Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

Paul Ryan and The Way Forward for America

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Review by Steve Parkhurst

Paul Ryan The Way Forward

Congressman Paul Ryan’s first book hit the market back in August. The Way Forward: Renewing the American Idea, on its face, the name may not mean much. Inside, there is much to be learned and even more to be explored. This book is a serious, important work. By a serious, consequential leader.

First, a note: I can’t hide my admiration for Paul Ryan. In fact, Google his name and mine, and you will see the lavish praise I have heaped on him over the years. I think Paul Ryan is the right man at the right time, and this book has helped me solidify that thought. I wanted to guard against fanboy-like admiration for Paul Ryan, and so I held back my review for a couple of months.

I wanted to see what others would say about the book, which allowed me a sort of distance from the instant review I could have written. I wanted to see if others read what I read. I was somewhat surprised at what I saw in that period. Interesting voices from the Left, were kind to the book. Put your RINO attacks back in the holster. That’s not the reason for the kind book words toward Ryan. The kind words stem from real solutions put forward by a serious man who did legitimate research, interviewing and witnessing.

As it turned out, my review is the same regardless of whether it was written two months ago, or today.

As mentioned earlier, I am an admirer of Congressman Ryan. I wanted to read The Way Forward to see what new things I would learn and to see what really drives this man, this leader. On that score, I was not disappointed.

That begins by understanding what “the American idea” really means, what it really is, it is after all, mentioned in the subtitle of the book. Ryan lays this out consistently and frequently: “The American Idea is a way of life made possible by our commitment to the principles of freedom and equality – and rooted in our respect for every person’s natural rights.”

From that premise, the journey begins to unfold and The Way Forward becomes real.

When Paul Ryan got to Washington DC as a young man, he ended up working for and with Jack Kemp, at Empower America. This was the type of a relationship from which a great history springs forth.

In 1992, while Jack Kemp was HUD secretary, he made a trip to Los Angeles in the wake of the Rodney King riots. Ryan recounts this Kemp response to a reporter’s question about making home ownership possible to people with no money.

“Well,” Jack replied, “the way to get money and capital and credit into the inner cities of America and the barrios and ghettos of America is to do something radically different than just transferring wealth through government bureaucracies. It is to empower people directly.”

In one short answer, Jack conveyed the power of the American Idea—and the hard limits of liberal progressivism.

Much of the value of The Way Forward as a book or as a policy prescription, and of Paul Ryan as a leader, can be found in Chapter 7, A Virtuous, Not Vicious, Cycle. I would suggest to you, that if you were only going to read one chapter of the book, read Chapter 7.

Chapter 7 is where we are introduced to Bob Woodson, founder of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. It is where we are introduced to Paul Grodell in Cleveland. It is where we are introduced to Outcry in the Barrio and Jubal Garcia in San Antonio. It is where we are introduced to Bishop Shirley Holloway and her House of Help City of Hope, and to Bob Cote and his Step 13.

I have been to Outcry in the Barrio, I have witnessed what Paul Ryan witnessed. As Ryan conveys his thoughts about a ministry like Outcry, and he displays his belief and understanding that the healing being done in such a place is real, having seen that for myself, I have to believe that every one of the places Ryan has mentioned is not only true, but it is the way. When Ryan says he saw a man named “Tony” who had just arrived at Outcry that morning, I’ve been there, I’ve seen that. I have recounted my first visit to Outcry where I saw two men who had arrived that morning.

What Ryan is seeing and saying is real.

These people and each of their operations, or ministries, are examples of what good people can do when they see a need, or a void, and they go after the solution. These neighborhood healers, each in his or her own part of the country operate as the “little platoons” that Edmund Burke once described.

Chapter 7 is where we are re-introduced to Alexis de Tocqueville, and his poignant observation:

“Americans of all ages, all stations in life, and all types of dispositions are forever forming associations. There are not only commercial and industrial associations in which all take part, but others of a thousand different types – religious, moral, serious, futile, very general and very limited, immediately large and very minute. Americans combine to give fetes, found seminaries, build churches, distribute books, and send missionaries to the antipodes. Hospitals, prisons, and schools take shape that way.”

