January 29, 2011 — Yes, I freely admit it: I am unabashed Liberal, aka Progressive, but that doesn’t mean I am un-American, much less a Socialist. It does mean I want our government to work for the people.

I don’t see our government as the ‘Other’ or some beast that needs to be starved, but rather I believe our government is “We the People…”, just as the Founders said it was to be.

If we are to safeguard our freedoms, we should avoid tinkering with the Constitution, much less enshrining it in stone, so that it can grow with us as our country grows in population and innovation.

Shutting down the government or pulling the plug on those agencies that protect our citizens is irresponsible. Our government is only as good as we make it. Does it need tidying up and a tighter rein on the finances? Yes, but that is different from throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Accountability and regulation might have prevented the levees from breaking in New Orleans after Katrina, kept contaminated spinach and peanut butter from reaching supermarkets, or improved mine safety, preventing gas leaks and clouds of coal dust.

But that’s what government should do: Be our watchdog.

The belief in our government working for us follows in the proud tradition of both Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt who actually set the Progressive agenda. No doubt about it, this column will be a unique opportunity to join this on-line community square. Readers who thought they had been given the unvarnished big-T Truth from their favorite Talking Heads about who Liberals are and what they believe will now learn first hand what one real life Progressive and American activist actually thinks, which ,will be unfiltered, undiluted, and unadulterated.

Thanks to the 24/7 news cycle, there is no dearth of topics to gnaw on, whether it’s asking, “are Americans fickle, ADA, or just plain overwhelmed,” to “why is the Left so cranky with Obama?”

Plus there will be interviews with forward thinking newsmakers, the ones whose decisions impact our lives whether as elected officials or grassroots organizers.

Politics is never dull, no matter where you stand. In fact, it never ceases to amaze with its oddities and inanities as well as those genuine characters who often drive our national conversation, from Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann to Keith Olbermann and Al Sharpton.

The supply of political and pundit personalities seems endless. And the 2012 election isn’t till next year.

I would like to be able to predict that this column just might usher in a moment of kumbaya, a Gullah word, meaning, “come by here.” But I am too much of a pragmatic idealist to do that.

However, I do hope you will drop by to participate in an open conversation and that we will agree to disagree, maybe even heatedly, but always civilly. I look forward to a lively dialogue of divergent opinions.

In fact, I welcome it. That’s how change begins, in the community square.

To contact Catherine Poe see above. Her work appears in Ad Lib in the Communities at the Washington Times and at the Democratic Forum.

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