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Holiday
time is the most wonderful time of the year for
lots of good reasons. Families come together to
give hugs, thanks and gifts. Employers rediscover
and reward their employees for the knowledge,
responsiveness and drive that make companies
excel. And for a brief period, at least,
conversation turns away from the limitations and
disappointments that loom so large the rest of the
year.
Warm
memories and explorations of accomplishments,
opportunities and possibilities take center stage.
Most of us just enjoyed four days of that kind of
holiday spirit. For those interested in public
life in Virginia, right now is just the time to
speculate what it might mean if government applied
such holiday spirit all year long.
We
are looking forward after all to a new governor
and a General Assembly with resources to apply in
2006. Will government leaders take renewed joy in
solving problems, such as safer, more efficient
transportation and stronger early childhood
education, or sink back to make lists of what
Virginia cannot afford?
Will
Virginians stop lowering their own expectations as
a type of defense mechanism against disappointment
and underinvestment?
At
one level, it seems fortunate that the miser's
pessimism of the last few years -- nothing's worth
doing and, anyway, nothing works -- is giving way
to what might be described as rational pessimism:
Some things may be worth doing, but we cannot
afford them. Maybe Virginians should be grateful
that the rhetoric at least is changing.
But
maybe we should be a little angry that those of
limited vision, that those so enamored of the
present remain so prominent in discussions of the
future. Is this not exactly the time to express
clearly our most ambitious expectations, then
explore how we create the opportunities and make
the choices to succeed in realizing them?
Take
education as an example. Why is education a core
responsibility of government in the first place?
Studies confirm what advocates of more education
investment long have maintained. The chief
beneficiary of quality education is the community,
not the individual. The collective benefits of
education -- better jobs, higher incomes, more
rewarding quality of life, more stable marriages,
lower crime rates, healthier lifestyles, respect
for diversity -- add up to more than the sum of
the benefits for individuals.
These
benefits define healthy communities, even
civilization, itself. Individuals tend to
under-consume education when left alone. Private
institutions inevitably ration education through
selection procedures, no matter how
"fair." So a strong push by the public
leaders for high quality public education in
everything from early childhood education to
advanced university degree programs corrects
underinvestment by the private sector to the
benefit of all.
But
too many leaders still speak as though quality
education is an option driven primarily by current
revenues rather than by societal needs and future
economic demands. Meanwhile, the price of children
left behind -- low skills, low incomes, more
crime, divided communities and disfunctional
families -- walks around in plain view.
No
one in government doubts that policies to engage
the private sector, both individuals and
companies, in solving big problems is a good idea.
In a complex area, such as transportation, the
private sector can bring innovation and new
investment strategies to the mix. But let's not
kid ourselves. Much of what has become a
responsibility of government is the result of the
private sector ignoring, avoiding or
under-investing in things communities need and
value. Whether providing public parks, libraries,
museums, stadiums, schools, highways or proficient
professionals to inspect, protect or judge,
government fills critical roles that are
essential, but also desirable and worthy.
Virginians
still need to move the discussion another notch
from rational pessimism to rational optimism: This
is what we expect and this is what we will invest
in that outcome now. Such an approach
demands vision and a commitment to creating the
opportunities and choices Virginians need to make
things happen. It is a public sector spirit that
draws on the same personal values that make the
holiday season bright. Here's hoping that Virginia
leaders and citizens alike renew this faith in the
future.
--
November 28, 2005
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