Crosscut features a thoughtful article by State Rep. Reuven Carlyle (36th District) who proposes a number of ways our current economic crisis might be changed into an opportunity. According to Rep. Carlyle:
We need to gain the courageous honesty to embrace this crisis, to transform how our state government operates, and to promote meaningful reform. We need to tackle old problems with new energy and spirit. We need to redefine our very definition of “leadership” so we’re not looking for someone to push from the top but to unleash from the bottom. We need bold systems-thinking about structural challenges because our old model of tinkering with the symptoms is no longer working.
He lays out a number of specific proposals in health care, education, tax reform and government reform. At the core of all of them is a call for deep structural changes in the way government services are provided. Agree with his proposals or not, the article is sure to spark a lively discussion and is well worth reading.