[Winona Online Democracy]
>
>So why do you think people don't attend city council meetings or take much
>of an interest in local elections? Are there ways to improve this
>situation?
----------
Yes, it was a great article by Mr. Selleck about pedestrian rights.
Steve Kranz asked a good question about low attendance at local government
meetings.
I always try to encourage my students to resist the temptation to look for
simple answers to complex problems so I want to be careful about offering a
"simple" solution myself.
I believe one of the major reasons is that we live in a representative and
not a participatory "democracy". We are turned into spectators who are
viewing others having all the fun. I believe this leads to a possible
danger of large numbers of us becoming civic couch potatoes.
If we remember what democracy was originally like in Ancient Athens, we
would see a participatory form of democratic government very different than
our watered down and dilluted version.
Is an active, "hands-on" government of, by, and for the people possible today?
I would reply "yes" but it would require us to think outside of many boxes
and to dream a little bit.
What do you all think?
Dwayne
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