MAKING SENSE OF THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

Washington County citizens have reason to be overwhelmed by the flurry of initiatives launched by the Commissioners in recent months.  The three major projects are unique but easy to confuse. First, an election referendum to adopt a Government Study Commission; second, an expansion of human services functions in Washington County; and third, approval of an automated case management system for the county courts, have all been introduced.

To make matters more confounding is the misinformation being circulated by certain parties to derail the most deserving of these plans. This commentary will attempt to explain each the above initiatives, how they are related and how they differ.

Government Study Commission. This summer, the concept of a Government Study Commission progressed from a good idea (one that I have advocated for several years) to an actual ordinance placing the referendum to adopt the Study Commission before the voters on November 2. If Washington County ultimately adopts a Home Rule form of government, it would enhance the ability to make decisions based on local needs. Washington County would no longer be forced to follow a one-size-fits-all state code that is decided by state legislators.

In August, those interested in serving on the commission had a brief window to gather signatures on a petition backing their candidacy. On Election Day, voters will decide whether to adopt a Government Study Commission and on the same ballot will select eleven commissioners from among 51 candidates.  They will only serve if the vote to form the Commission is in the affirmative. 

The decision by the Commissioners to fast track a Government Study Commission was no doubt influenced by the deteriorating relationship between the Commissioners and the Washington County court system on one side and the Republican officials elected to administer the clerical Row Offices on the other. It is true that the Study Commission could advocate for elimination of these offices. One professional administrator, appointed by the courts and the commissioners, to perform these clerical functions, would replace partisan elected officials. However, it is important to keep in mind that an elected Study Commission would be tasked with examining all aspects of county government, not simply the future of the clerical Row Offices.

The process in adopting a Home Rule Charter is purposefully deliberate and involves public/voter input at all phases of the multiple stage proceeding mandated by state law.  Public meetings to solicit ideas will be held, research on other Pennsylvania Home Rule Counties conducted, and all options discussed. The Study Commission may decide to retain the existing governmental structure in which case the project is concluded. If the Commission drafts a new plan, only the Washington County voters can approve the proposed Home Rule Charter.

It is baffling to me that the Washington County Republican Party has mounted an all-out campaign to convince voters not to appoint a government study commission. In 2019, Republicans campaigned on the deficiencies in local government and the theft in the Clerk of Court’s office. Now that Republicans are in the majority in Washington County, they have the opportunity to play a meaningful role in developing a governmental structure that addresses their concerns. Instead, local Republicans have elected irresponsible officials to several of the Row Offices and refused to participate in a democratic process to improve local government.

Expansion of County Human Services. With a bipartisan decision at a recent meeting, Commissioners Diana Irey Vaughn and Larry Maggi delayed any move to reconfigure the county’s department of Human Services.  Commissioner Sherman, who proposed the unneeded and costly expansion, was not in agreement.  The plan for the new Human Services Department would include the hiring of eight new employees at an additional yearly cost of $544,000.00.  

In addition to the cost, the other well-founded criticism of the plan is that it is not needed and would disrupt years of building efficient human service organizations outside of county government. These non-profits (drug/alcohol, elderly/aging and others) have flourished under their independent leadership and have met the needs of Washington County residents.  In the sage words of recently deceased District Attorney, Gene Vittone, “Service delivery is working in the area of drug and alcohol. An old adage is applicable here. ‘If it isn’t broken don’t fix it.’ Let our team continue our good work.”

Automated Case Management System for the County Courts. The commissioners have approved the purchase of a comprehensive case management system that will integrate all court employees and courtrooms, including the functions of the clerical Row Offices, into one system. The county can utilize pandemic relief funds received from the federal government to pay for the installation. The federal courts and several forward-looking Pennsylvania counties have installed similar systems that have proven to be a significant cost reduction over time. Fewer clerks will be needed to process paper documents and storage costs will be reduced.  Litigants in the court system will save on legal fees because lawyers throughout the region will be able to file legal pleadings electronically.

