California City News presents the following op-ed from US Senate Candidate Duf Sundheim. For more information on Mr. Sundheim or to contact his campaign, click here.
Monday was an important night in my campaign to represent California in the United States Senate. I took the stage with four other candidates at the University of the Pacific in a televised debate to discuss the most crucial issues facing an ever changing California, including crime, economics, terrorism and what it will take to be an effective senator in the deeply divided politics of Washington, D.C.
I believe we are on the cusp of a major reordering of our government away from centralized control. I call this coming era “The Second Age of Reason”. The first Age of Reason gave the world modern science, the American Revolution and the realization of self-government. The Second Age of Reason, with advanced technology at its foundation, has had a profound impact on the way we live, work, learn and play. These same advancements have the potential for profound change in the way we interact with each other and our government.
Because of our ability to communicate a wider breadth of knowledge quicker than at any other point in history and track performance to keep others accountable, there is no longer the need to centralize power in Washington to the extent we’ve seen over the last several decades. With this significant shift in mind, my goal is to use technology to decentralize power, to make Washington bureaucrats accountable and responsive, and to restore the decision-making power to those local leaders who are most impactful to the everyday lives of the American people.
I support a transition to a decentralized system that begins immediately but proceeds in an orderly fashion without bringing more disruption to an already disrupted system. I urge states to take on more responsibility and use big data to learn what works and what does not, and to make the necessary and continuous adjustments, for it has been proven that no one individual or group can have more knowledge than the people as a whole.