What is the rightful role of government in shaping the future of our community?

6:30pm to 10:00pm, Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, Maine

What’s good about big government? What’s good about small government? 

Where should government be most active and where should government be hands off?

Comments at the Facebook Event Page also. Click here.

We all want a good future for our community, right? How much or how little should our City, State, and Federal governments shape that? Should government stay mostly out of the way and allow individual initiative to run free? Or should government play a large role in planning, supporting, and regulating a specific future?

What should be the role of government in Education? Healthcare? Environmental protection? Defense? Immigration policy?

At this Make Shift Coffee House we are not looking for agreement on answers to these questions, but we would like to hear YOUR point of view. What are YOUR answers to these questions and why do you feel the way you do?

What are your hopes and fears about the future of our community? What are your hopes and fears about the role of government?

Come tell your neighbors what you think. Come listen to what your neighbors think. Come have a coffee and a snack and hear some tunes.

Click here for an News Article in the Lewiston Sun Journal.

Sponsored by

Music by Hadithi Adan Abdula & Michael Krapovicky

Michael Krapovicky is a singer and songwriter… and also a multi-instrumentalist, member of multiple touring bands, recording engineer, mastering technician and producer. He has immersed himself in every facet of the music making process. This deep knowledge of “song” proves the cornerstone to well-structured tunes, an intuitive audience connection, and a sound in nearly any room that ranges from folksy, communal light-heartedness to rumbling mug-clashing conviviality. Michael has recorded three albums and is at work on a fourth with The Grumps, a touring band of which he is a member. Above all else, Michael Krapovicky is a full-time, dedicated musician; a man committed to creating a musical guidepost, something that will remain visible on the collective American sightline.

Hear Michael’s music here on ReverbNation and here on Facebook.

Here’s what Greg Boardman says about Hadithi: “I have been a great fan of Somali music since our refugees began pouring in, and soon met some musicians and began jamming and socializing and making friends. Hadithi is the musician I have been waiting for, one with great love of the old musical styles, who is poetic and compassionately tuned in to his world, in his native Afrika and throughout the planet.  A devout Muslim, he has a joyful tolerance of all deist and existential religions, races and classes, with a keen eye for deep shared spirituality evidenced in a certain way of living among human beings.  His life and his music appear full of these qualities.”

Hear Hadithi’s music here on Soundcloud and here on YouTube.

Format

Free food and live music starts at 6:30. We will begin with informal table discussions. Different tables will have different topics. Sit where you like. And then we will have a full group discussion. We will start by hearing a few people share their views about the role of government. We will ask questions of each other. As a full group we will explore a variety of perspectives on the role of government in a variety of arenas. Then we will end the full group discussion and go back to small groups and pairs. Have some more food. Enjoy some more music. Learn even more from your neighbors.

The Make Shift Coffee House will be moderated by Craig Freshley of Good Group Decisions. A professional meeting facilitator, Craig will manage a civil exchange of ideas as a neutral third party.

6:30 pm      Live Music. Coffee, tea, snacks. Small informal conversations.

7:30 pm      Full Group Conversation

9:00 pm      Live music. Coffee, tea, snacks. Small informal conversations.

10:00 pm    End

Click here to learn about the Make Shift Coffee House culture and why understanding each other is so useful.