This is what you get when people are ready to get their own hands dirty instead of kicking responsibility up a level. In many parts of the country, local government is like those Pacific island cargo cults: perform the right rituals and money will rain down from above. I don't know the details, but I'm willing to bet that Vermont's rapid recovery from Tropical Storm Irene had more to do with hands-on govt. than appeals to Washington DC, whereas Louisiana, that bastion of good governance, suffers the after effects of Katrina to this day.
1
This may all work very nicely in a tiny town of 1,700 souls but it just doesn't work in a city of 8,000,000.
I've been helping City and County governments make decisions about issues and action and policies and programs for half my adult working life and it is always exciting and interesting where the rubber meets the road, in front of God and everybody, as they say. You find all sorts of folks and see all sorts of characters and dispositions, human frailty, the glory, and the inglorious. We can help each other or strike out at one another. There is always the issue, sometimes there's liberals in full huff and puff, sometimes conservatives pulling off worse, but always the issue at hand and something must be done. There is cajoling, there is bargaining, the seeking of middle ground perhaps, always a laugh or too, most times there is mutual respect and proper protocol, a recognition of the institution everyone's taking part in using in order to face an issue. We need more federal and state officials who come from local government experience, instead of the talking heads and well laid beds that permeate our great halls today, who are more used to stirring up issues of political advantage for electoral purposes than they are really solving anything outside of which bistro for dinner - the stuffed shirts and the hind-end hurts. I do think both sides should be able to drink together after work, as they did in the days of ol', but I also think they should both deserve the drink when they do.
1
I live in a very small town in Vermont and at our town meeting the admittedly few residents who are not white or Christians get as much respect as anyone else. I have been watching it play out for years. The mother of a mixed race child is taken as seriously as the lesbian couple when commenting on the school. And I believe it is actually knowing one another, or at least one another's situations which makes town meeting work. What came closest to derailing us was an anti-tax fanatic who objected to every expenditure and made meetings drag on for ever. But we didn't let her get to us, we called the question and let the majority rule.
Well, that's Vermont, where, Senator Bernie Sanders draws enthusiastic crowds and has since long before he ran for President, as does former governor Madeline Kunin. Where Senator Jim Jeffords declared that the GOP had left him, and the values it had upheld for more than 100 years and so he turned Independent. Where Senator Pat Leahy would have to be one of the least power hungry persons I've every met. A man who, when given Secret Service protection because of his nearness to the Presidency, looked forward to going for a walk on his own again, not the possibility of becoming the most powerful man in America.
So cynicism is easy, but unless we try to fix what is wrong, things will only get worse and I for one want liberty and justice for all.
Well, that's Vermont, where, Senator Bernie Sanders draws enthusiastic crowds and has since long before he ran for President, as does former governor Madeline Kunin. Where Senator Jim Jeffords declared that the GOP had left him, and the values it had upheld for more than 100 years and so he turned Independent. Where Senator Pat Leahy would have to be one of the least power hungry persons I've every met. A man who, when given Secret Service protection because of his nearness to the Presidency, looked forward to going for a walk on his own again, not the possibility of becoming the most powerful man in America.
So cynicism is easy, but unless we try to fix what is wrong, things will only get worse and I for one want liberty and justice for all.
9
This is why I believe in Federalism. Lots of issues that are controversial at the National level can be equitably resolved with far less controversy at the local level.
Romneycare passed MA with limited controversy and seems to work reasonably well.
Obamacare passed nationally with great controversy and inspired great backlash. None of the major promises have been kept and life expectancy has actually gone down slightly. Why the left (and sometimes the right) keep trying to make federal cases out of local issues is beyond me.
Romneycare passed MA with limited controversy and seems to work reasonably well.
Obamacare passed nationally with great controversy and inspired great backlash. None of the major promises have been kept and life expectancy has actually gone down slightly. Why the left (and sometimes the right) keep trying to make federal cases out of local issues is beyond me.
1
It's all about compromise. Sanity, reality, budget, conversation. Not talking points (really, what is a talking point?), all or nothing, my way (right) your way (wrong), someone else's money -- or fairness (to and for whom) and equality (equal to what, or whom). It's about what works, that's tried and proven -- not oughta be, shoulda woulda coulda. Abortion -- yes or no. Not yes, with restrictions most think sensible and safe. Taxes -- of course, sane and sensible that are spent transparently within a budget. You get the point.
It is politics that are divisive, not policy making - not if it really is policy making. Our government has become so politicized it is a caricature of farce, when not downright insulting, crude and corrupt. Many, many of us are disgusted by it all. And yes, I am a New Englander, and from New Hampshire, too.
It is politics that are divisive, not policy making - not if it really is policy making. Our government has become so politicized it is a caricature of farce, when not downright insulting, crude and corrupt. Many, many of us are disgusted by it all. And yes, I am a New Englander, and from New Hampshire, too.
2
I have no idea why claiming to know what effect public decisions will have on God is accepted as sane in the US. It is just enablement of fools and delusionals.
I spent my formative years in Ridgeway, Va. located in a county that had been the home county named for its most famous citizen, Patrick Henry, and where my ancestors had lived for hundreds of years, so there was always a very strong desire for local community.
My current home since leaving the Bronx, NY is in the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle Park. Our town has around twenty thousand residents; it has grown by 100% since 2000.
Although the town has an appointed manager appointed by an elected, non partisan mayor and elected non partisan town counsel, it is possible to figure out the political leanings of most of members.
I have attended many open town council meetings as do many other residents. Attending Counsel meetings, community meetings held by our Police Chief as well as Fire Department and Planning Board is helpful to meet neighbors as well as to learn the intricacies of well managed government.
My current home since leaving the Bronx, NY is in the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle Park. Our town has around twenty thousand residents; it has grown by 100% since 2000.
Although the town has an appointed manager appointed by an elected, non partisan mayor and elected non partisan town counsel, it is possible to figure out the political leanings of most of members.
