Popular in Political Science

American Politics

Keeping the Republic

Boston College Marc Landy

British Politics

Entrepreneurial thinking: the politics and practice of policy impact

University of Sheffield Matthew Flinders

Canadian Politics

Parties and Elections: An End to Canadian Exceptionalism?

St. Francis Xavier University James Bickerton

Asian Politics

The Politics of Knowledge in Development

University of Delhi Madhulika Banerjee

American Politics

Fifty years of declining confidence and increasing polarization in trust

University of California Berkeley Henry Brady

American Politics

The Opening Dilemma

Cornell University Richard Bensel

Political Economy

Wait and See?

University of Liverpool Mariaelisa Epifanio

Washington State Politics and Government

View more insights in Books - Social Sciences - Political Science - American Politics

View more figures from Highline College

View the page of T.M. Sell

Read the Study

Next in American Politics

Competing Criteria: Rethinking Congressional Redistricting and Representation

Sam D Hayes | Trinity College

A Modern American Conservative

Russ Freure | University of Waterloo

T.M Sell explains how the many parts of government function and introduces readers to a diverse array of individuals who work in government, including how they got there and what it is they’re trying to do.

Image courtesy of interviewee. March 11, 2024

Log-in or Sign-up to Faculti
Currently viewing this subject insight as a guest. You have insight(s) remaining for this month. Login to view 8000+ figures on the platform.

Generating Workspace...

Export as PDF

The speaker expresses a long-standing desire to write a book that explains how government and the economy work in Washington State. They highlight a prevalent lack of understanding among citizens about their government, despite it having functional aspects. The author discusses their background in state and local government, emphasizing the process of interviewing government officials from various political backgrounds for the book. They critique some of the inefficiencies in the state's governance style, highlighting issues like a regressive tax system, and stress the importance of voter engagement and informed decision-making.

The speaker encourages citizens to educate themselves on political candidates and policies rather than making choices based on superficial criteria. They convey a belief in the value of government and the importance of civic participation, emphasizing that while government isn't perfect, it serves a significant role in society. The overall message calls for awareness and active participation in the democratic process to foster improvement within the system.

Language:

Export as PDF

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:00.115 --> 00:02.165
I've wanted to write this book since I worked for

00:02.305 --> 00:04.765
The legislature about a thousand years ago.

00:05.385 --> 00:08.205
And, it was finally time to get

00:08.205 --> 00:09.205
That done. Uh,

00:09.205 --> 00:12.805
I live in a country where people

00:13.335 --> 00:14.445
don't understand how their

00:14.445 --> 00:15.685
Government works, don't understand

00:15.685 --> 00:17.845
how their economy works, think their government is,

00:17.965 --> 00:20.965
I oppressively evil and broken, have never been

00:20.965 --> 00:23.125
to another country and still say, Marco

00:23.635 --> 00:25.085
best GD country on earth.

00:25.385 --> 00:28.325
And, I thought, well, it's not perfect,

00:28.745 --> 00:31.885
But some parts of it actually work pretty well.

00:32.065 --> 00:34.485
So Washington State government is far from perfect,

00:35.145 --> 00:38.565
but I wanted to tell people, look, here's how it works

00:38.665 --> 00:42.005
and what it does, and introduce them to a lot of people

00:42.065 --> 00:44.685
who do it, who are the end of the day ordinary folks

00:44.705 --> 00:45.965
who were trying to make a difference.

00:46.665 --> 00:48.605
One, having taught state and local government

00:48.605 --> 00:51.245
For a long time, having worked for the legislature

00:51.305 --> 00:55.005
for three sessions, having studied it at length.

00:55.105 --> 00:56.645
So I had a lot of background,

00:56.945 --> 01:00.565
But then, you know, I figured out sort of

01:00.565 --> 01:02.845
what the order of the book should be and,

01:02.945 --> 01:06.845
and began to research that online, and reading

01:07.425 --> 01:09.485
and then thought, well, you know, something

01:09.485 --> 01:10.685
that I'm not terrible at is

01:10.685 --> 01:11.685
Interviewing people. So

01:11.685 --> 01:12.845
I just started digging around

01:12.865 --> 01:16.405
and finding people from all over the state, Republicans

01:16.405 --> 01:18.965
and Democrats, urban and rural, and saying,

01:19.515 --> 01:21.045
Tell me how you decided

01:21.105 --> 01:22.885
To say become the county clerk,

01:22.945 --> 01:24.325
and what does that job entail?