Ryan writes:

Robert Putnam noted that “American history carefully examined is a story of ups and downs in civic engagement, not just downs-a story of collapse and of renewal. Putnam doesn’t believe that just because civic engagement is waning it will forever be receding. He thinks we can rebuild civil society and get the engines of social capital going again.

Ryan goes through a policy prescription where he suggests some ideas, reforms and solutions to many issues of the day. Ryan offers, “Truly helping those in need means recapturing a sense of the dignity of work.” Then he sums up his policy prescription this way:

The point of reforms like these is not to suggest that government has no role in combating poverty, or that some ideal of pure volunteerism can replace the need foe concrete assistance to the Americans in greatest need. The idea, rather, is to get government pulling in the same direction as the grassroots groups that our citizens run-and the way to do that is to infuse the welfare system with the same incentives, priorities, structure, and accountability that are at work in our communities.

Right on!

Ryan concludes the chapter with three compelling paragraphs, which include these thoughts:

Today we’re trapped in a vicious cycle. Too many people are stuck in the poverty trap. Our communities are isolated from one another economically and culturally. We’re seeing stagnation and unemployment, little opportunity for upward mobility and low labor force participation rates. And one of our key assets for turning things around-the associations and institutions that make up our civil society-is being eroded by government overreach rather than reinforced.”

Americans are a generous people. We care about our neighbors when they are in need. But it’s time to start measuring our compassion not by how much we’re spending, but by our results.

My goal is to turn our welfare programs into a bridge instead of a trap, restoring the prospect of upward mobility. Doing so is not just the smart thing economically; it is the right course for a good-hearted country.

Throughout The Way Forward, you can’t help but identify and relate to Ryan’s optimism. For as bad as things got and for as bad as things can be on occasion, Ryan is an optimist until the end. Maybe Paul Ryan was always an optimist. We know Ronald Reagan was an optimist. And Jack Kemp could have distilled his eternal optimism into Ryan during those Empower America days. Optimists reign in the universe of opportunity and prosperity, growth and achievement, freedom and liberty. Our modern day econo-optimists like Larry Kudlow, Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore, they never stop believing that the right people, the right ideas, the right policies, are all within our grasp. But in order to grasp those things, you have to reach out your hand.

Whether Ryan learned to be an optimist or was just born with the gift, maybe he’ll mention that in his next book. For now, I’m more interested in his understanding (and warning) of our moment in time, both as a movement and as a party:

We need to get back to our message of opportunity, upward mobility, and economic growth, the American Idea, and its promise for everyone. We need to make the case for greater freedom instead of ceding personal choices or responsibilities to the state. We need to emphasize the dignity of work and the primacy of civic institutions. And we need to explain how that vision is relevant and meaningful for every person-no matter their color, creed, occupation, or station in life.

For the Republican Party, this is a matter of political necessity. Preaching to the choir isn’t working, and by the way, the choir is shrinking. But, for me, it’s about a lot more than that. It’s about our common humanity, and the duties we owe to one another. I am inspired by Jack Kemp’s example that we shouldn’t isolate people; we Republicans should include them. That’s the only way those same people, when they vote, will start to include us.

Paul Ryan is not simply saying these things, he is living them out as well. Paul Ryan is looking at problems like poverty, addiction and homelessness and addressing issues Republicans rarely want to touch. As the old baseball axiom goes, “you can’t hit a homerun if you never swing the bat.”

Paul Ryan is proving himself to be a leader for our times, for this moment and for this movement.

I wanted to end this review with the paragraph that Paul Ryan ends the book with, mimicking Ronald Reagan’s farewell address in 1989:

This will not be easy. At times, it will certainly be messy. But when all is said and done, I want to be able to say, “It was tough, but we did our part. It’s what my parents did for me, and when our moment came, it’s what my generation did for you. And that’s why the American dream lives on.”