I have attended many open town council meetings as do many other residents. Attending Counsel meetings, community meetings held by our Police Chief as well as Fire Department and Planning Board is helpful to meet neighbors as well as to learn the intricacies of well managed government.
2
Thank You, KJ, for this piece; I think many of us would like to live in just such a place as yours. One of the biggest issues staring our country in the face is your question: "How do we value that which is not of direct value to us?". Do we help each other because we hope to be helped in the future, or do we do it because we are compassionate, caring beings who understand that it's just the thing to do?
6
Road re-routing by a vote of 171 to 148....pretty close to evenly split even in a small town....seems like even when neighbors talk and discuss there are a lot of people that have only their needs in mind.
Probably never to change
Probably never to change
2
Lovely story, but things get exponentially more complicated on a national level. Those "friends on the paved road" would not likely simply accept the concept of majority rule and submit to paying for a piece of equipment they are not likely to use if the issue were national. I'm not advocating for parties here, just saying that when you move from a population of 1700 to one of - well, whatever the population of the USA is - things stop being so simple. One of the reasons is that, unlike the residents of this small town, USA citizens are not likely to know more than a minuscule percentage of the people who are voting, so compassion tends to decrease and the push for personal rights increase. So, as I say, nice story about small town life, but not much relevance to what goes on nationally.
3
At some level everyone's rights and freedoms conflict with someone else's. Finding the balance and resolving the conflict is the fundamental roll of government -- it's the reason for government. If we didn't have the inherent conflict between the freedoms and rights of various groups and individuals, we wouldn't need government -- but we do have inherent conflict. The idea that little government will result in a more equitable treatment of individual rights and freedoms is pure non-sense fantasy. We may have inalienable rights -- but we can only claim those rights when we have a fair and responsible government.
7
A Danish friend who has also lived in the US told me that he thought a Danish style social democracy would not be possible here. Danes he said accept that what is done for one Dane is done for all Danes. You might not have an aging parent in an excellent government provided nursing home, but you might have a son or daughter attending grad school free of charge. Danes believe It all works out. And they trust the government to administer it fairly.
We here in the USA are too diverse, separated by geography, race, culture, urban, rural, privileged, poor. We are tribal. We regard government as a kind of homeowner's association that provides essential services poorly and charges too much.
The one time we come together is when we face an existential threat. War once united us, but lately we've delegated war making to our homeowner's association, too. Our politicians are wise to our tribalism. They appeal to our tribal identities and they always talk about costs and taxes, never universal benefits. Democrats in particular seem to be a grab bag of one-issue groups, each promoting its particular cause. As Will Rogers said, "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat."
We here in the USA are too diverse, separated by geography, race, culture, urban, rural, privileged, poor. We are tribal. We regard government as a kind of homeowner's association that provides essential services poorly and charges too much.
The one time we come together is when we face an existential threat. War once united us, but lately we've delegated war making to our homeowner's association, too. Our politicians are wise to our tribalism. They appeal to our tribal identities and they always talk about costs and taxes, never universal benefits. Democrats in particular seem to be a grab bag of one-issue groups, each promoting its particular cause. As Will Rogers said, "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat."
13
"Our politicians are wise to our tribalism. They appeal to our tribal identities and they always talk about costs and taxes, never universal benefits."
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"Are there no workhouses? Has the treadmill beer stopped in its useful purpose?"
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There never was or shall be that shining beacon on the hill...humans can stand only themselves and no others.
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"Are there no workhouses? Has the treadmill beer stopped in its useful purpose?"
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There never was or shall be that shining beacon on the hill...humans can stand only themselves and no others.
Both US political parties are infested with monomaniacal single issue voters.
In a remarkable, and tragic, coincidence, the day this article was published the town of Lyme, NH suffered its worst natural disaster in living memory. Stuck under a "conveyor belt" of intense rainstorms, Lyme and other towns surrounding it were deluged with more than five inches of rain in about five hours time. In Lyme every single road suffered significant damage, many rendered impassable. People were cut off either getting out from, or getting to their homes. Many elderly and people with medical conditions were isolated and without power. Probably not since the 1938 hurricane has there been such a wide spread disaster in the town.
I was the town moderator for fifteen years, so very much a part of the town meeting process described by Ms. Dell'Antonia. What she describes is true in all aspects. I am currently the Public Information Officer under Lyme's Emergency Management Plan and as such was at the firehouse all day yesterday helping to deal with the aftereffects of the storms.
What happened yesterday was what I suspect happens not just in a small New Hampshire town, but everywhere there is an immediate crisis. People helped people. There was no politics, there was no discrimination. The only criteria was the answer to the question, "Are you OK?"
Lyme has advantages of size and governance structure in being able to translate that respect for others into non-crisis situations, but all levels of society can benefit if our central question is, "Are you OK?"
I was the town moderator for fifteen years, so very much a part of the town meeting process described by Ms. Dell'Antonia. What she describes is true in all aspects. I am currently the Public Information Officer under Lyme's Emergency Management Plan and as such was at the firehouse all day yesterday helping to deal with the aftereffects of the storms.
What happened yesterday was what I suspect happens not just in a small New Hampshire town, but everywhere there is an immediate crisis. People helped people. There was no politics, there was no discrimination. The only criteria was the answer to the question, "Are you OK?"
Lyme has advantages of size and governance structure in being able to translate that respect for others into non-crisis situations, but all levels of society can benefit if our central question is, "Are you OK?"
17
How much climate change denialism remains in Lyme now?
2
Years ago a man who was sent around the world by his corporation, after serving in the military for a few years, to over 40 countries came back and said something very insightful and interesting . (Paraphrased) "I realize democracy is complex, dynamic and fragile. Democracy can be constructed and sustained only by some cultures or societies with a unique psychology. It is a way of thinking, being, seeing and feeling, It is hard to explain it or replicate it...but one can know it at an intuitive level. The only three countries, outside a few in Europe, that I think are intrinsically democratic are 'Canada, The United States and India'. Democracy runs in their blood, gene and basic tolerance to political diversity with a lot of shouting, screaming and protests (ha, ha, ha)."
