I think that citizenship may be the most important managable factor in our effort to facilitate humane sustainablility. This creative $1 million contribution might well be spent in explicit effort to promote understanding of the meaning and practical use of the concept, "THE COMMON GOOD."

This insight would empower people with the confidence of being authentic in their thought, their own value and their action in being a citizen. The effort would need to identify the channels and processes most likely to bring about societal education on the concept and furnish the initial effort on those channels and processes which appear most likely to be successful.

As to content and topics which can make the concept workable in the citizen's practical thinking and action:

THE COMMON GOOD, as defined as broadly as the word 'common' means, and 'good' defined as an individual thoughtfully chooses, can function as the value matrix against which options and issues are measured for relative desirability.

It would allow people to consider: What is THE COMMON GOOD

-in an increasing wide circle: family, neighborhood, city, state, nation,............planet

-of the useful merits of a FREE MARKET system

-of individual and minority HUMAN RIGHTS

- in responding to GLOBAL WARMING, or more broadly, providing for ECOLOGIC SURVIVAL OF LIFE

- in creating workable structures and processes for SOCIETAL DECISION MAKING

- in determining worthy purposes for TAXES

- in assessing the fairness and practical collection of TAXES

- of the nature and importance of community support of CHILDHOOD

We need people to recognize helpful, specific examples of THE COMMON GOOD, to understand them accurately , and to place them in priority.

Bill Harris