01:25.075 --> 01:26.205
What do you, what do you like?

01:26.205 --> 01:27.445
What are you trying to do with that?

01:27.625 --> 01:29.325
So it was a lot of interviewing people.

01:29.665 --> 01:31.765
Um, a lot of that by email.

01:32.045 --> 01:34.165
'cause at the time I was teaching in China

01:34.715 --> 01:35.885
without enough to do.

01:36.225 --> 01:38.685
And, my partner said, why don't you ride something?

01:38.705 --> 01:40.245
And I was like, well, there it is.

01:40.645 --> 01:43.725
I can finally work on this project. And that was in 2019.

01:43.865 --> 01:45.765
So that's when I really got serious about it.

01:46.075 --> 01:48.685
Back east, they referred to us as the land of process

01:48.795 --> 01:50.445
because honestly, a

01:50.445 --> 01:51.445
Big problem can happen. And,

01:51.445 --> 01:52.845
and we'll talk it to death

01:52.865 --> 01:55.445
before we finally get around to doing something. Uh,

01:56.025 --> 01:58.965
Policy, you know, comes from the state legislature,

01:59.115 --> 02:02.805
from from the courts enforcing the constitution from a

02:03.005 --> 02:04.565
governor, hopefully setting directions,

02:04.905 --> 02:05.965
and then that's echoed

02:05.965 --> 02:09.005
To some pla extent by city and county councils

02:09.065 --> 02:12.325
and county executives and, and mayors. So,

02:13.265 --> 02:16.125
Uh, we do some things, well,

02:16.615 --> 02:19.165
there are other things we could probably jump on quicker.

02:20.055 --> 02:23.245
Tends to be sometimes a little bit too much management

02:23.265 --> 02:24.265
By crisis. You know, when

02:24.265 --> 02:25.725
we're forced to do something, we have

02:25.725 --> 02:27.405
to act. Uh, and,

02:27.585 --> 02:29.605
And of course, you know, there are problems

02:29.605 --> 02:30.685
That I highlight in the book.

02:30.705 --> 02:33.645
Our, our, our tax system is terribly regressive.

02:33.675 --> 02:35.605
It's much harder on the poor than on the wealthy.

02:36.185 --> 02:39.485
Uh, and, and our tax structure doesn't allow government

02:39.585 --> 02:42.165
to capture sort of a reasonable share

02:42.305 --> 02:44.405
of the state's increasing wealth. Washington

02:44.735 --> 02:49.085
State, the Senator Senators serve four year terms,

02:49.085 --> 02:50.965
and the house member serves two year terms.

02:51.105 --> 02:53.245
So the intention in, in

02:53.395 --> 02:57.445
That kind of chamber all over the world is that,

02:57.595 --> 02:59.885
they have to face reelection more often so

02:59.885 --> 03:02.725
that they will pay more attention to what the voters want.

03:03.025 --> 03:07.285
Uh, as, as for the voters, they need

03:07.285 --> 03:08.365
to pay a little more attention.

03:08.425 --> 03:10.565
Now, we mail every voter a voter's pamphlet,

03:10.565 --> 03:13.125
and it includes statements, you know, buy all the candidates

03:13.145 --> 03:14.845
and for and against ballot measures.

03:14.985 --> 03:17.965
And what I tell people is, look, 15 minutes,

03:18.145 --> 03:22.125
and you could probably make a reasonable choice just

03:22.185 --> 03:24.725
by reading about the, the races

03:24.725 --> 03:25.845
that you're gonna vote in.

03:26.065 --> 03:30.245
Uh, it's as I tell my students, you know, have a reason.

03:30.375 --> 03:32.325
Don't vote for somebody 'cause you like them.

