. That said, this website is not just for the American People; all the Peoples of the world must actively participate in their societies and government. The world is a better place when more people are able to contribute their own unique experiences and ideas to the learning process, so innovative and effective solutions can be developed to resolve the issues our society must address. Whether someone makes a million dollars a day or a single dollar a week, he, or she, can contribute something to the world while we must always work with what we have to get what we need. The world has great need and that need can only be satisfied if we find better solutions to problems, so we must get informed, learn to listen, and work together in order to develop, as well as implement, our ideas.
Some Thoughts on Public Policy and Science
Looking at the current balance of scientific knowledge in the world, the United States is beginning to significantly trail behind other nations in both technological superiority and skill while there are growing disparities between those who possess scientific knowledge and technical skills with those do not. For a US citizen and someone who believes the world has more or less greatly benefited from American power, despite shortcomings that need to be addressed, this reality is troubling. In recent years, our government, as well as other many other governments, has provided less and less support for the sciences and other academic pursuits, including social sciences like political science, sociology, and psychology, while demand for funding has increased exponentially as our knowledge base has grown. It is, therefore, the responsibility of businesses, universities, schools, individuals involved in the sciences, media outlets, and other community leaders to fill the void and develop a more robust science economy that generates this funding.
Having a degree both in physics and the social sciences, I feel it is my civic responsibility to promote the growth of scientific knowledge and technology by promoting and analyzing the policies, as well as the technologies, which are needed to ensure a better tomorrow, but public policy must be recalibrated to foster a self-sustaining revolution that services the needs of bulk of our population. I firmly believe a society with a broad advanced scientific understanding of the world will be a stronger, healthier, more successful society while I also believe science, technology, and industry must exist solely to benefit mankind as a whole. Otherwise, these human endeavors will lead to destruction.
Furthermore, I believe every person is capable of understanding concepts that today are only meaningful to a handful of individuals; people simply need the opportunity to learn and teachers who are willing and able to clearly and accurately present such ideas in a comprehendible manner. The same is truth for the policies that government our society and economy, i.e. the environment which allows for the growth of technology. I envision a future where individuals and businesses provide for the needs of society through synergetic technology that enhances our environment instead of destroying it; however, it is necessary for those who possess our scientific knowledge now to spread that knowledge to the rest of society so we will have a wiser, more intelligent, healthier society later. Moreover, as technology spreads, there is greater opportunity to educate and generate renewed interest in the scientific fields, but healthy growth in the sciences and technology must be fostered in order to create a healthy society. This growth must be accompanied with better public policies that ensure the benefits of these endeavors are accessible to most individuals .
Looking at the current balance of scientific knowledge in the world, the United States is beginning to significantly trail behind other nations in both technological superiority and skill while there are growing disparities between those who possess scientific knowledge and technical skills with those do not. For a US citizen and someone who believes the world has more or less greatly benefited from American power, despite shortcomings that need to be addressed, this reality is troubling. In recent years, our government, as well as other many other governments, has provided less and less support for the sciences and other academic pursuits, including social sciences like political science, sociology, and psychology, while demand for funding has increased exponentially as our knowledge base has grown. It is, therefore, the responsibility of businesses, universities, schools, individuals involved in the sciences, media outlets, and other community leaders to fill the void and develop a more robust science economy that generates this funding.
Having a degree both in physics and the social sciences, I feel it is my civic responsibility to promote the growth of scientific knowledge and technology by promoting and analyzing the policies, as well as the technologies, which are needed to ensure a better tomorrow, but public policy must be recalibrated to foster a self-sustaining revolution that services the needs of bulk of our population. I firmly believe a society with a broad advanced scientific understanding of the world will be a stronger, healthier, more successful society while I also believe science, technology, and industry must exist solely to benefit mankind as a whole. Otherwise, these human endeavors will lead to destruction.
Furthermore, I believe every person is capable of understanding concepts that today are only meaningful to a handful of individuals; people simply need the opportunity to learn and teachers who are willing and able to clearly and accurately present such ideas in a comprehendible manner. The same is truth for the policies that government our society and economy, i.e. the environment which allows for the growth of technology. I envision a future where individuals and businesses provide for the needs of society through synergetic technology that enhances our environment instead of destroying it; however, it is necessary for those who possess our scientific knowledge now to spread that knowledge to the rest of society so we will have a wiser, more intelligent, healthier society later. Moreover, as technology spreads, there is greater opportunity to educate and generate renewed interest in the scientific fields, but healthy growth in the sciences and technology must be fostered in order to create a healthy society. This growth must be accompanied with better public policies that ensure the benefits of these endeavors are accessible to most individuals .