But I feel the need to return to the night Jack Kemp accepted the 1996 Vice-Presidential nomination in San Diego (this is not mentioned in the book). In that speech, Kemp extolled this truism, worth remembering as you read Ryan’s book:

The purpose of a truly great party is to provide superior ideas, principled leadership and a compelling cause.

Paul Ryan has provided you, provided us, The Way Forward.

Up Close and Personal: A Return to Outcry in the Barrio

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Outcry in the Barrio

After a visit to Outcry in the Barrio in April, a return visit has increased the understanding of what this ministry is doing.

By Steve Parkhurst

It is summer time in San Antonio. Mid-July, the 15th to be exact. The temperature approaches 100 degrees. It is a Texas summer day to be sure.

Pastor Roman Herrera, instead of sitting inside enjoying lemonade and air conditioning, is instead working his way through alleyways.

Pastor Roman is not homeless, he’s not looking for a meal, or a place to sleep in these alleys. Instead, he is looking for people. People he can possibly save. He is looking for people passed out or hung-over. He is finding people in such condition. People laying on cement paved alleys, with dirt, leaves and other debris as their only cushion. This just happens to be where they laid down the last time they laid down, or fell down.

Pastor Roman kneels next to these people, who in some cases won’t know he’s even there. One at a time, as he finds them. He might lay a hand on their chest or leg, then he will pray for them. He will offer them a chance to be saved. He offers them a place to go where once they accept that their lives are not being lived according to scripture, they can begin anew. He does not promise a new life. He promises a chance to find forgiveness through acceptance in Christ.

I can ask myself without hesitation, “what have I done this important this year?” and I can quickly, with humility and maybe a little shame, respond “nothing.”

And I don’t write this to shame people. I write this to point out the positive things being done, that arose from a married couple over 40 years ago who opened their home to the very first addict and there began a ministry that has changed the world. Freddie and Ninfa Garcia did this. Their work back in those days is still alive today.

Outcry in the Barrio is the ministry doing this work, leading the way to what looks like a renaissance. Pastor Roman and his wife Alma, they lead the way at the home that houses those in recovery and ministry at Outcry. Their love, caring and devotion is apparent when you talk with them, whether for thirty seconds or ninety minutes.

I was recently afforded the privilege to attend and witness the Outcry in the Barrio International Conference. Pastors gather to share stories about their work and ministries from wherever they traveled, be it Dallas or Peru.

One evening, I enter the performing arts complex where the evening session begins in about an hour. A gentleman approaches me to welcome me, he is a greeter. We shake hands and he asks me about my day. I ask about his day. We start talking. This gentleman is clean cut, wearing a nice shirt which is tucked in. He has tattoos, but I was not judging. I asked him about his relation to Outcry. The next 3 or 4 minutes contain an amazing story of drugs, jail, alcohol, crime, prison, and then, Outcry and Jesus.

I asked questions. He answered them. He’s been clean for nine years now. He has a day job and a family. I noticed at one point, he was constantly smiling, or at least, he was never frowning or looking down. He only spoke of his past because I asked about it, he has his sights set on scripture and the future. He has a personal vision, something that is very important to those who listen to and accept the teachings at Outcry.

His was not the only story. Other stories stretch back further than nine years. Most of these people know the date that things changed for them, and they share it proudly.

Outcry long ago began to reach beyond the limits of San Antonio’s west side. The presence in Texas is strong, but the international reach is certainly being felt as well.

As these leaders gathered for a sort of “iron sharpens iron” week of sharing and fellowship, we heard stories of struggle leading to acceptance; of sin leading to salvation. There are too many stories to write about here, but every story was full of humanity and hope. Each person I spoke with only inspired me to do more.

When I wrote about my Outcry visit this past April, I wrote about the fact that Robert Woodson, the founder of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise had introduced and escorted Congressman Paul Ryan to Outcry in the Barrio this past January. One day during this week long conference, Congressman Ryan was in Washington D.C. at the American Enterprise Institute presenting his new findings on and solutions for poverty in America. Sitting to Congressman Ryan’s immediate right, was Robert Woodson. Was I being told something here?

Maybe so. This was too coincidental.