03:32.785 --> 03:33.685
You know, like they said,

03:33.685 --> 03:34.845
well, who do you wanna have a beer with?

03:34.845 --> 03:35.885
It's like, who cares? You're never

03:35.885 --> 03:37.045
gonna have a beer with this person.

03:37.185 --> 03:39.925
It doesn't matter. Do they say things that

03:40.565 --> 03:42.565
indicate they would support policies

03:42.565 --> 03:44.325
that you are comfortable with?

03:45.205 --> 03:47.745
And then again, you know, you people say, well,

03:47.905 --> 03:49.225
I don't like any of the candidates.

03:49.335 --> 03:52.265
It's, it's, it's like, really don't let the perfect be the

03:52.265 --> 03:53.345
enemy of the good.

03:54.005 --> 03:57.585
If if you find a candidate that agrees

03:57.585 --> 04:00.225
with you a hundred percent, something's probably wrong.

04:00.385 --> 04:02.145
I mean, that's just never gonna happen, right?

04:02.245 --> 04:03.265
So you can look at somebody

04:03.265 --> 04:05.225
and say, yeah, I like the direction they're going in

04:05.225 --> 04:07.025
and I don't like the direction this

04:07.025 --> 04:08.265
other person is going in.

04:08.565 --> 04:12.225
So you, you have to be somewhat reasonable in,

04:12.285 --> 04:13.625
in looking at candidates

04:13.625 --> 04:15.945
and deciding how to vote, but read a little bit.

04:16.045 --> 04:18.305
You know, there's just lots of information available

04:18.845 --> 04:20.585
and it really doesn't take that much time.

04:20.955 --> 04:22.305
Going back to Ronald Reagan,

04:22.805 --> 04:25.625
way too many politicians running against government,

04:26.125 --> 04:27.745
you know, saying government is the problem.

04:27.855 --> 04:29.345
Well, government can't solve everything,

04:29.565 --> 04:31.265
but you know, it,

04:31.395 --> 04:33.705
there are still virtues to having government.

04:33.815 --> 04:35.705
It's like taxes. I don't wanna pay taxes.

04:35.835 --> 04:37.785
Taxes are the price of civilization.

04:38.485 --> 04:39.665
Uh, and, and,

04:39.765 --> 04:43.865
and so if you want this to work, you have

04:43.865 --> 04:44.985
to be somewhat committed to it.

04:44.985 --> 04:47.265
You have to make a, you know, some choices.

04:48.045 --> 04:49.385
You have to pay a little attention.

04:50.485 --> 04:54.265
Uh, you know, I've been to 62 different countries

04:54.365 --> 04:56.385
and I'm always amazed when I come home

04:56.845 --> 04:58.025
how well things work here.

04:58.055 --> 05:00.025
They work well in a lot of other countries too,

05:00.205 --> 05:02.625
but, you know, I can go out in the street

05:02.625 --> 05:03.945
and yell, the governor's a schmuck

05:03.945 --> 05:05.185
and nobody's gonna carry me away.

05:05.925 --> 05:08.785
So there are virtues to our system.

05:09.085 --> 05:10.265
It is by no means perfect.

05:10.525 --> 05:12.145
We, we have so many things to fix,

05:12.325 --> 05:14.225
but we're capable, you know,

05:14.285 --> 05:16.385
and we have the structures in place to do that.

05:17.925 --> 05:19.385
So you have to make your vote count

05:19.805 --> 05:21.625
by just paying a little attention.

05:22.145 --> 05:22.265
I.

