Community Think Tanks [Government Initiative]

Slogan

"Everyday People Working On Society's Problems."

The Weekly Memo

Every week the Government would send out a Memo with 2 or 3 issues which are going to be debated and ratified with policies or regulations.

They would seek the feedback from Community Think Tanks about what they would like to see the Government pursue.

Participating In The Political Process

This institution would provide the public with an environment where they could feel like they are directing affecting the direction of the country (because, they are).

It would make participants feel important (because, they are).

Stimulating

For stimulating, genuinely exciting conversation to take place, there must be great importance attached to the issue being discussed,
the issue must "feel" like something worth getting passionate over,
worth investing energy and intense thinking on.

The Government sending out Official Government Memos to the Community Think Tanks would certainly make participants feel like what they were doing was important (because, it is).

The Tanks

Each Tank would consist of 7-15 members with a Tank Leader and Tank Secretary.

Each Community would have as many Tanks as were desired.

Sending In Ideas

Each Tank would submit their Weekly Recommendation to their Community Tank Leader.

The CTE would send in their choice to the City Tank Leader.

Each City Tank Leader would send in their choice to the Provincial Capital Tank Leader.

And the Government would receive a recommendation from each Province about the issues they send in their Weekly Memo.

...Like A University Study Group

A common practice in University, is to put together a study group to tackle a challenging assignment.
What is overwhelming for one mind to try to digest alone, becomes manageable, even interesting, when worked on as a group.
It is the difference between the pioneer who faces the wilderness alone and unaided, and the colonist who works together as part of a group to build a society.
Both are important.
Both have their time and place.
In fact, a person can metamorphize from one into the other, depending on what the situation calls for.
That is healthy.
Adaptation is healthy.
Trying to tackle complex problems on one's own is not.

----Further Thoughts----

The Center for Media and Democracy in the United States published a report detailing how ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) was lobbying the American Government to pass legislation consistently favoring Mega Corporations like Coca Cola to introduce bills to waive policies like regulating carbon emissions.

The CMD encourages the American people to visit their website and examine the report for themselves.
Most people find that prospect boring and daunting.
Most people simply do not have the education and intellectual training to delve into complex documents.

This is where Community Think Tanks come into play.

People review the document together, over coffee, or dinner,
laptops at hand,
and pool their mental resources to understand the topic.