The Informed Citizen

In this compelling episode of The Informed Citizen, host Philip Lindholm sits down with Krist Novoselic, the co-founder of Nirvana, to explore how the same spirit that reshaped rock in the 1990s might help reshape American democracy today.When Nirvana released Nevermind, it disrupted a stagnant music industry and gave voice to a generation that felt ignored. Novoselic believes something similar is happening in politics right now. Voters feel unheard. The system feels closed. And the political center is disappearing. His response is not to complain, but to build.As the founder of the Cascade Party in Washington State, Novoselic is attempting to create a new path forward for voters who feel politically homeless. Drawing on decades of experience in both music and civic life, he offers a candid critique of a system driven by outrage, performance, and polarization. This is not a typical political conversation. It is a deeper exploration of culture, identity, and what it takes to disrupt a system that no longer reflects the people it serves.Episode Highlights• Why Krist Novoselic says modern politics feels like “ugly Hollywood”• The origin of his political activism in Washington State• What the Cascade Party stands for and why it rejects ideological extremes• The real consequences of one-party dominance and political polarization• Why voters across America increasingly feel politically homeless• How third parties can influence major elections even without winning• The role of outrage, anxiety, and performance in today’s political system• The surprising story behind his brief presidential candidacy• The connection between authenticity in music and authenticity in politics• What it means to create a “new political sound” in AmericaWhy This Episode MattersThis episode goes beyond politics as usual. Krist Novoselic brings a rare perspective shaped by global cultural influence and grassroots political experience. He understands what it means to break through noise and speak to something real. In the same way Nirvana offered an alternative to what felt artificial and overproduced, Novoselic believes voters today are searching for something more honest, more grounded, and more connected to real life. The question is whether a new political movement can do what Nirvana once did in music. Disrupt the status quo and create something people actually believe in.Listen and SubscribeSpotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-informed-citizenApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-citizen/id1738680188YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdscEVf-gjkiNh9YK-0yYiTZN7usLZ4CRConnect with UsWebsite: https://theinformedcitizen.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drphiliplindholm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drphiliplindholmCreditsProduced by Philip LindholmMusic: “This Party Bussin” by Sound and VisionThis podcast is for informational purposes only and is not professional advice.

The Informed Citizen is taking the stage on March 28th, and you're invited!This one-of-a-kind event will blend live performance with an interactive panel discussion as we explore together the root causes and possible solutions to the homelessness crisis. You will hear from people with lived experience, advocates delivering critical services, elected officials shaping policy, and professionals in treatment and law enforcement who see these issues every single day.Featured guests include:• Yasmin Trudeau, Senator• Paul Herrera, Pierce County Council Vice-Chair• Ginny Burton, O-UT (Lived Experience)• Art Dahlen, Battlefield Addiction (Treatment)• Mary Robnett, Pierce County Prosecutor• Patti Jackson, Tacoma Police Chief• Duke Paulson, Tacoma Rescue Mission (Adult Shelter)• Bryce Clark, Coffee Oasis (Youth Shelter) I will be your moderator and I can't wait to see you. Tickets are $10 in advance, or $15 at the door. Buy yours now at www.theinformedcitizen.com

Drawing on more than a decade in local and county government, Marty Campbell offers rare insight into how policy is actually made and a truth hiding in plain sight: While politics grows louder and more polarized, there is still far more common ground than we are led to believe. We just don’t talk about it.As media rewards outrage and division, Campbell argues that the real danger facing democracy is not disagreement. It is the disappearance of the shared civic space where reasonable people once met, learned, and governed together.🔍 Episode Highlights📰 The quiet collapse of trusted mediaCampbell explains how the loss of fair and impartial local journalism has stripped communities of a shared set of facts, leaving citizens divided not just by opinion but by reality itself.⚖️ Tribal politics and fractured identityFrom left to right and everywhere in between, American politics has splintered into factions that talk past one another. Campbell explores why this makes governing harder and trust rarer.🏛️ What government is meant to doIs government supposed to judge morality or make life work better for everyone? This episode explores a vision of governance focused on removing barriers, expanding opportunity, and treating people fairly.🧠 Equity, equality, and opportunityWhy treating everyone the same does not always lead to fairness and how thoughtful policy can level the field without erasing responsibility.🚌 Big ideas grounded in realityFrom free transit to childcare and education, Campbell does not reject ambitious ideas but insists they must be tested honestly, locally, and pragmatically.🗳️ Why debates feel emptyScripted talking points, avoided forums, and soundbite politics have replaced real dialogue. The result is voter frustration and growing disengagement.🏠 Raising informed citizensOne of the episode’s most hopeful moments centers on families voting together, modeling civic engagement, and teaching children that democracy begins at the kitchen table.🤝 The common ground nobody talks aboutRoads, safety, opportunity, dignity, fairness. These shared values still exist, but they do not drive clicks. This episode asks what happens when agreement becomes invisible.This episode offers something increasingly rare. Hope grounded in realism.Subscribe, share, and keep the conversation going, because democracy depends on the common ground we choose to stand on together.Listen & SubscribeSpotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-informed-citizenApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-citizen/id1738680188Watch the Full VideoYouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdscEVf-gjkiNh9YK-0yYiTZN7usLZ4CRConnect with UsWebsite: https://theinformedcitizen.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drphiliplindholm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drphiliplindholmCreditsProduced by The Informed CitizenMusic: “This Party Bussin” by Sound and VisionThis podcast is for informational purposes only and not professional advice.

