All posts by Zachary

Participatory Culture, Politics

Mitch Daniels on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal 2015-10-16

As part of our daily ritual Anne, Hieronymus, and myself listen to C-SPAN in the morning. Before 7am, if you are listening to C-SPAN 1, the speech, conference, hearing that is played will usually be the topic of focus during the first segment of Washington Journal which follows promptly at 7am.

Once the minute advances from 6:59am, Trumpet Concerto No. 2 blasts through the air and you know the phone calls from a vast array of Americans (a few global listeners have been known to call from time to time) will soon fill our home, providing us with an opportunity to experience the human condition.

On this past Friday’s program, the host mentioned that former Governor of Indiana and current President of Purdue University, Mitch Daniels would be on the program discussing college affordability. I decided to call in and ask some questions that have come to mind since the promotion of Income Share Agreements has entered into the conversation.

  • What kind of student data regulation adjustments need to be made in order for Purdue to provide ISAs?
  • When can we expect to see a sample contract for Purdue’s ISA program?
  • In the past, you mentioned the Pajama Test, and I was curious on the quality of education one can achieve in a digital vs. in-person setting?

Daniels took a few minutes to answer my questions.  Here’s the clip of my phone call and his responses:

Full segment with President Mitch Daniels, a great watch/listen:

Participatory Culture, Politics

West Lafayette City Council District 3 Candidate Interviews

I have been lucky enough to acquire a handful of minutes over the past few weeks (in between family, work, and public meetings) to interview the District 3 candidates for West Lafayette City Council. For this round of interviews, I chose to focus on the topics of transparency and open government.

Of the three candidates, I asked the following questions:

  1. What are your views on transparency in government?
  2. In what ways is the City of West Lafayette open and transparent?
  3. In what ways can the City of West Lafayette become more proactively transparent.
  4. If elected, how would you help citizens become more informed and knowledgeable of the City’s plans and actions?
  5. How do you currently assess the City’s utilization of the Internet?
  6. Can a government be too open, too transparent, too accountable?
  7. Final thoughts?

Democrat Joelle Jones


Download the MP3

Independent Donnie Spencer


Download the MP3

Republican Aseem Jha


Download the MP3

Participatory Culture, Politics

League of Women Voters 95th Anniversary Celebration and Speech

Greater Lafayette League of Women Voters 95th Anniversary Celebration

I had the honor of speaking at the League of Women Voters of Greater Lafayette 95th Anniversary Celebration on September 22nd.

 

Here is a copy of my speech:

On February 8th, 2014 I sent out my first tweet:

@baielala: Good morning all. Need a good profile picture. On the way. Anyone else going to this Legislative Breakfast at MCL this morning? #greaterlala

Over the previous year, I was becoming more active and engaged publicly in our local political landscape. Through some friends and members of the League, I heard about the local League of Women Voters Annual Legislative Breakfast held at MCL Cafeteria. I attended so I could live tweet the event, meet other local, committed political people, ask questions and hear the positions from our representation in the Indiana Congress.

This amazing event was my first direct taste of the Greater Lafayette League of Women Voters. I have always been impressed with the League’s presence at a variety of public gatherings; from our Farmers Markets, to our Mosey Down Main Streets, to educational events held at our Public libraries and community centers, among a myriad of other activities. As we all have learned, if there is a congregation of politicos in Greater Lafayette, there is no doubt that some League Members are also in attendance.

And it’s exactly this breadth of membership, this devotion to political engagement and enlightenment, that drew me into becoming an official, due-paying member. Joining the League gives me an opportunity to give back to the same group of hardworking individuals whose mission couldn’t be any more simple and clear: making democracy work.

Look around you today, as we celebrate 95 years of the League’s existence: be proud to know that you stand among others who, like yourself, are contributing to the success of the League’s lofty and straightforward goal.