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Caitie Whelan

Caitie Whelan

Two Words to Up Your Policy Game

I was once at a country fair filled with blooming onions and handmade soaps, workshops on sheep shearing and DIY blacksmithing. I stopped into a talk on climate advocacy where the audience sat on hay bales and the presenter gave a super overview on how to be a climate advocate.

Three Powerful Policy Words

The U.S. Senators from Maryland and Virginia were not well pleased with the recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization. The FAA oversees aviation (of the non-military varietal) in the United States, including things like air traffic controllers, airport modernization, and consumer protections. More on all that here. And reauthorization

The Different Kinds of Power a Politician Can Have

Once, at a town meeting about off-leash hours (a hot and contentious local issue if ever there was one), a bird lover used a distinction I've never forgotten. There's perception and there's reality, he said. The reality is that off-leash dogs generally aren'

Decoding Politician Speak

Politicians usually make for a lousy interview. There are exceptions, but it's a safe bet that if a legislator is on a show you like, it'll be as fun as watching the grass grow. The reason comes down to three highly strategic (for political parties), infuriating

The 6 Most Important Names to Know in Policymaking

Six has long been a significant number for human beings. Six Flags. Six-packs. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. That Bruce Willis movie The Sixth Sense. So it is only fitting that there are six key names to know in policymaking. 1. Your city/town councilor 2. Your state representative 3.

Why Term Limits Don't Quite Strengthen Democracy

There is a bumper sticker I see from time to time: "Congress isn't a nursing home. Support term limits." With 65 members (15%) of the U.S. House and 34 members (34%) of the Senate over 70, Congress does appear to lead the country in workplace

An Antidote to Burnout

In high school, a buddy of mine auditioned for a play with a bit I still remember. He walked onstage, took off the glasses he'd worn for as long as I'd known him. I can't see a whole lot when I'm not

The Key Thing 6 of the Last 8 U.S. Presidents Have in Common

What do four of the last six Speakers of the U.S. House and six of the last eight Presidents of the United States have in common? They all love lemon scones! That's not actually true. Let's take a short stroll through the origin stories of

A Simple Tool to Up Your Policy Game

Our lives have many different kinds of calendars. The calendar of months and four seasons, the school calendar (I still find myself talking about autumn as the fall semester), the calendar of Q1 and Q2 and..., the calendar of planting tomatoes and picking asters, the calendar of the fiscal year

Who Calls the Shots in Local Government

If you've been up at night asking yourself, "What is the most common form of local government?" your sleepless wonderings are over! The answer is not, in fact, clownshow. The most common form of local government across this fair land is – drumroll, rat-a-tat, and a shish-boom-bah!