Prof. Jeff Kurtz opines on need for self-government

In a recent op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch, Communication Professor Jeff Kurtz shared his views on “Compassionate capitalism.”

Government cannot be a passive undertaking. We must be accountable to the practices that authentic self-government demands: We need government, as Lincoln knew, to do what we cannot do for ourselves, things we can accomplish when we work toward ideals greater than ourselves.

Instead of stakeholders, we need citizens. Instead of socially conscious corporations, we need to double down on self-government and reclaim public trust.

Langston Hughes understood it well: America can be America again. Not because of compassionate capital, but because we believe in each other.