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Caitie Whelan

Caitie Whelan

For When You Want to Give Up All Hope of Policy Change

"This is something we really cannot duplicate in the United States," Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross tells the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging one August day in 1972. "In England," she continues, "it does not cost the patient a penny." She isn't

If You're Nervous About Contacting Your Legislator

Us Magazine - which I don't read because I'm just too absorbed with the collected works of the French existentialists - has a section called, "Stars! They're just like us." Stars, here, are not luminous spheres of hydrogen and helium (though some of us

The One Note That Can Change a Vote

Today, let's discuss some people who aren't household names, but who can tell us a lot about our role in democracy. Mark Babin, a licensed pilot and minister, won northern Maine's rural House District 3 seat by 110 votes. Down in the northeastern part

Two Unconventional Democracy Strengtheners

All kinds of juicy policy stuff is happening right under our noses! And an easy way to get some visibility into the juice is our Unconventional Democracy Strengthener #1: Sign up for our town or county's newsletter (if they have one). Mine shows up in my inbox on

Where, Exactly, Do Our Tax Dollars Go?

Years ago, on a busy city bus, I noticed a sticker the size of a Monopoly card on the corner of a glass pane behind the driver. "Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," the sticker said in nondescript font. Now when most people read that, I&

For When You're Worried About the Election

The other night, I was in the kitchen making cookies and listening to a podcast from earlier in the week. I grated ginger as the hosts - two real smart cookies - forecasted the outcome of a special election for the U.S. House in Long Island. Their confidence was so dang

If You Want to Get a Bill Passed

A seasoned driver in Delhi once told me that to drive in that city, you need three things: A good horn, good breaks, and good luck. Getting a bill passed isn't so different. You need some attention on it (horn), some patience (breaks), and good luck for miles.

All The Policy in Our Food!

My kitchen is absolutely teeming with policy. Probably yours, too! Let's take a spin through the cabinets to find policy's fingerprints all over them. In the lazy Susan, my spaghetti sauce has to tell me it has sugar in it and my rolled oats have to

If You Want to Know the Future

If you want to really wow folks at parties, tell them you can predict the future...of your town! This doesn't require a Magic 8 Ball, though that's quite wonderful to have. All it requires is getting familiar with an easy-to-miss local government document

Just How Powerful Is Your Member of Congress

It's November 2021 in Montpelier, Vermont. Senator Patrick Leahy, who's tenure in the United States Senate was longer than John F. Kennedy's entire lifespan, who's the sole person in the world to be both third in line to the Presidency and in