Isms: Views on life in rural America

Multiple times a month, never fail, I listen to friends, neighbors, acquaintances, etc., opine about government operations, from the local to federal level.

After I listen to their concerns, my first questions to them are simple. What steps are or have you taken to make your voice heard? Or, have you attended a meeting and shared your thoughts?

The questions are usually met with silence.

Don’t say you’ve attended a fill-in-the-name-of-a-government-body meeting. At most local meetings, I’m the lone audience member. Honestly, meetings at the local level are one of the first places to begin if yo...