I am married to a woman of Indian descent. In our anger, anxiety, anguish and arguments over social issues through democratic politics...we are 100% alike.
Democracy...it runs only in the genes of few cultures and countries. And we better not lose it. Otherwise we will end up like Middle East for a long time.
I am married to a woman of Indian descent. In our anger, anxiety, anguish and arguments over social issues through democratic politics...we are 100% alike.
Democracy...it runs only in the genes of few cultures and countries. And we better not lose it. Otherwise we will end up like Middle East for a long time.
10
Going unmentioned is a core issue: in Lyme ( I grew up in the next town south of there, so I feel I can speak from actual knowledge), the rate of participation is very high. It just is. Because folks know their participation matters. In most of the rest of America, perhaps due to a sense that their voices do not matter, participation is far lower.
12
"Politics" here means "ideological marketing"--selling the party line--the real one and its smokescreen.
Without it, "democracy" means community members--more or less all adults--deciding community policy. And that almost always means resolving conflicts of interest. New road graders vs paved roads; school fees vs retirees.
What often gets lost in these dilemmas is the public good--and the personal payoffs of living in a vibrant community. Healthcare and education really benefit all--even if some more than others. Professional--educated--town managers and planners are taught to take such synoptic views.
It's not unlike family values vs the values of each separate individual. Conflicts and compromise play a big part there too. Teams too.
Fallacies of composition and division often lead to bad collective decision making. Good for individual vs good for team; good for team vs league. Good communities aren't measured just by benefits and burdens to one family.
Statistics are another problem High per capita incomes need not be high median or mode incomes--or even fairly distributed.
Republicans and Libertarians presume communities and their polities are fictions--reducing to individual families, and those to individuals. As well as presuming the rich should rule--by natural--maybe divine--right.
But individuals are indivisibles--wholes greater than the sum of their parts. They might as well reduce persons to collections of organs. And those to cells.
Without it, "democracy" means community members--more or less all adults--deciding community policy. And that almost always means resolving conflicts of interest. New road graders vs paved roads; school fees vs retirees.
What often gets lost in these dilemmas is the public good--and the personal payoffs of living in a vibrant community. Healthcare and education really benefit all--even if some more than others. Professional--educated--town managers and planners are taught to take such synoptic views.
It's not unlike family values vs the values of each separate individual. Conflicts and compromise play a big part there too. Teams too.
Fallacies of composition and division often lead to bad collective decision making. Good for individual vs good for team; good for team vs league. Good communities aren't measured just by benefits and burdens to one family.
Statistics are another problem High per capita incomes need not be high median or mode incomes--or even fairly distributed.
Republicans and Libertarians presume communities and their polities are fictions--reducing to individual families, and those to individuals. As well as presuming the rich should rule--by natural--maybe divine--right.
But individuals are indivisibles--wholes greater than the sum of their parts. They might as well reduce persons to collections of organs. And those to cells.
7
Wonderful article. Town meetings work because people recognize that, regardless of their point of view, they after all have to live with one another. How have we lost that perception on a national level? It seems tied to big money in politics. If we want to save our country, we are going to work very, very hard to stop the corruption, and, frankly, the younger people don't seem interested in that task.
4
I have to reply, because I have a young person (18 y/o daughter) who cares about corruption in politics, and as a young person I did, too. My question, or dilemma, is how to effect any change. It's gotten this bad because Congress won't pass legislation that will limit their power and ease gridlock - such as term limits, campaign finance reform, voting refrms, etc. What can we do to force changes, what with our busy lives and limited resources? Sign me up if there's a movement that has the weight to make things move.
7
I was invited by my local chamber of commerce to serve on an "endorsement" committee for political offices. Before accepting, I asked if these were for non-partisan offices only (IE mayor). Only when I heard the affirmative did I agree to serve in what turned out to be a fulfilling experience in participatory democracy. I am a left-leaning Dem and knew that many in the chamber would be right-leaning GOP., and did not want to engage in perhaps petty partisan politics with friends and neighbors. But issues like getting wi-fi to the business park, prioritizing pot-hole repair-- the stuff of local politics-- are about as non-partisan as can be. Two people who agree on nothing at the federal level come together pretty quickly when one of their car suspension was ruined by a bad road. So while I enjoyed this Lyme NH story for its apple-pie feeling, I fail to see its extrapolation to national issues like social security and climate change.
4
How many human beings living in Lyme New Hampshire are permanently colored brown African like Ben Carson and Barack Obama?
What did or does "Live free or die' mean to any black person in New Hampshire?
Democracy without the political participation of the biological DNA genetic evolutionary fit heirs of Sub -Saharan African humanity denying enslavement and separate and unequal Jim Crow is the measure of American white supremacist male hypocrisy.
What did or does "Live free or die' mean to any black person in New Hampshire?
Democracy without the political participation of the biological DNA genetic evolutionary fit heirs of Sub -Saharan African humanity denying enslavement and separate and unequal Jim Crow is the measure of American white supremacist male hypocrisy.
2
@blackmamba - You can find the answer on Wikipedia - (below) - Now armed with that information - what about the town and its way of doing its business is problematic?
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,716 people, 705 households, and 503 families residing in the town. The population density was 31.4 people per square mile (12.1/km²). There were 810 housing units at an average density of 14.8 per square mile (5.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% White, 0.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.3% some other race, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.[6]
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,716 people, 705 households, and 503 families residing in the town. The population density was 31.4 people per square mile (12.1/km²). There were 810 housing units at an average density of 14.8 per square mile (5.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% White, 0.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.3% some other race, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.[6]
2
How does the A.A. legacy figure in a town hall meeting about road repair? What about campaigning for an A.A. candidate in city elections? Cities have more issues of race sensitive social programs and school programs, etc. I'm a white city guy whose daughter went to the 60% A.A. public schools and all her friends are of color. I've been to neighborhood mtgs. It's hard work, but it's one of the only ways to be involved with local concerns.