On politics for another moment, Congressman Ryan’s proposed solutions deserve consideration. They’re a conversation starter, and not a final plan to be voted upon by Congress anytime soon. The ideas of consolidating redundancies and granting states the power to develop ideas of their own to get people out of programs and into lives of meaning, that is a compelling cause which Jack Kemp would have loved, and then he would have fought for it.

Outcry in the Barrio is a great example of a “program” that throws convention to the wind and gets results their way. Outcry, for over forty years, has tried and tested its way to success. And when they need to, they can adjust what needs adjusting.

As a witness to this ministry, and my time observing Outcry is a mere drop in the bucket compared to their forty-plus years in operation, what they do is awe-inspiring. I’m often at a loss for words when I try to explain what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard. There are some incredible men and women in charge of things there. None of them will take credit either, it’s not about them, just as it’s not about me. It’s about faith in God and a desire to reach their vision of spreading the word to anyone who will listen.

I want to ask you, I won’t say the word “challenge” but I will ask you, to find the Outcry in your area. It may go by another name and do other work. But please get in there and help them. Help does not always mean going in with money or supplies, it can be in the form of ministering with and praying with those in need of saving, helping them find their way to their calling, helping them find their direction.

Pastor Jubal Garcia, the youngest son of Freddie and Ninfa, and the current director of Outcry in the Barrio, has global plans for Outcry. The conference in July was called Planet Shakers for a reason. As this national and international growth occurs, many hands, many minds and many hearts will be needed in various communities to assist these efforts. We can all play a role.

As I stated before, this is the stuff that leads to a renaissance.

Days after Pastor Roman is in back alleys spreading the Word and showing people how they can save themselves, I am in the room when he preaches a sermon to the conference attendees. He avoids the lectern and in fact, at points he gets off the elevated stage to stand in the midst of the people to whom he is preaching. To listen to this man is to find someone that feels something for human beings that is beyond words. He is a true embodiment of the work happening at Outcry and the people there.

I’ll begin to conclude with this. Ninfa Garcia, on the first night of the conference was on stage addressing the audience and she made the statement regarding her late husband, “Freddie was a soul winner.” That line struck me as powerful. It struck me as courageous. It also struck me as true. The course of the week long conference proved this to be true, and then some.

I wrote about my first visit to Outcry in the Barrio back in April. I realize now that I missed a lot on that visit. In other cases, I found out that things I observed once, repeat themselves as they should.

Somewhere, I am as sure as a mere mortal can be, Freddie Garcia is smiling down on his work, on his creation. In founding Outcry in the Barrio, he did what he did as a higher calling, let’s not confuse that. But every day, every life saved and every life turned over to following God’s vision is another feather in the cap for Freddie, the soul winner.

Outcry In The Barrio, Neighborhood Healers and a San Antonio Visit

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The healing taking place at Outcry In The Barrio is a sight to behold.

By Steve Parkhurst

On a pleasant spring day in west San Antonio, just off a main road, there rests a place that from the street might appear deserted.

Inside, this place is anything but deserted. It is full of life and spirit. In some cases, the life and the spirit are renewing.

What’s taking place on the premises here is something of a renaissance, and nothing short of a miracle.

I am at Outcry In The Barrio ministry this spring day.

This ministry, founded by Freddie Garcia, a heroin addict turned minister, turned modern day savior, founded Outcry when he was recovering from a tragic life, full of bad experiences, poor judgment and most importantly, sin.

Being from San Antonio, I had heard about Outcry and I had seen their acolytes distributing literature throughout the years at shopping center parking lots or at various intersections. Freddie and Ninfa’s (his wife) book Outcry In The Barrio is very well known and very distinguishable in San Antonio.

I was introduced to Outcry and Freddie Garcia in a new sense, by Robert Woodson in his book The Triumphs of Joseph: How Today’s Community Healers Are Reviving Our Streets and Neighborhoods. Woodson spent the better part of a chapter describing how Freddie Garcia was at the lowest point in his life when he found a way to turn his life around, and in turn, turned around the lives of untold numbers of souls.