In connection with the above county initiatives, I would like to make two observations.  First, the misguided attempt to reconfigure Human Services should be a topic reviewed by the Government Study Commission. This would give independent elected citizens the opportunity to make recommendations. Second, the court case management system will have a profound effect on the clerical Row Offices, whether they are replaced or remain in effect as elected offices.

 

GOOD THINKING IN AN IRRATIONAL WORLD

When Republicans are prepared to challenge every decision made by President Joe Biden, often before he announces a course of action, this thinking process is irrational. To a lesser extent, when Democrats support the President before thinking through the ramifications, this is not a rational exercise. In both cases it is easier and more emotionally satisfying to stick with the party line rather than modify a long held belief.

 

The number of partisan Republicans and Democrats comprise a large portion of the voting population and are relatively equal. Wide majorities in both parties – 75% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans – say those in the other party are more closed-minded than other Americans.  With these hardened battle lines, there is little room for a rational “peace table” to flourish.

 

How can it be that as humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding and information sharing it also appears to be losing its mind? How can our society that developed vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, medical quackery and political conspiracy theorizing?

 

Given the fractured condition of the American polity it should come as no surprise that a rash of books on rationality will be published this fall. Steven Pinker, the best-selling author who has written extensively on human behavior, has released Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters (Viking). His thesis is that we actually think in ways that are sensible in the low-tech contexts in which we spend most of our lives. However, we fail to take advantage of the powerful tools of reasoning that are part of the human condition. These tools include logic, critical thinking, probability, correlation, causation and optimal ways to update beliefs. He concludes that developing these tools should become a standard part of the education curriculum to foster rational thinking at an early age.

 

Two philosophers have checked in on rationality with the recent publication of When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People: How Philosophy Can Save Us from Ourselves, by Stephen Nadler & Lawrence Schapiro (Princeton) This book reviews philosophy’s tools for better reasoning. The authors remind us that conspiracies and misinformation are not new and that some of our best strategies for dealing with them are not new either.  For example, epistemology (which addresses the nature of belief and knowledge) and ethics (the study of moral principles that should govern our behavior) can reduce bad thinking. Moreover, the book summarizes why philosophy’s millennia-old advice about how to lead a good, rational, and examined life may be the key for escaping our current predicament.

My favorite recent study on rationality is The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't, by Julia Galef (Portfolio). The author finds the best description of motivated reasoning as: “When we want something to be true we ask ourselves ‘Can I believe this.’ When we do not want something to be true we instead ask ‘Must I believe this’ searching for an excuse to reject it.”

This book keeps things simple by identifying two types of people. First are the “scouts” who achieve success by not defending one side of a contentious issue over the other. The scout method is to go out, survey the territory and come back with an accurate map. A scout must recognize when he/she has gone down the wrong road, be prepared to uncover blind spots, test assumptions and be willing to change course.

The rest of us have “soldier” mindsets.  From tribalism and bias to rationalizing in our personal lives and everything in between, loyal soldiers are driven to defend the ideas they most want to believe—and shoot down those they do not. Making scouts out of soldiers is equivalent to making independent thinkers out of Democrats and Republicans. It is the process of turning untrue opinions away from a soldier’s fear of negative defeat into the scout’s positive decision-making.  It is the open minded task of constructing the map of life with accuracy and fulfillment.

At the end of the day, there is little possibility that a majority of Americans will 

take to heart the advice in these books and reach a consensus on the major issues 

of the day.  One rational approach would be to stop arguing with those “soldiers” 

who are committed to irrational opinions and to stick with a positive message of 

well-developed and vetted facts in our public discourse. As time passes, reason 

and content that is true should win over public opinion.

I have found several sources of news to be above average in delivering rational, 

unbiased information. First, The News Hour with Shepard Smith on CNBC at 7 

pm is straightforward without the one-sided opinions found on other cable 

networks. Second, POLITICO is an online news source that covers American 

politics with excellent journalism that does not favor one party over the other.

There is no magic bullet that will cure us of bad thinking. Like weight loss and 

procrastination, we often identify the problem but choose the easier road of 

sticking with our routine. I will close with the advice of English philosopher John 

Locke: “It is ambition enough to be employed as a laborer in clearing the ground a 

little, and removing some of the rubbish that lies in the way to knowledge.”