One of the benefits as well as drawbacks of living close to the nation’s capital is I get to witness national politics at play up close but meanwhile remain frustrated by a lack of resolution on local concerns such as traffic congestion, low student test score, and deteriorating community infrastructure.
As the saying goes, all politics are local. Unfortunately that is also where things often get bogged down. So what happened? Is it the trickle down funding, special interest lobbying, or something else at fault? I believe a main reason is the lack of grassroots participations.
You see, solely relying on elected officials to get things fixed is a sure way to get disappointed. And waiting until the elections to vote the ‘bums’ out is not much better as political party apparatus maintains a lock on the process.
To overcome these structural problems, I recommend community organizing and activism. By exerting their rights, average citizens can hold the balance of power, demand specific targeted action, and exercise democracy in earnest.
What remedy do you think will overcome the bottleneck and achieve progress?
Running with Buddha 