1
Respectfully, blackmamba, since you mention DNA, have you gotten around to checking your DNA composition yet?
If you are an African American, you may have British as well as Native American ancestry in addition to your proud African ancestry. Your ancestors, perhaps were a part of developing our great nation in all aspects.
You are a citizen of this great experiment in democracy.
This land is your land with all its its implications.
If you are an African American, you may have British as well as Native American ancestry in addition to your proud African ancestry. Your ancestors, perhaps were a part of developing our great nation in all aspects.
You are a citizen of this great experiment in democracy.
This land is your land with all its its implications.
1
This article is welcome--as far as it goes. As some of us are struggling to even know how to start re-building our democracy, it is helpful to learn there are models that work reasonably well, even under circumscribed if not unimportant conditions.
So it is good to know that a sense of real community still exists, as opposed to the artificial "community" I often hear thrown around. That someone is still actually weighing taxes against possible benefits, as opposed to the usual in which the latter isn't even mentioned. That there is a credible decision-making process at work, with an actual, if imperfect information-gathering stage.
But we need to know if this model can handle: (a) hot-button issues of the times, including local loathing of "the other"at the national level, whomever that might be, and which surely exists, or whether there are tacit agreements not to mention these; (b) someone mentioning non-obvious or potentially unpopular points like whether local carbon emissions, on top of everyone else's, are contributing to road problems, whether federal subsidies have been coming their way and they're not as self-sufficient as they like to think, whether large scale international issues like Syrian refugees require a moral local response (as we've seen in Canada), whether a scared teenager who knows they don't fit in because of yet-to-be-achieved mainstream acceptance of whatever they are or have can come out?
Can the town hall model handle these, as well, or could it?
So it is good to know that a sense of real community still exists, as opposed to the artificial "community" I often hear thrown around. That someone is still actually weighing taxes against possible benefits, as opposed to the usual in which the latter isn't even mentioned. That there is a credible decision-making process at work, with an actual, if imperfect information-gathering stage.
But we need to know if this model can handle: (a) hot-button issues of the times, including local loathing of "the other"at the national level, whomever that might be, and which surely exists, or whether there are tacit agreements not to mention these; (b) someone mentioning non-obvious or potentially unpopular points like whether local carbon emissions, on top of everyone else's, are contributing to road problems, whether federal subsidies have been coming their way and they're not as self-sufficient as they like to think, whether large scale international issues like Syrian refugees require a moral local response (as we've seen in Canada), whether a scared teenager who knows they don't fit in because of yet-to-be-achieved mainstream acceptance of whatever they are or have can come out?
Can the town hall model handle these, as well, or could it?
2
You might not think re routing a road is a hot button issue. Try looking at it this way.This column didn't tell us if re routing would take the whole farm of this farmer, just enough to make it no longer economically sound to farm on that's left, or just a small piece. It didn't tell us whether the farmer's family had been farming that land for 200 years or 2 years. All things that must be considered before taking away something that belongs to someone else, even if it is the easy way of doing it.I didn't read of the suggestion that building up the land on both sides & then putting a solid bridge over the stream (the reason for a culvert in the first place), how much it would cost, along with the 2 other choices. Many small towns would have just put in a new culvert & a level 'bridge' over it. Not that it might not mean it would wash out the next storm. But, another town meeting could handle it whenever it did happen again.
As for if it would work in a country of 250 million or so. Well 2 types of Town Meeting. One is when if you show up, your a member & can vote, cause you live there. Second is you have to run in an election to become a 'town meeting member'. Usually by going door to door introducing your self & your beliefs to your neighbors (could be whole town). The first one is the only perfectly representative government. Those who go are the interested ones, those who don't are labeled, don't care. It sure would take care of problems like gerrymandering, no districts.
As for if it would work in a country of 250 million or so. Well 2 types of Town Meeting. One is when if you show up, your a member & can vote, cause you live there. Second is you have to run in an election to become a 'town meeting member'. Usually by going door to door introducing your self & your beliefs to your neighbors (could be whole town). The first one is the only perfectly representative government. Those who go are the interested ones, those who don't are labeled, don't care. It sure would take care of problems like gerrymandering, no districts.
1
Before Reagan and Gingrich put their contracts out on America national politics was more or less about everybody winning some and everybody losing some.
Since then, though, politics needs winners and losers and republicans have the notion they are the ones who should do all the winning. While everyone else loses. All the time.
Since then, though, politics needs winners and losers and republicans have the notion they are the ones who should do all the winning. While everyone else loses. All the time.
10
If you want to find out what happened to real democracy in America, you need to learn how the powerful have won the fight to reduce democracy over the last 4 decades.
Watch Noam Chomsky summarize it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YdBzwJCpo8
Watch Noam Chomsky summarize it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YdBzwJCpo8
5
A Crude Model
I don’t know, with some vision we may be able to make this work. What about a sort of recursive political structure, designated from the bottom up. I mean, we first construct these mini, tete-a-tete councils, as the one described here, where everyone could participate in a local sense. That, we designate a “panel point.” At panel points, all decisions are local and remain such unless noted. Decision making, in other words, is at the level where the individuals of the panel are “most” affected. If the decision should affect people outside the panel, i.e. the rest of us, then by linking these panel points in an affective network, we could send “delegated information” to other nodes, and so on and so forth, until the decision is effectively “spread” through the network. We already do it to some extent, except that that decision and communication apparatus is ineffectually powerless, unless superintended by some “privileged” member of society. So, I don’t think this “participatory” scheme too farfetched, especially in an age when the most powerful tool for exploiting such a methodology exists, namely the internet. What’s the real beef here is, of course, a powerfully insular and centralized government. As long as it exists in its current form, and grows stronger by the same tools described earlier, the dream of participation will diminish, and exponentially I might add...
