Politics 2012 | politics09

Policy and Politics | by Megan Graham

Good processes do not always produce results

Being a policy process nerd, things like collaborative, consensus-based efforts are, for me, unfailingly interesting. They offer several interrelated tracks of study that must align just about perfectly in order to yield results that bring about any change whatsoever. And if you are still awake after reading those... ...read more

School flap a learning opportunity

There are a few phrases that, when unleashed on a middle schooler, can trigger an instantaneous boredom-induced eye roll. “Would you like to go to the museum?,” for instance, or, “Do you want to help me in the garden?” Add to the list, “Let’s find some civic engagement... ...read more

Clear goals, not just values, shape best policies

When I issue an edict to the young people who live with me, they frequently demonstrate their potential as future skeptics. Instead of docilely accepting the order, they instead pepper me with challenges. “Why?” they ask. My answer, regardless of its lock-tight logic, usually fails to impress them, and I... ...read more

Durango’s hockey family is a smelly, close-knit community

One of the most appalling and surprising things a newly minted hockey player learns is that the human hand produces unthinkable odors when stuffed in a hockey glove. The thing about it is, though, that by the time this horrifying reality hits, most people are already hooked and the shock is blunted – almost... ...read more

Disagreeing key to sharpening ideological arguments

Editor’s note: The last paragraph of Megan Graham’s column was not printed in Sunday’s Opinion section. The column is printed here in full. ...read more

Reaching out to Herald readers

Column-writing for me is a bit like conducting a sloppy science experiment. The process usually begins with what seems to be a sound idea that then spends several days or weeks being subjected to tests, rearrangements, dependent and independent variables, outside review, and external data. It is all very, very... ...read more

New pope offers tiny glimmer of change in church

A few years ago, quite unexpectedly for a Protestant of completely lackluster, OK zero, participation in any religious activities, I found myself inexplicably Catholo-curious. Something about the ritual of Mass was mysterious and magnetic, and then comforting. The space in Catholic sanctuaries is like none other,... ...read more

Congress shows sanity in passing anti-violence act

It is a sign of just how toxic the political environment in Washington, D.C., has been that reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act was so crowning an achievement for the 113th Congress. ...read more

Events can open policy windows that bring mixed results

The thing about polarizing policy debates is that they are often effective at gridlocking the status quo rather than moving meaningfully in any direction. Regardless of how thoroughly, convincingly and strategically an advocate for shifting a given policy stakes a position and aligns support among those who make... ...read more