Governance and Owning It

The actual activity of moving for me is work and rest, work and rest. While at rest and with my blog copy up to date, I sit in my recliner to rest. While there, I either nap or watch documentaries on TV. I rarely watch the news these days. Just quick updates on the big stories and items of specific interest. This practice has been my routine for at least 2 years.

News gathering remains important to me, however, I accomplish this by internet reading several news sources and their bonafide reference sites. I know who to trust and who will percolate differing opinions and facts.

The move and rest cycle allows me plenty of time to think on current events. I have long been a student of American governance. This covers national government as well as local taxing agencies. It is the local units of government that tell the richer story; that is where the details of life and management reside. Moving up the ladder to larger regions of governance, we eventually reach the federal level.

Ignoring local governance is a huge mistake. The national temper is a microcosm of all the other levels of government. That is where the wheels meet the road, plain and simple. It is where we gain insight to what government is all about and why it exists. The federal authority caps the system and generally articulates the political philosophies of our 335 million citizens. Yes, financial resources are involved, but remember local government uses local resources and taxes to foot the bill. Fed dollars help and often are the key to success for special needs, but in the main, locals pay their own bills.

So, as I work and rest, I ponder a lot. Current opinion? A total, shuddering disaster fully predictable. Also, the solution: massive, continual court action. Sue the bastards introducing chaos to our system of governance. Whatever is wrong needs to be solved together in acts of compromise and accurate, articulated values.

People often state, “But what can I do?”  The answer is: read, think, discuss with others, and fight for your values at all levels. I write this blog. Once I edited a local newspaper for 8 years, all volunteer work. I got involved in local businesses via the Chamber of Commerce. I learned about current issues and municipal government and then was elected to the city council. Off the council, I was appointed and then elected to the Park District for 7 years. I served on our HOA board for 18 years for 321 townhome units in our community. Simply put, I got involved. That taught me most of what I needed to know.

I worked for the University of Illinois for 15 years. I worked and learned how this vast institution serves the people of Illinois as well as developing enormous potential of each student. Alone, the institution’s research earns its keep benefiting our social order in surprising ways improving the lives of current and future generations. Getting involved in this work expanded my understanding of what it means to be an American and making good things happen.

Fifty-five years in the credit union industry taught me more about entrepreneurialism, small businesses, and nonprofit operations. I worked mostly as a volunteer for the first 20 years, then was made CEO of a credit union for 2 years, then became a consultant for credit union trade associations. That’s when I gained most of my experience and expertise in strategic planning.

In short, getting involved and learning about the real world in action has made me knowledgeable about our current national affairs. I intend to use that knowledge to defeat the treasonous activities of the Trump administration. You can do the same. But it starts with getting involved.

January 31, 2025

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more