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My philosophy in politics and public affairs has been
shaped by the combination of my personal, academic and professional
background. There are certain major elements in our history that we have so
little control on, which have a significant impact on who we become. One of
those elements in my past was being born in Iran.
One of the most memorable things that my father told me
when I was growing up was that “there are three things you can’t pick in
life; your name, your parents and your country.” I have always believed in
that principle, not because of the obvious facts that it tells us, but
because of what it implies. Iran
of today is one of the most repressive and theocratic regimes in the world.
The period of sixteen years that I lived in Tehran was the most difficult period in
my life, and I am certain it will remain that way. During these years, I
had to deal with countless social limits and curbs on my most basic civil
liberties and freedoms, such as the inability to wear what clothes I chose
or go on a date without being harassed by the religious police. But life in
Iran also taught me a lot and gave me a unique perspective that has greatly
shaped my beliefs on what role of government should take in people’s lives.
Deprivation of the most basic civil liberties for sixteen years of my life
has caused my love for the social freedoms that I am fortunate to enjoy in
the United States and belief that these freedoms should never be taken for
granted and as a birth right, but they should be defended everyday because
there are always who will want to curb those freedoms in the name of
different interests like religion or national security.
The second element that has shaped my thinking has been
my education. I received my bachelors in Economics with concentration in
Public Policy and minor in Political Science from Kalamazoo College, a
small and prestigious school in the mid-west and the oldest college in
Michigan. This school has a very rigorous and multi-dimensional curriculum
that superbly prepares students for serious challenges. Through my studies,
I obtained the necessary knowledge to approach policy from an academic
standpoint and constantly think about new solutions to real problems rather
than only consider the options that policy-makers give us.
Through my professional life, I speak with hundreds of
average people every week about various policy matters. What is most
stunning is that the issues people in America are interested in talking
about are so distinctly different than what politicians have been focusing
their attention to. Despite people’s strong convictions in many social
issues like abortion and gay marriage, they are not interested in talking
about them as much as they are speaking about healthcare, economy and
alternative energy. Through months of working at a grassroots lobbying
firm, I have been seeing both a great lack of faith in the American
government on the part of the people and a great sense of hunger for a
different kind of politics that is better and much more dignified than what
our policy-makers have given them.
I believe that government should only be as much
involved in people’s lives as it is necessary. But the most important
belief that I have developed over the years is that in all the important
policy areas that are having significant impacts on people’s lives in the
new century – such as foreign policy, national security, the economy,
crime, women’s rights and human rights, education and healthcare – our
policy-makers have been framing the debates as a series of false choices
that are designed to divide and guarantee votes for them in the next
election rather than effectively address real problems. Just as the New
Deal coalition demonstrated, politics can work in a democratic country, and
when it does, people live better lives and safer lives. But politics has
not worked so well in America in the twenty-first century because the
people have voted for an executive branch that is driven by an agenda and
ideology rather than a genuine interest in the issues that affect the
average American.
I believe that in the new century, we need policy-makers
who are willing to address the issues of the day by trying to reach
compromise and represent the interests of their constituents as best as
they know how. The reason behind my deep personal conviction in democratic
representation is that I truly believe that the majority of the common
peoples in any country are inherently good, and no matter what language
they speak or what religion they practice, they all want to live in a free,
safe and prosperous world to raise their children and have a good life.
Based on this presumption, the only way to transmit this inherent and
universal idealism to government is through democracy. While democracy may
not always be the perfect or most convenient method of government or even
guarantee good government, it does provide people with the opportunity to
eliminate bad government on a regular basis, which makes the system more
responsive to people’s needs than any other system of government ever
introduced. But democracy involves more than just voting; it requires
active dialogue as well as robust civic and intellectual engagement on the
part of the electorate. Although I do not consider my life an extraordinary
one, I have had the experiences that have led me to become an engaged,
passionate, alert and progressive human being, determined to spend the rest
of my life serving this country and the universal ideals of freedom and
democracy by constantly trying to offer people new and different choices
that are meant not to divide, but to address the real issues of the
twenty-first century.
7.7.2007
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