Issue 1.16
I hesitate to call for New Year’s Resolutions of any kind since I know how well I keep the ones I have tried, but these are simple ones that can make a difference. They are simple because they don’t involve the way you eat or exercise every day, but just focus on a few things that you can do a few times to change your understanding and ability to create change for the better. They are suggestions from which you can choose or use as a springboard for some family conversations about how to be more involved and know more about local, state and national government. Here are the ideas I have had so far.
Read the U.S. Constitution. It only takes about 30 minutes. You will want to read it again and again to understand it in depth, but even reading it once will give you perspective and help you understand the way government is supposed to work.
Write down the names, emails and phone numbers of your representatives so you can contact them. I would include the mayor, city council, county officers, state representatives (Senate and House) and your federal representatives (Senate and House). Don’t pester them and become a crank, but do let them know when you care about an issue or feel they are not representing you well. Get to know your council people and representatives personally outside of the political realm. It can make a difference when it comes to making your thoughts heard and considered. Attend a city council meeting (or two or three) just to see how decisions are made and if they allow citizen input as part of the process.
Inform yourself well on a current political process or event. Read something from different sources that disagree with each other and then do your own research to find where the truth is. Find out what special interests are weighing in on the matter and why. As the old saying goes – “Follow the money”. Read political history and thought – and be sure to include the ideas of people you disagree with. You might learn something, but you will definitely learn to evaluate instead of just follow along with a popular voice. If you read something from a conservative personality, take time to read an opposing view. The same if you read a liberal viewpoint.
Develop a reading list of things you want to learn about. I have read current things by everyone from Sarah Palin to Barak Obama. I make it a point to read at least one or two things a year that I know I won’t agree with because it makes me think and reconsider some things and sometimes is good for a laugh or two. More often, it teaches me how the people I disagree with think so I can better counter their ideas in debates. Knowing history can be a better diagnosis for the present and future than just about anything else you can do. Some of the important historical books that have taught me a few things include; The Making of America by Skousen; The Real Thomas Jefferson, The Real Benjamin Franklin and The Real George Washington and others in that series; Common Sense by Payne and other pamphlets and booklets centered on the Revolutionary War period. Reading some of the writings of those who opposed Abraham Lincoln’s decisions before and during the Civil War have given me a much broader understanding of the concepts that created that conflict and how they are still threatening our freedoms today.
Serve as a volunteer on a planning board, citizen’s committee or local event. You can learn a lot about how your town works by helping with a celebration, service opportunity or problem solving group.
Vote! – But even more important, inform yourself as well as you can before you vote. Don’t go into the voting booth with no idea who the candidates are or what the other items on the ballot consist of. Take the time to read about, visit with (when possible) and ask questions of those who are running. An uninformed vote is worse than not voting because you might actually be contributing to negative outcomes without even knowing it. At the very least, get involved in some way and make a difference. At best, help your candidate win.
Lynn West is a thinker, a teacher and a patriot. You can reach him through email at forgingthefuture2021@gmail.com or through this newspaper. Liberty is a state of being which must be continually created. These articles can help all of us discover the ways we can contribute to that outcome.