O's Congressional Moment

[Tobina+1]

A lot of good opinions on this one.  I don't normally like to chime in on politics, but I'll make an exception this time because this has been festering in my mind lately...

I believe that "We the People" need to start from the bottom.  Dare I say, Grassroots efforts.  Meaning, let's start locally.  Stop complaining and start DOING.  Support your local businesses.  Keep our hard-earned money in our own hard-pressed communities.  Elect local positions based on not who is your neighbor and who is willing to run, but who will actually do the best job for the community. 
Then, take it a step higher; be willing to vote outside of party lines for state-elected positions and focus on how those people will represent your district/ area/ county's needs and interests...  Again, keep money in-state.  Support state organizations.  Vacation in Kansas.  Support other small towns who share the same hard-pressed lifestyle that we have.  If Batson's doesn't have it, shop Eureka or Sedan.  UNITE with other communities.  Have Home-Town-Pride, but don't let it get in the way of progress, either.  Have pride in all Home-Towns; when visiting other towns, eat locally, shop locally, stay locally. 
If making a choice between shopping locally and shopping discount, don't just compare the cost, but compare the benefit to the local economy.  Yes, you might be able to get X product for $1.00 cheaper at the big discount store, but do you know the check-out girl who is earning money for college?  Do you know that she sometimes splurges and spends her hard-earned money down at the local restaurant to eat with friends?  Do you know the waiter that waits on them is also earning money so he can buy new tires for his car at the tire shop across the street?  Do you know that the tire shop owner donates money to the local grade schools during their fundraisers?  And do you know that those kids (maybe YOUR kids or grandkids) are learning valuable lessons during fundraisers that help educate them and fund their education so that they can grow, get higher education, and return to their hometowns to be vets and pharmacists and bankers and restauranteers and tire shop owners?
The joy of living in a small town is that small actions do not go unnoticed.  Small amounts of support go a long way.  Let's re-build this great country the way our forefathers originally did... one small town at a time.

[flo]

Very good, Tobina, especially the "stop complaining and start doing" - that's right next to too many chiefs and not enough indians.  You don't support small towns, there soon won't be any small towns.

[redcliffsw]

Srkruzich-
I'm agreeing with you.  Also, just read this short & good one by Ron Paul entitled
"Stop Intervening in the Economy":

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul510.html

[Teresa]

The Obama coins, the Obama plates and now something for the rest of  us ..........