News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
It’s easy to sit on the couch, thumb the remote control and complain about the way “they” are running the state, the city, the country, the schools.
Sure, big money, special interests and slick lobbyists have way too much influence on our government. It’s easy to think that the people we send to Salem and Washington aren’t listening to people like you and me.
We won’t change that by staying home and complaining.
The only way we can take back control of our own government is to show up and be heard.
That’s why it was gratifying to see more than 40 people show up for a Town Hall meeting on Saturday with State Sen. Ben Westlund and Reps. Gene Whisnant and Chuck Burley.
Sisters folks from all walks of life — and a range of political persuasions — showed up. Many asked questions or offered comments on topics ranging from land use law to studded tires, from civil rights for gays and lesbians to tax reform.
Some just listened.
No great policy shift or revolutionary political movement will grow out of a little gathering in Sisters on a Saturday evening. But our local representatives went away knowing that people in Sisters know about the issues, care about outcomes and are holding them accountable for their actions.
Westlund, Whisnant and Burley can expect to see some of those Sisters folks again in Salem, testifying on the issues that matter to them.
We all had other things to do at 5 p.m. on a Saturday evening. But some 40 folks thought that an act of citizenship was more important.
Hats off to them.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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