I don’t know, with some vision we may be able to make this work. What about a sort of recursive political structure, designated from the bottom up. I mean, we first construct these mini, tete-a-tete councils, as the one described here, where everyone could participate in a local sense. That, we designate a “panel point.” At panel points, all decisions are local and remain such unless noted. Decision making, in other words, is at the level where the individuals of the panel are “most” affected. If the decision should affect people outside the panel, i.e. the rest of us, then by linking these panel points in an affective network, we could send “delegated information” to other nodes, and so on and so forth, until the decision is effectively “spread” through the network. We already do it to some extent, except that that decision and communication apparatus is ineffectually powerless, unless superintended by some “privileged” member of society. So, I don’t think this “participatory” scheme too farfetched, especially in an age when the most powerful tool for exploiting such a methodology exists, namely the internet. What’s the real beef here is, of course, a powerfully insular and centralized government. As long as it exists in its current form, and grows stronger by the same tools described earlier, the dream of participation will diminish, and exponentially I might add...
1
"You couldn’t rely on some vaguely understood, loudly articulated party line. ... There was just a problem that a community needed to resolve."
Thank you so much.
I've been trying to get traction talking about how language has its limits and the power of language has its problems. I studied that kind of stuff in philosophy school and in my reading.
Last night I saw upon the stair a little man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today; oh how I wish he'd go away!
Later I drafted legislation for many years and indirectly got feedback from people who would be affected. Best practices? Keep your nouns lean and ordinarily defined, and clearly specify duties, prohibitions, discretion, and relations such as timing and sequence.
But we politic by means of loudly articulated vaguely understood notions. The left does it just as much and I can't get past why they didn't learn better in school. That may be what voters respond to but it's a dark art.
I hope you get traction with your approach.
Thank you so much.
I've been trying to get traction talking about how language has its limits and the power of language has its problems. I studied that kind of stuff in philosophy school and in my reading.
Last night I saw upon the stair a little man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today; oh how I wish he'd go away!
Later I drafted legislation for many years and indirectly got feedback from people who would be affected. Best practices? Keep your nouns lean and ordinarily defined, and clearly specify duties, prohibitions, discretion, and relations such as timing and sequence.
But we politic by means of loudly articulated vaguely understood notions. The left does it just as much and I can't get past why they didn't learn better in school. That may be what voters respond to but it's a dark art.
I hope you get traction with your approach.
Thanks. This is the way 99% of the federal, state and local governments operate Many little issues, difficult to break down into right vs. left or R vs. D. The problem today is the obsession with the presidency (esp. Don Trump) and the US Congress. There is a lot more to the federal gov't than those two things. And a lot more to gov't than the federal gov't--there are tens of thousands of state and local gov'ts. And guess what? Every day those gov'ts work pretty well and provide 325 million people with thousands of different services. Being obsessed with Don Trump and viewing the world in a D vs. R way is a cartoonish view of reality.
4
I call it small "d" democratic politicking in my book The Joy of Politics. It's something to be celebrated, preferably in the presence of younger voters.
1
One of the great comic political novels of my youth was William Borden's book Superstoe, in which dictatorship comes to America by way of direct democracy.
Every issue is presented every day on line for popular vote. However, if less than a quorum votes, then it is decided by the leader. People are overwhelmed by information and the number of questions up for a vote. A quorum hardly ever votes on any one issue. It becomes a practical dictatorship.
The solution is of course a republican form of government, to elect representatives who will take the time to be informed and vote on it all in our interests.
That of course only works if they are our representatives, and they do that work. Neither seems to be the case in today's government, which is not to be fixed by national direct democracy.
Every issue is presented every day on line for popular vote. However, if less than a quorum votes, then it is decided by the leader. People are overwhelmed by information and the number of questions up for a vote. A quorum hardly ever votes on any one issue. It becomes a practical dictatorship.
The solution is of course a republican form of government, to elect representatives who will take the time to be informed and vote on it all in our interests.
That of course only works if they are our representatives, and they do that work. Neither seems to be the case in today's government, which is not to be fixed by national direct democracy.
Where do I sign-up for this rational idea, crying amidst all the nonsense?
Back in 1970, when I went back to finish my bachelors, I had a friend from Egypt. I kidded him, asking why does his country have elections, when only person was running for President? He replied that this country is not ready for a multi-party government.
In the past couple of decades, as I've watched the destruction and obstruction coming from Washington, I have begun to worry that we aren't ready either!
https://thetruthoncommonsense.com
Back in 1970, when I went back to finish my bachelors, I had a friend from Egypt. I kidded him, asking why does his country have elections, when only person was running for President? He replied that this country is not ready for a multi-party government.
In the past couple of decades, as I've watched the destruction and obstruction coming from Washington, I have begun to worry that we aren't ready either!
https://thetruthoncommonsense.com
3
After reading some comments I agree that often times the small and midsized towns can be places most vulnerable to manipulation by an organized, funded effort to steer local decisions. Venality writ small.
A city council of 5 members can easily tilted with slick, expensive campaigns that favor two or even one candidate who will do the bidding of their "sponsor."
The sponsor who wants that shopping mall or 1000 home development approved by a 3-2 vote.
I've seen it up close.
Easy to buy those critical votes for projects and make it all look so benevolent and happy and feel good for town folk who vote but don't pay attention.
Then, it's "Hey, who changed my town!"
Ya gotta pay attention.
A city council of 5 members can easily tilted with slick, expensive campaigns that favor two or even one candidate who will do the bidding of their "sponsor."
The sponsor who wants that shopping mall or 1000 home development approved by a 3-2 vote.
