LDS Democracy Newsletter - 10/6/2023

Welcome to the LDS Democracy Network’s Newsletter. (Sent to you by a friend? Subscribe here!)

We appreciate The Salt Lake Tribune writing up our launch. It’s a little sobering to be a mere section break from their summary of key General Conference moments.

Of good report: the Catholic Church’s gathering

The Catholic Church is holding a historic Synod of Bishops, in which an agenda of proposals solicited from rank-and-file members of the Catholic Church will be considered by a committee of church leaders. A synod in the Catholic Church is a meeting where the church can review and address issues facing the church in a systematic way. For the first time in the Catholic Church’s history, laypeople and women will be allowed to participate in the discussions and vote on any policy that is proposed at the end of the Synod.

The agenda for the Synod includes the topics of whether women can be ordained as deacons, “radical inclusion” of LGBTQ and other historically marginalized members, and new accountability measures for bishops to address abuse. After these topics drew criticism from some conservative Catholics, Pope Francis explained that changes in the world present an opportunity to share Christ’s teachings and invited leaders and members of the Church not to fear the open and honest discussion of difficult topics.

The breadth of this year’s Synod and the changes in its structure make it particularly noteworthy. Rob is reminded of how NETWORK, a Catholic social justice organization, emerged from the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and was further shaped by the 1971 synod that created the document “Justice in the World.” It will be interesting to see the outcome of this synod and how it’s received by Catholics around the world.

Context matters: yes, we should pay some attention to Donald Trump

We don’t want to spend too much of our space here discussing ex-President Trump, but he is:

1. The leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, both nationally and in early primary states.

2. A man whose rhetoric over the last few weeks has taken a violent, cruel, and authoritarian turn, even for him.

As Jonathan Bernstein pointed out over 10 years ago, when it comes to politicians running in primaries “what they say is how they’ll govern.” So we’re paying some attention to the ex-president’s rhetoric, his proposal for a 10% tariff on all imports (a tax hike of $300 billion), and the way the Heritage Foundation and allies are preparing to use a victory next year to advance far-right political goals, no matter who the GOP nominee is.

Out of the best books: a helpful guide for parents and anyone who works with adolescents

Back in the early 2010s, Stanford Dean Julie Lythcott-Haims, responsible for the freshman class and undergraduate advising, found that many young people were arriving on campus “over-parented.” Their transcripts were stellar but they were less sure how to take initiative in their own lives, especially outside of the classroom. This observation set Lythcott-Haims, herself a parent of two children, on a path to dive into published research, interview over one hundred people, and reflect on her own experiences.

The result, the 2015 book How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Over-Parenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success, makes an intriguing argument: the moods that so easily hit parents (a fear or anxiety-driven push to be incredibly involved or an overwhelmed resignation) can lead to foibles, and then guilt, frustration, and more missteps.

Across the three parts of the book, Lythcott-Haims examines these tendencies, explains the dangers of over-parenting, and maps out an approach that enables children and teens to learn and grow. Rob, who works with many adolescents and young adults at his regional public university, has found helpful wisdom in the third part of the book.

Ward newsletter: avoiding idolatry, recognizing good work, and our political diversity

• Bishop Waddell spoke in the Sunday morning session on the hazards of hero worship: “As adults, what was once innocent childhood fun can become a stumbling block when ‘hero worship’ of politicians, bloggers, influencers, athletes, or musicians causes us to look ‘beyond the mark’ and lose sight of what is truly essential.”

• The National Association of Social Workers has recognized Latter-day Saint and retired BYU professor Shirley Cox as an NASW Pioneer. We recommend reading NASW’s full citation.

• Demographer Ryan Burge notes the political balance of Gen-Z Latter-day Saints: among 18-25-year-olds in the US, 43% of Latter-day Saints identify with the Republican Party, and 39% identify with the Democratic Party.

• Speaking of LDS college students, BYU senior Addison Graham has some apt points about why we shouldn’t accept the current Hungarian government’s “family values” rhetoric at face value, not when they’re blocking asylum seekers, defending Putin, decrying integration, and clamping down on the free press.

Of our own free will: power to the people (of Maine)

Mainers, as in people who live in the state of Maine, are voting this fall on whether to take over their local power companies CMP and Vercent. The question being posed to the public is:

Local control, cost, and reliability are the key reasons organizers give for wanting a publicly owned utility. CMP and Versant are owned by large multinational companies that have a responsibility to maximize profits for shareholders, not provide reliable power to Mainers at a fair price. This model, known as investor-owned utilities, accounts for more than 70% of electric utilities in the United States. It is not the only way to do utilities.

The Rural Electrification Administration and The Tennessee Valley Authority were New Deal efforts to expand electricity to more of rural America. Entry by the federal government into the electrical utility space was opposed by the National Electric Light Association (NELA) and other industry groups. The private sector argued it could bring power more reliably and at lower cost than the government could. In urban areas, the private sector was able provide electricity reliably at reasonable rates. In rural areas, the power companies charged high prices and provided unreliable service. This dynamic led to the formation of public, cooperative utilities in rural areas across the United States.

Nearly 100 years after the Tennessee Valley Authority was founded, Mainers are resurrecting the question: Can the free market provide electricity more reliably and cheaper than a public utility? Mainers are actively discussing the question in preparation for a vote this November.

The Bangor Daily News has extensively covered issues customers face with their utility companies and how service and reliability have declined since the utilities were acquired by large multinational corporations. The outages have affected Mainers across political ideologies.

The public takeover process isn’t simple and OurMaine, the campaign pushing for a change, has an FAQ section addressing common questions and concerns. The outcome of the ballot measure is uncertain but the impact of organizing is real. If Mainers successfully take over their electrical grid, it will demonstrate the possibility of public takeovers. Regardless of the November outcome, it has inspired a national conversation across typical political divides about who utility companies should serve—no small feat.

One more praiseworthy thing: a nudge from Enola Holmes

Thank you for reading, and this week we’ll close you out with this conversation between Edith Grayson and Sherlock Holmes from Netflix’s Enola Holmes (2020).

MOOD: Whenever someone tells me they are not political

And here at LDS Democracy Network we cite our memes. Here is the full clip.

Until next time!