Is policy change part of social change?

We are fat, we are sick, we are poor, we are incarcerated, we are overwhelmed, we are struggling, we are in crisis, we are angry. Before the global financial crisis, and aside from the global climate change crisis, we had a lot of big problems. So the question is, should we continue to put our heads together - researcher and activist, service provider and consumer, young and old - and try to systematically craft better policy? Or should we just take to the streets?

There is no saying we can't and shouldn't do both. Myles Horton, founder of the Highlander Research and Education Center, said that if you have set a goal that you believe can be reached in your life-time, you have set the wrong goal. A perfect world is not achievable, but it is imaginable. So what does that mean for those of us who want to see better policy in the here and now. It means we need a well-articulated vision of our ideal society, so that we can propose achievable changes that fit into that vision. It also means that we need to keep proposing change that seems impossible, because 1) it helps others to understand our vision, 2) it helps to change the discussion of the issue, and 3) hey, you never know, maybe the US is ready for a black president.