I've seen it up close.
Easy to buy those critical votes for projects and make it all look so benevolent and happy and feel good for town folk who vote but don't pay attention.
Then, it's "Hey, who changed my town!"
Ya gotta pay attention.
6
The real estate developer shouldn't need the permission of the town to build on their own land. It's theirs. If the neighbors don't like it, they have the right to remain silent.
Nothing anyone does on a particular piece of land is without repercussions on adjacent land.
1
This an example of politics, just not the polarized kind that segregates us by residence as well as information/ communication bubbles. Political activity is the attempt to exercise power about public issues. In (small d) democratic politics, namely "citizen co-rule", it involves the acts and processes this article describes.
Why have we lost this in so much of local and national American politics? It requires citizens and interest groups recognizing that their lives are interdependent so that there are, indeed, "public" issues, i.e., divisive matters they must address as members of the same community. In our country there are mighty forces eroding that recognition.Viewing the world through "us vs them", gated communities to protect "us" from "them,"gerrymandered electoral districts -- these are the tip of the iceberg. As De Tocqueville observed in the early 1800s and this article describes today, these citizens recognize that if they want a road rerouted, then they, in turn, have to support the public schools even if they home school their kids or have no children.
In"retirement"I work with several under served local urban communities engaged in vibrant citizen political activity to revitalize themselves. Such grass roots, democratic engagement where citizens can address issues that divide them because they recognize their shared fate, even while facing entrenched power structures in the broader region, are more widespread than many realize.
Why have we lost this in so much of local and national American politics? It requires citizens and interest groups recognizing that their lives are interdependent so that there are, indeed, "public" issues, i.e., divisive matters they must address as members of the same community. In our country there are mighty forces eroding that recognition.Viewing the world through "us vs them", gated communities to protect "us" from "them,"gerrymandered electoral districts -- these are the tip of the iceberg. As De Tocqueville observed in the early 1800s and this article describes today, these citizens recognize that if they want a road rerouted, then they, in turn, have to support the public schools even if they home school their kids or have no children.
In"retirement"I work with several under served local urban communities engaged in vibrant citizen political activity to revitalize themselves. Such grass roots, democratic engagement where citizens can address issues that divide them because they recognize their shared fate, even while facing entrenched power structures in the broader region, are more widespread than many realize.
Oops! Please excuse my quick "post" button and syntax in the last sentence. It should end with an "is" rather than "are".
Now, imagine that meeting with five or twenty ideologues whom most people can discern as extreme and disingenuous.
They tell half truths, obfuscate facts, make up disruptive stories.
They can't compromise because that makes them look weak and suspicious to each other. They are as savage to anyone in their click who breaks ranks as they are to their perceived opposition… in fact, more so.
This fealty, born of myopia and fear and complete need to belong, tweaks their whole sense of reality, rendering it a fog of malleable "facts" used as needed to back up any position no matter how irrational. The fog is the glue that binds them.
And, for good measure, let's throw in an outside source of endless money to further their wild positions, a stand alone media outlet that repeats and reinforces unusual facts and, finally, a local, unsavory-to-most character as their leader, who has shown over the decades a willingness to flout any sense decorum or common decency, who lies constantly and scalds anyone reasonable who challenges his fictions.
Oh, and against all convention and honored tradition, this cabal calls into question the honesty of the town's 230 year old family newspaper, which has tried to report the best it can to keep everyone informed.
How do you think that formerly civilized meeting would go?
Democracy can weather reasonable, reality-based politics.
It can't weather willful, unscrupulous sabatoge and purposeful insanity.
You and I, the majority, reject that.
They tell half truths, obfuscate facts, make up disruptive stories.
They can't compromise because that makes them look weak and suspicious to each other. They are as savage to anyone in their click who breaks ranks as they are to their perceived opposition… in fact, more so.
This fealty, born of myopia and fear and complete need to belong, tweaks their whole sense of reality, rendering it a fog of malleable "facts" used as needed to back up any position no matter how irrational. The fog is the glue that binds them.
And, for good measure, let's throw in an outside source of endless money to further their wild positions, a stand alone media outlet that repeats and reinforces unusual facts and, finally, a local, unsavory-to-most character as their leader, who has shown over the decades a willingness to flout any sense decorum or common decency, who lies constantly and scalds anyone reasonable who challenges his fictions.
Oh, and against all convention and honored tradition, this cabal calls into question the honesty of the town's 230 year old family newspaper, which has tried to report the best it can to keep everyone informed.
How do you think that formerly civilized meeting would go?
Democracy can weather reasonable, reality-based politics.
It can't weather willful, unscrupulous sabatoge and purposeful insanity.
You and I, the majority, reject that.
40
> a stand alone media outlet
The hatred and terror of standing alone is the essence of modernism and religion. Leftists want to be assimilated by The Consensus and religionists by God. Both reject the Enlightenment right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Both want resistance to be futile.
The hatred and terror of standing alone is the essence of modernism and religion. Leftists want to be assimilated by The Consensus and religionists by God. Both reject the Enlightenment right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Both want resistance to be futile.
I don't see much pursuit of happiness in postings like your's. The further to political extremes a person is, the more bitter they appear to be.
1
The School Board and Planning Commissions in our towns and couinties have more say over our lives and the future of our children and future voting public than anything Trump can do. Just as the loud hoopla and outcry with every tweet or executive order or pronouncement distracts us from what the cabinet level positions are pulling off as they rewrite regulations and guidelines we are too distracted to see agendas being pushed throuigh where housing goes in ouir twons, which schools will be closed or where remodelling funds willl go. Our MSM is letting the drastic changes of Federal laws and rules be changed with little or no coverage. Our local media is owned by huge busiinesses with their own lobbyists in DC that push agendas pro wealthy.
