Local Government...

New topic: What should the DNC look like in the coming years?

http://www.alternet.org/story/20878/

Thats an excerpted interview with Howard Dean - some lessons from the battlefield as it were.

On a related note, local public radio here did a story about how MA voters turned out anywhere from 5% to 12% more than 4 years ago for this last "election". But there are more elections to come, which 'may have more of an impact on people's daily lives', to paraphrase the commentary.

I now have more of an ear for my mom's occasional rant n rave session, and have started to notice some things about small town living that just might cause one like myself to turn to more local politics as nexus for change. Things like real estate taxes skyrocketing (4-5k a year as a for instance), same story with the water bill (charging for air is not an 'if' but a 'when' in my opinion), etc etc. And if you feel like your blood pressure is too low, or you've caught the Pleasantville flu and believe your spot of green is the greenest in the state, tune in to public access tv and watch the local town meeting. Or better yet, pay a visit in person (stay tuned, I plan to do this and will report in detail - oughta be fun. y'all know how good i am about keeping my opinions to myself). The meetings I have had the pleasure of watching on tv, would be damned funny if it weren’t for the fact that it’s my tax dollars they’re throwing away.

Case in point: golf course. The town spent millions of dollars we don’t have to build a golf course – someone’s hair brained idea that we could draw in $ with it….umm, ok. That mighta worked actually – if it weren’t for the fact that a) there’s already a golf course in the town – granted owned by the college but open to the public as well and b) we have a sizable population…of older folks! We do not have a sizable population in total…small town means just that. One post office. Two fire stations manned by volunteers. A huge college smack dab in the middle which brings with it a quaint, overpriced shopping commons. And the remnants of a thriving paper industry. Essentially two very small towns in one: the college folks and their families and then the rest of the town. And not a whole lot of demand for golf to justify two courses. But…as the saying goes – the chickens have come home. And they demand to be fed.

But it’s late – so I’ll have to tell ya about the ineptitudes of the school department next. Ouch. No wonder I wanted to be a student forever – the real world sucks! LOL