Image by Gary Varvel at GaryVarvel.com

Our second President John Adams said, “It (July 4th) ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. “It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776, required a Revolution to achieve and led to the development and ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. The Constitution created our system of government – a  Republic with “top management” being defined as the citizenry – We the People. (Timeline of drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution).

The design of our system was influenced by the works of the great philosophers including the Judeo- Christian philosophies that integrated a deep insight into human nature and its tendency to self-destruct. The design included the needed checks and balances on power at all levels of government that have been eroded over time contributing to the divisiveness in America.

Thie divisiveness has been described as spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare represents the conflict regarding the basis for determining right and wrong – who or what serves as the moral authority?  Should it be the modern man that believes that self-government is a quaint concept and should be replaced by experts or elites through more centralization of power?  This aim is supported by dividing people by race, gender, age, and culture with a belief that despite the lessons from history, the change will eventually lead to their vision of utopia?  Or, do we go “Back to the Future” to re-discover and restore our foundational beliefs and principles that are integrated into the original design of our Constitution?

Power Corrupts. Note that at the local level, Brown County has a monopoly on political power where a few can dictate what they believe is best for the many.  Power always corrupts and this centralization of power can never produce the best results.  This can also lead to the moral corruption (usually unbeknownst to them) of those that work within this system.  Transparency is the best counter-strategy and can start as simply posting Agendas, Minutes, and Audio of county government meetings.  The “Minutes” identify what is or has been accomplished.  Accomplishments should be the basis for assessing the performance of elected and appointed officials.

• • Current example – Abuse of Power – Sewer Expansion.  A county wastewater strategic plan was contracted for development by “appointed officials” to the Brown County Regional Sewer District (BCRSD) Board without any guidance or input provided by elected officials at a public meeting.  The plan was also approved without any public meetings and is supporting an application for “Phase 1″ of a $50.5 million dollar project.  The required (by the State) Public Hearing is July 8, 2023.
  • The County Comprehensive Plan which is the responsibility of the commissioners, is the legal document that should identify what the citizens want and do not want in terms of quality of life, infrastructure, and development. Development of this plan DOES require input from citizens at public meetings.
  • Indiana – Regional Sewer Districts (RSD) – Indiana Dept of Environmental Management (IDEM).

The aim of our system as identified in the Preamble to the Constitution, is to work towards “a more perfect Union.” The concept of “perfect” is biblically based with perfect described as “all” human needs being met.  The underlying belief is that action motivated by love leads to outcomes where everyone can benefit, or at least, not be any worse off. As legendary coach Vince Lombardi, reinforced, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

How do we catch excellence? The secular quality profession has validated through the Taguchi Loss Function, that the closer any action such as the production of a product or service, gets to the ideal of more perfect, the higher the quality and the lower the cost to the individual and society.

Why is continuous improvement a moral imperative?  When an action results in more needs being met, there is less harm to some when their needs are not being met.  In other words, continually reducing crime leads to fewer victims. Improvement and increased access to health care can lead to less sickness and death.

The basics of continuous improvement?  When proposing an improvement, identify everyone (all stakeholders) in the near, mid, and long term that will be affected by the change. This includes identifying their needs, what will be provided, their expectations, and the feedback they need to determine if the change resulted in improvement.  Think of citizens as members of a “jury” that needs to see both sides of the argument before making a decision and will be following up to learn if the change produced the desired results

A Way Ahead.  The methods and tools supporting continuous improvement towards that more perfect Union (and county) supported by the citizenry have not found its way into government – yet.  The basic principles of the approach have been introduced by the Brown County Leader Network.

Brown County author, historian, and cultural commentator Hank Swain (1918-2014) commented that a good idea in Brown County can take about 8 years to catch on. Quality improvement-related strategies tend to take a little longer.  Needed improvements at the local level can have regional and national-level impacts.

Additional Information: Brown County Leader Network (BCLN)

Overall Strategic Concept

Self-Help – Support Guide

Who is in the Network?  Community Connections