In this revealing episode of The Informed Citizen, host Dr. Philip Lindholm sits down with former Pierce County Executive & Prosecutor John Ladenburg to uncover the untold truth behind the Puyallup Land Claims Settlement, the messy politics of tribal-government relations, and why most elected officials still do not understand what a tribal government is.From forced treaties to billion-dollar negotiations, from shellfish rights to sovereign rule, this conversation cuts through myth and misunderstanding to reveal a story every resident of the Pacific Northwest should know.Episode Highlights• Why the 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty sparked a war• The moment the Puyallup Tribe declared war on Tacoma• The Port of Tacoma land dispute and billions of dollars at stake• How tribal sovereignty actually works inside the United States• What local leaders misunderstand most about tribal nations• How the land settlement became a national model for cooperation• Why education is the key to stronger tribal–government partnerships Listen and subscribe to the podcast:• Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-informed-citizen• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-citizen/id1738680188Connect with us:• The Informed Citizen Website: https://theinformedcitizen.com/• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drphiliplindholm/• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drphiliplindholm • YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdscEVf-gjkiNh9YK-0yYiTZN7usLZ4CR Credits:• Music: Sound and Vision, “This Party Bussin”This podcast is for informational purposes only and not professional advice.

In this powerful episode of The Informed Citizen, Dr. Philip Lindholm sits down with Pierce County Prosecutor Mary Robnett. Robnett is the county’s top legal officer and the first woman ever elected to the position. She gives a behind-the-scenes perspective on the state of justice in America today. From skyrocketing property crime and the fentanyl crisis, to juvenile violence and eroding public trust, Robnett opens up about the hardest questions facing prosecutors everywhere: Are we still a nation guided by the rule of law? Can justice survive in an age of division, doubt, and distrust?Robnett, who has spent more than three decades in the courtroom handling everything from homicides to human trafficking, shares an unfiltered look inside the criminal justice system where real decisions have life-or-death consequences. She talks about prosecuting in a time when some see law enforcement as heroes, others as oppressors, and nearly everyone feels that something in the system is broken. Her honesty cuts through politics and ideology to expose the real struggle: how to keep communities safe while upholding fairness, compassion, and the Constitution itself.Episode Highlights• What a county prosecutor really does and why it matters• How public trust in law enforcement and the courts eroded, and how to rebuild it• The truth about rising violent crime and the limits of reform• Why victims, business owners, and citizens are losing faith in justice — and how to change that• The hidden epidemic of human trafficking in Pierce County• Why juvenile gun violence keeps Mary Robnett up at night• The debate over diversion courts, addiction, and mental health reform• What laws Robnett believes must change to protect children from fentanyl exposure• How prosecutors walk the moral line between punishment and rehabilitation• What gives her hope for the future of justice in AmericaListen & SubscribeSpotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-informed-citizenApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-citizen/id1738680188Watch the Full VideoYouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdscEVf-gjkiNh9YK-0yYiTZN7usLZ4CRConnect with UsWebsite: https://theinformedcitizen.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drphiliplindholm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drphiliplindholmCreditsProduced by The Informed CitizenMusic: “This Party Bussin” by Sound and VisionThis podcast is for informational purposes only and not professional advice.