Episode Five Show Notes
Regular Folks Rising is a podcast that, among many other things, hopes to help close the gap that exists (and seems to be growing) between “the governed” (Regular Folks) and the people who “govern” (elected representatives and policymakers).
Hugh and Scott both worry that this gap is widening. It is usually the negative interactions that bring the governed to an intersect with the governing (i.e., a traffic ticket, a zoning violation, etc.)
The perception of regular folks is that there is a lot of bickering and a lot of ideological clashes that go on – and they would not be wrong – and that is what prohibits regular folks from becoming involved with governance. Bottom line: When you’re raising a family and earning a living, who has time for undue and excess drama?
When the voice of regular folks goes silent, the voices of narrow-focused interest groups get louder and louder.
Hugh speaks of an item he found on page 159 of the proposed State of Colorado budget. Find an online copy of that budget HERE. Turn to page 159.
Scott believes the governor has been good – in a bad way – of growing government via big, bloated, government bureaucracies. Read his blog post about that HERE. Beware when the duly elected legislative body (your elected representative represents your consent, i.e., the consent of the governed – a key principle in republican self-governance) cedes its authority to an appointed rule-making body. When that happens, the ability to self-govern slips further from you – that’s bad!
Hugh and Scott then drift into the Caucus and Assembly process…
Bottom line: If you want to get involved – and you should want to get involved – it’s a lot of work and a big hassle. But it’s important to have regular folks in the mix.
HERE is a link to the article Hugh mentions from John Caldara.
