1. The Declaration of Independence and the Public Interest

2. Public Policy Is About Doing Good Declaration of Independence is the mission statement for our public policy in America and the rest of the world.

3. Three Values of the Declaration of Independence Life Health and Personal Safety Liberty Speech and Choice Pursuit of Happiness Economic Opportunity Clean Environment

4. In your opening paragraph you use the phrase “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.” What are these laws? In what way are they the criteria on which you base your central arguments? If they are as evident as you claim, then it should not be difficult for you to locate appropriate statistics. I hope this critique will assist you in preparing a declaration that may receive serious consideration for the crown. In the same paragraph, you refer to the “opinions of mankind.” Whose polling data are you using? Declaration on Independence

5. Rhetoric Versus Analysis BS detector Good analysis consists of: Data Clear language Continuous questioning

6. Let’s Look At the Problem of Poverty Usually viewed as cause between the rich and the poor

7. Poverty is Not Inequality Poverty is a condition where people live below a standard we can set if only we can agree. Inequality is a condition where the gap between those below and above the standard is significant. Let’s look at that gap.

8. Distribution of Income in U.S.

9. Aggregate vs. Distribution Measure of Entire Society vs. Measure of Distribution Among Groups in Society

10. Grading the U.S. GoalAggregateDistributionCombined Personal Safety Health Free Speech Free Choice Economic Opportunity Clean Environment

11. The Inequality Question How Bad Is It? Control for subsidies to poor and hours work and the gap is reduced to 4 to 1 instead of 15 to 1. Merit trumps the masses Who’s At Fault? The system The individual Nevertheless, poverty generates societal problems and it threatens the mission set for us in the Declaration of Independence

12. Poverty Capitalism is based on competition where merit is more highly valued that equality Poverty is a necessary by-product and a major cause of societal problems Limiting the degree of poverty and its impact is a primary goal of public policy

13. Why We Fall Short of the Goals of the Declaration of Independence Foolish Freedom The pursuit of freedom as an end in itself threaten the public interest.

14. Examples of Foolish Freedom Substance abusers Talkers on car phones while driving People who refuse to work Criminals of all kinds Business leaders who care only about the bottom line Extremists whose ends justify the means Politicians who can’t control their urge to win at all costs.

15. Foolish Freedom and Poverty Middle and upper class don’t want to share Lower class must take advantage of opportunities

16. What Good Public Policy Requires Enlightened Self-Interest More people acting in the public interest Solid information and analysis