Understanding Government: Insights from Personal Experience

00:00:00 - I've wanted to write this book since I worked for The legislature about a thousand years ago. And, it was finally time to get That done. I live in a country where people don't understand how their Government works, don't understand how their economy works, think their government is, I oppressively evil and broken, have never been to another country and still say, Marco best GD country on earth. And, I thought, well, it's not perfect, But some parts of it actually work pretty well.
00:00:35 - but I wanted to tell people, look, here's how it works and what it does, and introduce them to a lot of people who do it, who are the end of the day ordinary folks who were trying to make a difference. One, having taught state and local government For a long time, having worked for the legislature for three sessions, having studied it at length. So I had a lot of background, But then, you know, I figured out sort of what the order of the book should be and,
00:01:07 - and then thought, well, you know, something that I'm not terrible at is Interviewing people. So I just started digging around and finding people from all over the state, Republicans and Democrats, urban and rural, and saying, Tell me how you decided To say become the county clerk, and what does that job entail? What do you, what do you like? What are you trying to do with that? So it was a lot of interviewing people. a lot of that by email. 'cause at the time I was teaching in China
00:01:36 - And, my partner said, why don't you ride something? And I was like, well, there it is. I can finally work on this project. And that was in 2019. So that's when I really got serious about it. Back east, they referred to us as the land of process because honestly, a Big problem can happen. And, and we'll talk it to death before we finally get around to doing something. Policy, you know, comes from the state legislature, from from the courts enforcing the constitution from a governor, hopefully setting directions,
00:02:05 - To some pla extent by city and county councils and county executives and, and mayors. So, we do some things, well, there are other things we could probably jump on quicker. Tends to be sometimes a little bit too much management By crisis. You know, when we're forced to do something, we have to act. and, And of course, you know, there are problems That I highlight in the book. Our, our, our tax system is terribly regressive. It's much harder on the poor than on the wealthy.
00:02:39 - to capture sort of a reasonable share of the state's increasing wealth. Washington State, the Senator Senators serve four year terms, and the house member serves two year terms. So the intention in, in That kind of chamber all over the world is that, they have to face reelection more often so that they will pay more attention to what the voters want. as, as for the voters, they need

Making Informed Choices in Voting

00:03:08 - Now, we mail every voter a voter's pamphlet, and it includes statements, you know, buy all the candidates and for and against ballot measures. And what I tell people is, look, 15 minutes, and you could probably make a reasonable choice just by reading about the, the races that you're gonna vote in. it's as I tell my students, you know, have a reason. Don't vote for somebody 'cause you like them. You know, like they said, well, who do you wanna have a beer with? It's like, who cares? You're never gonna have a beer with this person. It doesn't matter. Do they say things that
00:03:42 - that you are comfortable with? And then again, you know, you people say, well, I don't like any of the candidates. It's, it's, it's like, really don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If if you find a candidate that agrees with you a hundred percent, something's probably wrong. I mean, that's just never gonna happen, right? So you can look at somebody and say, yeah, I like the direction they're going in and I don't like the direction this other person is going in. So you, you have to be somewhat reasonable in,
00:04:13 - and deciding how to vote, but read a little bit. You know, there's just lots of information available and it really doesn't take that much time. Going back to Ronald Reagan, way too many politicians running against government, you know, saying government is the problem. Well, government can't solve everything, but you know, it, there are still virtues to having government. It's like taxes. I don't wanna pay taxes. Taxes are the price of civilization. and, and, and so if you want this to work, you have
00:04:44 - You have to make a, you know, some choices. You have to pay a little attention. you know, I've been to 62 different countries and I'm always amazed when I come home how well things work here. They work well in a lot of other countries too, but, you know, I can go out in the street and yell, the governor's a schmuck and nobody's gonna carry me away. So there are virtues to our system. It is by no means perfect. We, we have so many things to fix, but we're capable, you know,
00:05:22 - So you have to make your vote count by just paying a little attention. I.

Faculti AI can make mistakes

Faculti

Popular in Political Science

Keeping the Republic

Entrepreneurial thinking: the politics and practice of policy impact

Parties and Elections: An End to Canadian Exceptionalism?

The Politics of Knowledge in Development

Fifty years of declining confidence and increasing polarization in trust

The Opening Dilemma

Wait and See?

Washington State Politics and Government

Next in American Politics

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Page Structure

Popular in Political Science

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Accessibility Options

Contrast Adjustment

Text Size Adjustment

Text Spacing Adjustment

Line Height Adjustment

Cursor Size Adjustment

Page Structure Options

Page Structure