If you want a thing well done, do it yourself.
Charles Spurgeon
I’d like a nice instruction manual on how to organize on a community. But I haven’t found one yet that suits my needs – and part of the problem is that I don’t know exactly what I want. I’m new to this whole game (at least as of this writing, 3/18/09), andneed to find my own way.
So I’m taking it upon myself to write the instructions that I wish had been handed to me. And if you find the instruction manual I’m looking for, let me know!
You need to know where I’m coming from so you can take my advice in context. Here are the basics.
- I was born in 1985. I am a white male and grew up in an upper-middle class household.
- I got my undergraduate degree at UC Davis, majored in Economics and International Relations, and graduated in 2003. In early 2009 I was accepted to go to grad school at USC for a Masters of Public Administration.
- At this time (3/18/09), I work in the district office of State Senator Darrell Steinberg, currently President Pro Tem of the California State Senate. I love this job and plan to continue for some time, and you’ll occasionally hear me speak glowingly of him – I admire him personally and as a leader, and it’s fair for me to give you full disclosure.
- I’m a progressive independent, with some libertarian leanings. My political positions evolve as I learn more about issues and policy, so this may change over time.
- I am very pragmatic, and often find myself at odds with friends who hold certain positions because it’s part of their party’s platform. Read more about this on my post about ideology.
If you detect any other important biases in my writing that you think I should be upfront about, let me know.
