America’s Hometown Heroes
Why do they do it? These people who battle for sanity in the schools, who take on city hall, who recruit people to run for office, who challenge laws in court, who launch voter initiatives for reform.
People like 95-year old Dorothy English. She’s battled for decades against local land-use regulators in Oregon for the simple right to give some of her land to her children. People like Dianna Pharr, a Texas mother taking on an unethical school district. Folks like Bryan Ault, who launched the recent online petition against Virginia’s new, draconian mega-taxes slapped on certain traffic offenses.
These citizens who stand up risk attack and reprisal from the powerful and the well-connected. They incur bills. They work doing politics on some weekends when they could be playing golf. They sometimes make financial contributions they later have to explain to sometimes skeptical spouses.
I work full time in politics and public policy. It doesn’t leave me a lot of extra time. Yet, the local leaders I know never cease to amaze me with how much they accomplish in addition to their real jobs.
Why do they do it? They believe in right and wrong. And they know that if they don’t stand up for what’s right, even when it’s inconvenient, that right will not prevail. Most importantly, our right as citizens to control our government. Rather than the other way around.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
