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The Challenge: What steps should be taken to create more ways for people to participate in government? What should the government do to remove barriers, create opportunities, and provide the right incentives? How should government structure participation opportunities to ensure it leads to more informed and effective decisions?

What We’ve Heard from You: We heard from you about strategies for increasing and improving opportunities for participation in government decision-making. We asked for, and recieved, feedback on specific ideas from the Brainstorm, and some great examples and best practices from other governments and non-profits. You also talked about what can be done to both lower the barriers and increase the incentives for participation. Now we'd like to see the community draft some specific recommendations.

Drafting Directions: Review the comments from the Discussion blog as well as comments made by government employees and review the submissions in From the Inbox. Incorporating earlier input, you may write your own draft, or combine and edit those of others to create a new one.

Writing policy requires translating good ideas into clear, specific directions for practical implementation. Hence a good recommendation will be no more than 4 sentences and a set of recommendations will be no more than 1 page. A recommendation should address:

- Who is being directed to do something? (e.g. “All agencies must…”)
- What is the institution being directed to do?
- Why is it important that they do so?
- How will success be measured?

Per the terms of use, drafts are expected to be civil and on-topic. We depend upon the community to help maintain the quality of this process by reporting drafts which appear to violate these terms. Reported drafts will be submitted for review. They will then be republished in their original place, republished as an "off-topic" draft, or archived off-line.

Return to the Topics Overview, or to the OSTP Blog.

in a recent zogby poll, 52% of registered voters approve of legalizing cannabis for personal use. It has been asked twice by voters to barack obama and his open government internet poll and has won both times, only to be ignored as a fringe issue. This topic now has majority status and is what the American people want. 70% of the drug cartel's funds come from cannabis sales. If we were to take this large of a sum of money away from the cartels they would be weakened dramatically and our economy will also benefit. Please stop ignoring the American people, obviously support for legalization will only rise because of the hypocrisy and corruption that made it illegal in the first place. Haven't we learned from alcohol prohibition in the 30's?
Dear President Obama, and Honorable Representatives and Congress-men and women,

I have a question concerning your Health Care Initiative:

Please explain why Americans, as regular blue collar workers and citizens giving services and products to the American way of life, cannot have the benefits service men and women have? The Veterans administration could be used as a model for a National Health Care Initiative.

As a veteran I go to the V.A. Hospital here in Gainesville, Florida. Consultations are made, all I show at the desk is my ID card, the rest is so simple. Appointments are made and the level of care is excellent. Practicioners from all over the world see veteran patients on a regular basis for whatever is ailing us. I have eyeglasses, free, and my medications are $8.00 and we are billed and if we can't pay that month the amount is kept track of and I still get my medications in the mail!

There might be a few complaints I hear when waiting at the V.A. for meds, but if I call the Tele-nurse to refill a prescription that has run out, I can have my meds within hours! Lab work is swift. I am in and out in 15 to 20 minutes!

The only problem are the parking lots are so full we have to take shuttles from another location which is very inconvenient if you need to have someone accompany you for a colonoscopy test.

I guess the best recommendation is to make this initiative attractive to doctors, dentists, opthamologsts, and surgeons, and nurses.

Of course the Medical Coders would need to be updated and trained for new codes, etc.

I am confident this is do-able! Thank you for the opportunity to address the talented and energetic administration and lawmakers of this great country, the United States of America!!

truly yours,

Melanie Richard

Gainesville, Florida 32609
Dear President Obama and Vice-President Biden,

Thus far the Obama Administration has done a fine job of establishing and strengthening Federal Regulations to better protect the American people.

This includes announcing the new Federal Consumer Protection Agency.

However I've noticed that your Administration has not touched on the issue of Regulating Homeowner Associations.

Established by corrupt Real Estate Developers, such organizations are a Parasite to our nation's Homeowners.

In addition due to Greed, these associations often help to destroy the same communities they are supposed to help manage and safeguard.

Something is definitely wrong when these type of organizations are allowed to foreclosure on homes for excessive fees, which frequently stem from frivolous or bogus violations.

In essence most Homeowner Associations are nothing more than legal channels which generate more revenue for investors, with no real benefit to the Homeowners.

I am requesting that a demographically representative group of more than one million Americans be recruited to participate in national discussions on this issue.

Participants in the discussions will use balanced data and information to ensure that everyone begins with adequate context to come to informed judgements.

The national discussions should use a variety of methods to ensure that more than one million Americans can take part in a meaningful way, for the purpose of drawing a reasonable conclusion.

Not excluding working closely with Congress and the new Federal Consumer Protection Agency, to create Legislation preventing Homeowner Associations from having Sole Authority to destroy communities or "steal" homes via frivolous, excessive fees.

Thank you

Regards,

Laurel G.
Hello Mr. President, I think we are missing the boat. We need to get people back to work. We need to keep industry in the greatest country in the world, USA. We need to bring industry back from foreign countries and start bringing pride back to the hearts of the American people. Healthcare reform is not the answer at this time. Jobs should be top priority. If people aren't working, no one will be able to afford healthcare so its a mute subject. Food on the table for families, roofs over their heads and a job to go to everyday. Please I plead with you Mr. President, lets not go back to the Great Depression. We are a stronger nation but our people are starving. Stop giving money to countries like Pakastan for their people who sadly are in need, but we have to take care of our people at home first. This is despirate times and things are getting harder not better. Please look at your priorities and save the people of the US not by bailing out corporate America, but by allowing the people to work and save and build. Most Americans don't want handouts they want work.

Thank yo for listening and I hope yo were listening.

Barbara Valaitis

All federal departments, agencies, commissions and advisory groups should use, refer to and promote the Core Principles of Public Engagement to guide their engagement with citizens and as the basis for evaluating the effectiveness of this work [online at www.ncdd.org/pep]:

The Core Principles for Public Engagement***

These seven recommendations reflect the common beliefs and understandings of those working in the fields of public engagement, conflict resolution, and collaboration. In practice, people apply these and additional principles in many different ways.

1. Careful Planning and Preparation

Through adequate and inclusive planning, ensure that the design, organization, and convening of the process serve both a clearly defined purpose and the needs of the participants.

2. Inclusion and Demographic Diversity

Equitably incorporate diverse people, voices, ideas, and information to lay the groundwork for quality outcomes and democratic legitimacy.

3. Collaboration and Shared Purpose

Support and encourage participants, government and community institutions, and others to work together to advance the common good.

4. Openness and Learning

Help all involved listen to each other, explore new ideas unconstrained by predetermined outcomes, learn and apply information in ways that generate new options, and rigorously evaluate public engagement activities for effectiveness.

5. Transparency and Trust

Be clear and open about the process, and provide a public record of the organizers, sponsors, outcomes, and range of views and ideas expressed.

6. Impact and Action

Ensure each participatory effort has real potential to make a difference, and that participants are aware of that potential.

7. Sustained Engagement and Participatory Culture

Promote a culture of participation with programs and institutions that support ongoing quality public engagement.

***The Public Engagement Principles (PEP) Project was launched in mid-February 2009 to create clarity in our field about what we consider to be the fundamental components of quality public engagement, and to support Barack Obama's January 21st memorandum on transparency and open government. The principles were developed collaboratively by members and leaders of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD), the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), the Co-Intelligence Institute, and others.