Question: What is the strength and weaknesses in the thread below and how is it similar to your understaning of public polict?

Thread:

Beginning with the question of what public policy is, the videos from Shawn Akers highlights how public policy, in its simplest form, is anything the government chooses to do or not to do. Therefore, public policy starts out as an idea and then is combined with governmental action to be created. When analyzing American public policy, it is important to understand the type of government that America follows, which is a liberal democracy. Francis J. Beckwith (2010), the author of Politics for Christians, describes that liberal democracy is founded on the idea of self-governance to ensure that the government provides certain inalienable freedoms. An important takeaway from a liberal democracy is the idea of self-governance. The concept of self-governance begins to outline the role of American citizens in this type of government. Beckwith (2010) writes, "Because many Christians reside in liberal democracies in which citizens play an integral part in electing their leaders, shaping policy and enforcing laws...". This quote highlights the different ways that American citizens play a role in public policy. In America, this might be the most evident in the way we elect our leaders. We vote for our leaders based on how they best represent our interests. Furthermore, if the American citizen does not believe that a leader or policy maker is doing what is best, they have the ability to shape policy by electing another individual to represent them. Additionally, for a liberal democracy to work, it is fundamental that the constituents must act in a civil manner (Beckwith 2010). Therefore, another role that the citizen plays in American public policy is following and listening to those who enforce policy/laws.

Life would be easy if everyone agreed on public policy. However, this is not the case. Due to differing circumstances, everyone has a different worldview. Worldview is outlined by someone's values and beliefs that influence how one interprets their role in society, how to best deal with social issues, and what is the truth (Chuang, Manley, and Petersen 2020). Because people have different experiences, which lead to their differing worldviews, the idea of what the best public policy is going to be different for many. Therefore, when creating public policy, a policy leader might have to consider the perspectives of other individuals to understand their logic and reasoning for a particular topic. Often, the differing worldviews will leave particular groups upset or disgruntled with a policy. This will then inevitably lead those to try and reshape and/or create a new policy. This cycle shows how worldview affects the creation of public policy.