3
I know, if I were the new person in town, I would simply listen to find out what is the 'norm'. How do people work together and settle disputes. I wouldn't have moved 'here' unless there was something appealing - so they must do many things 'right'. I live in a beautiful state, with (majority of population) moderate to left-leaning politics. Our state is attracting people (especially those with $$$) like we live in a vacuum. The problem? As soon as they get here they want to change things! This is a 'chill' state, but honestly when the first thing a person says is "that's not the way we did it in CA" "where I come from we did it better..." I am good at avoiding confrontation, but I now say "then you should move back there." People don't need to conform, but they do need to 'fit'.
2
> People don't need to conform, but they do need to 'fit'.
The wisdom of Leftist nuances is awe-inspiring.
The wisdom of Leftist nuances is awe-inspiring.
Well goody good for the (100% white) folks in small New Hampshire towns who run local government by speakin' their minds at the proverbial town hall meeting. No doubt, some small towns there are governed with citizens wishes the top priority. All I know is that in the rest of America, when somebody in charge of something is described as running it "like a small town mayor", that's a very bad thing indeed.
1
No. Where do you think the Thai food came from? Not mentioned in the article, the cook, a Southeast Asian refugee, was honored as Citizen of the Year at the same Town Meeting.
7
Report back if the farmer starts a lawsuit to block the reroute.
2
But you're describing something that doesn't exist in America any longer. People don't care about their neighbors. They want their roads plowed in winter, their children to go to good schools, their houses to appreciate in value, and their points of view to prevail. They don't cross the street to say hi to their neighbors. They go on line and IM their friends from college, from the old neighborhood, the ones who agree with their politics. There's no struggle to understand that the middle aged couple across the road or across town is caught up caring for aging parents, worried about paying for a child's medical care, cutting back because the husband lost a job due to downsizing, or that they may have to move out because they can't pay the bills. The most prevalent attitude in America today, or the one given the most publicity, is that it's too bad but it's not our problem. We shouldn't have to pay for anyone else's lifestyle, bad choices, poor health, chip in so that they can live in decent housing or get health care. We don't care until it happens to us and then it's too late.
Unfortunately for us, the 8 years proved that our votes didn't matter. The current administration is more proof. Trump and the GOP do not care about democracy unless it's about their rich donors and supporters. But we voted for this and we continue to. Therefore we shouldn't be surprised when our politicians work against our best interests. Anyone of us can become "those people".
Unfortunately for us, the 8 years proved that our votes didn't matter. The current administration is more proof. Trump and the GOP do not care about democracy unless it's about their rich donors and supporters. But we voted for this and we continue to. Therefore we shouldn't be surprised when our politicians work against our best interests. Anyone of us can become "those people".
30
But he is describing his town where those things do exist. If you want them to, start doing them. Take cookies to your neighbors. Start making it better where you are.
7
Except that it DOES still exist. It may not be the prevailing way of life in America today, but there are plenty of places and people embodying compassion and community. Expanding those sentiments my be our only hope.
4
Nice article, but it is asinine to believe that small towns don't have their own politics. To say that there were no democrats or republicans has to be a flat out lie. I get the sentiment, love thy neighbor, care for others when they need it and they'll care for you, but this doesn't work when the few thousand Republicans of Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania force Donald Trump onto the rest of us.
4
Salt Lake City recently voted to break up the largest homeless shelter in the downtown area and create three smaller ones. There were lots of reasons, good and bad, for this.
When the proposed sites were made public, all the mayors of the cities proposed told the city to go to hell. There were death threats made over it.
Public polls of local opinion showed that residents of the cities proposed would have voted 90% against having a homeless shelter in their communities.
So do you let local politics -- several cities voted in townhall meetings that they wouldn't provide any funds for the shelter -- trump the real need for things like homeless shelters, prisons (also a sore debate in Utah) and even waste treatment plants?
What ended up happening was the Salt Lake City Mayor found the weakest link the opposition chain and stuck it in her city and 'compromised' by only building two new shelters, not three, and putting one in the industrial park downtown.
They're both objectively terrible spots for homeless shelters.
That's also local politics for you. It's just as much NIMBY-ism as conpromise about road repavers.
*The Salt Lake Tribune covered tbis extensively if anybody is intrested in further reading.
When the proposed sites were made public, all the mayors of the cities proposed told the city to go to hell. There were death threats made over it.
Public polls of local opinion showed that residents of the cities proposed would have voted 90% against having a homeless shelter in their communities.
So do you let local politics -- several cities voted in townhall meetings that they wouldn't provide any funds for the shelter -- trump the real need for things like homeless shelters, prisons (also a sore debate in Utah) and even waste treatment plants?
What ended up happening was the Salt Lake City Mayor found the weakest link the opposition chain and stuck it in her city and 'compromised' by only building two new shelters, not three, and putting one in the industrial park downtown.
They're both objectively terrible spots for homeless shelters.
That's also local politics for you. It's just as much NIMBY-ism as conpromise about road repavers.
*The Salt Lake Tribune covered tbis extensively if anybody is intrested in further reading.
I am on a local commission, and agree that there is little partisan politics at this level. But what seems new to me is the level of outrage that can be generated. Propose moving the high school, or putting in an apartment complex, and almost immediately a facebook group opposed to it springs up. And arguments against often boil down to "I'm getting screwed." There is a profound distrust of government, even local government, that worries me because it makes it almost impossible to have a rational discussion. Or to maintain the sort of neighborliness that means I pay for schools even though my kids are grown, and you pay for the senior center even though it will be years before you will need it. Most complicated issues can be worked through by discussion and compromise, but not if the first reaction is outrage.
62
I would think that once people express their outrage and know it is heard, they can actually settle down and be more rational. Is that your experience? At the national level, I remain hopeful that the currently outraged will settle into a more thoughtful electorate.
