Election 2000: Take Policy to Polls

As the leading candidates for the presidency and congressional seats spend more money getting their messages out, the voting public is probably beginning to pay a bit more attention to what is being hinted at, what is being ignored and what is being promised or threatened, depending upon your point of view.

Voters often hear candidates extend invitations to their opponents to "debate" the issues. What results is more often than not far short of a debate (defined as a reasoned argument made in support of conclusions and proposals) and much closer to a declaration of assertions, premises and solutions based on the life experiences of the debaters.

It is time that we, the members of NASW, shared our reasoned arguments with our families, neighbors, co-workers and people who are active in organizations that are part of our lives.

Our reasoned arguments consist of NASW's official policy statements. These cover 67 social work practice and social policy issues and were developed after years of research and practice.

Members you elected to represent you at Delegate Assembly worked in coalitions to achieve a representative point of view in each statement and to communicate accurate information about the issues our clients and communities face. Then, after considering the proposals and modifications, they voted for policy statements that reflect the kind of response that we, as a profession, believe is necessary to support, nurture and affirm individuals and their communities.

We believe that government and elected officials have major roles to play in assuring that our communities have the support they need to achieve the goals envisioned in our policies.

Therefore, during the next nine months, NASW will be engaged in my presidential initiative, Election Year 2000. This will be a campaign conducted in collaboration with the NASW national Board of Directors and trustees of the association's political action arm, PACE, to involve every chapter in voter education and registration. Social work students will be a special focus of the campaign.

This effort also will use Social Work Speaks, the compilation of NASW's policy statements, as a touchstone for shaping candidates' debates and evaluating their positions on the issues we care about.

You'll hear more about this in the coming months as each chapter reaches out for members' support. In the meantime, please feel free to let me know your thoughts about the presidential initiative. Please e-mail your comments to president@naswdc.org using the subject "election 2000," or write to me at the national office. (Comments will not be published in NASW News.)

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Copyright NASW Press, 1998