Then, in early 2014, on a visit to San Antonio, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan visited Outcry, along with Robert Woodson so that the Congressman could see firsthand how a faith-based, results driven organization that does not rely on the government for funding could be doing so well for so long.

Congressman Ryan is touring the country, in most cases with Robert Woodson, looking for answers to the poverty problem as the country looks back at the last 50 years of the “war on poverty.” And since his visit, Congressman Ryan is mentioning Outcry specifically. And now, having been there myself, I can understand why.

While others are content to spend more and accept lesser results, Paul Ryan is looking at the alternatives where the results are great, the spending is less and the empowerment of local leaders in increased.

Congressman Ryan deserves credit, and a following, for doing this work. For going to places like Outcry, free of media attention, just to listen to leaders talk about what works, and why. Ryan does not want credit though, to listen to him and to watch him speak on the topics of poverty and addiction is to understand that he wants to find a way to help those who really need help.

It is up to the rest of us to engage locally and find our own Outcry’s and do what we can to help. By doing this, we show strength in numbers when people are saved by a legitimate program, rather than just being lumped into a group of government statistics where the number of people in recovery programs is more important than the number of people cured or saved.

History ties loose ends together in this story, in a “circle of life” sort of way. Robert Woodson worked with the late Jack Kemp while Kemp was at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A young Paul Ryan went to Washington D.C. and got a job writing speeches and studying policy for Jack Kemp at Empower America. The work has continued. The rest is history.

Today, Pastor Freddie has been gone for nearly five years, yet his legacy continues to grow in the ministry that he built from the ground up, as souls are saved and communities are changed.

It does not take long during a visit to Outcry to feel the power of what is taking place.

On the day of my visit two new addicts are in their first few hours of recovery. One gentleman, deciding he had sinned long enough, has checked-in to give up on heroin use. He is sleeping, but he has a prayer partner waiting by him to help him when he wakes up. That help could be in the form of a drink of water, or it could be in the form of prayer, or even just a sweet treat, as addicts crave sweets when they stop using.

A few beds away, another gentleman, also in his first hour of recovery and hope for a new life, is shaking in his bed, having just given up on his addiction to alcohol earlier in the day.

I witness prayers for each of these, and to an extent I even prayed with them. This however, is not your typical prayer. Several individuals, most of them having been in this same situation at some point in their lives, move toward the men one at a time and they gather around, and each person starts praying out loud, their own prayer. Not rehearsed. Not a form prayer. It is a prayer for that individual, and it’s a prayer that comes from the heart, at that moment.

We move outside to a semi-covered patio lined with chairs, and a gentleman standing at the front of a group of 50-60 men and women in recovery. This is a session which looks like a sermon, but it is longer than any sermon any of us has sat through in our lives, not that anyone is complaining.

Eventually, I am asked to say a few words to the group and I am handed a microphone. This was a spur of the moment thing, when I arrived hours earlier, I did not know I would be doing this. I didn’t speak for more than a minute. I was standing before a group of 50-60 people, of which about 80-85{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} were in their first 30 days of recovery, with the rest being closer to 90 days in recovery. It did not dawn on me at the time, but I wondered later, just how many of those people might have been in jail – just earlier this year? How many might have awoken from their last high – just in the past two months?

What could I say to this crowd that they might care about?

I talked about the internal community at Outcry, the people all around that facility, the way every person there was rooting for and looking out for these individuals. How on the really tough days, when it seems easy to give in and go back to getting high or drunk, there is a group of people to lean on and confide in, and pray with.

I am not delusional enough to think I changed anyone’s life. For all I know, I stated obvious truths and I was forgotten by the end of the day.

In the end, this was not about me. It was about a ministry, with a success rate better than any government recovery program can aspire to, doing what seems like impossible work.

It was about neighborhood healers, first Freddie Garcia, then current leaders Roman and Alma Herrera, and every leader at Outcry who has ever stood or sat in front of a person who could be down to his or her last breath, his or her last moment, and simply said a prayer and led that lost soul first to acceptance and then to a safe place where healing begins.

This is the stuff that leads to a renaissance.

Outcry in the Barrio