1
BJM, you've got it. Character assassination is the order of the day. Social media makes this possible because the instant gratification of posting obscenities, half truths, and other gems doesn't outweigh being careful about what you say online. There is no shame at tearing into a person who has a legitimate complaint, at demonizing them and their relatives, threatening them, or lying about them. I've lived through it with my handicapped brother. The things people said were vicious, untruthful, threatening, and convinced me that I will not reverse my position on refusing to participate in my village's politics or meetings. The hypocrisy and cruelty were unbelievable given how enlightened they claimed to be.
"There is a profound distrust of government ..."
Why do you think that is? Is there a mystery?
I have a house in Westchester. I pay humongous taxes on it. No kids, no schools.
Why do we have giant potholes that could swallow a small pig?
Government IS the problem 99% of the time.
Why do you think that is? Is there a mystery?
I have a house in Westchester. I pay humongous taxes on it. No kids, no schools.
Why do we have giant potholes that could swallow a small pig?
Government IS the problem 99% of the time.
1
It's easy to vote on a specific item like a road, but it's a poor example of the real world. This article smacks of nostalgia i.e things that never really existed. Rockwell fantasies.
The truth is, as evidenced by Trump, most don't give a damn how their vote affects others. Indeed, Trump's enablers don't care if you live or die, then they proclaim themselves "patriots."
The truth is, as evidenced by Trump, most don't give a damn how their vote affects others. Indeed, Trump's enablers don't care if you live or die, then they proclaim themselves "patriots."
2
We may not have red vs. blue politics on the local level in small-town New England, but we do have politics and from time-to-time, divisive issues. Politics is how we allocate resources in the US and while it is better than some countries where resources are allocated via the exercise of brute force, it can still be messy. But in a small town, one can ill afford to be too unpleasant. You'll know when you've crossed the line of civility and become too full of yourself when you go out to get the morning paper and discover overnight someone has helpfully delivered a dump-truck load of manure in your driveway.
16
> Politics is how we allocate resources
Ie, democracy is theft.
Ie, democracy is theft.
Being French American (immigrated 1978) I could read Alexis de Tocqueville "De la Democratie en Amerique" in the original text (1835-40). Have a look, even at the English translation, the guy had it right! Thank God, America will always be America.
1
This points to the silliness of having a representative Democracy when we can all have the same information provided on our phones or Comcast startup pages or.... and vote on damn near anything or everything. It points to the immaturity of the society that is preoccupied with winner and losers. Even that which is gained by one side or the other neither changes the winner life to better one but only points out the emotional poverty of the all of us. Many of the founding fathers could see how silly and destructive political parties would be and a few even saw the failings of representative democracies- that being having a single person represent the diverse interests of a large group of people. It was obvious to Franklin that those who were the most organized or influential would be the most represented, leaving the interests of the many to suffer.
We don't need people to go to a central place to make decisons on our behalf, as we can do it all directly and electronically. The article is the expression of direct democracy, not representative democracy. It is time we started at the bottom and use city council seats to include systems where all of the information is sent to everyone phone that is being decided on and let them cast their vote. This idea that only the educated on politically engaged should have an opinion of decision is just a self-fulfilling meme. We get good at this by practicing full-time Time to grow up!
We don't need people to go to a central place to make decisons on our behalf, as we can do it all directly and electronically. The article is the expression of direct democracy, not representative democracy. It is time we started at the bottom and use city council seats to include systems where all of the information is sent to everyone phone that is being decided on and let them cast their vote. This idea that only the educated on politically engaged should have an opinion of decision is just a self-fulfilling meme. We get good at this by practicing full-time Time to grow up!
I live in a small town similar to the one described and find a great deal of cooperation at town meetings. Scratch the surface, though, and the divisiveness that marks our national politics, the "vaguely understood, loudly articulated party line," is there in all its glory. It doesn't take too much effort to understand the need for a road grader. It's much more difficult to cut through the crap we are all exposed to and explore both sides of a national issue. We in rural America can go to our town meetings but the country is still falling apart around us.
1
not clear if the possibility of rebuilding the washout was on the table...if not, why not?
next time there may be another debate but still, no bringing back the farmland.
slightly beside the point but, only just: the cozy samll-town meeting portrait, a view many "part time locals" hold, does not match the reality (as court records will show) which is more likely to be wrapped in favors and factions, influence wielded to serve special interests and control dissidence, just saying...
next time there may be another debate but still, no bringing back the farmland.
slightly beside the point but, only just: the cozy samll-town meeting portrait, a view many "part time locals" hold, does not match the reality (as court records will show) which is more likely to be wrapped in favors and factions, influence wielded to serve special interests and control dissidence, just saying...
1
"You learn pretty quickly that if you don’t treat every washed-out road as though it were your own, you may not like what happens when it is." -- KJ Dell’Antonia
Except some people never learn.
Except some people never learn.
25
In local politics, you don't have agenda-driven media with commercial incentives to keep things stirred up for ratings and clicks, no weaponisation of political discourse, no zero-sum sports paradigm of Team Red vs. Team Blue, no outside money buying attack ads on the local broadcast station, no high-dollar consultants with focus groups figuring out the best "trigger words" to get people jacked up. Luckily, at the small-town municipal level, the stakes are usually not high enough for the propaganda industrial complex to direct its firepower.
2
Out of all the comments made so far, it's very interesting to see which one the NY Times has anointed as its "pick" -- the only one that slams and belittles the validity and importance of participatory democracy. Can't say I'm surprised.
Since "democracy" and "politics" aren't defined, this essay would only appeal to the dimwitted.
"You learn pretty quickly that if you don’t treat every washed-out road as though it were your own, you may not like what happens when it is."
That sounds dangerously like Socialism! There is no Prosperity Gospel version of that. How does "God" keep score without a zero-sum calculus? America has to get its normative narratives in order. There has to be a dark side to the doctrine/dogma of "We just, win, win, win." The rest of the world is getting tired of it being in their neighbourhood.
That sounds dangerously like Socialism! There is no Prosperity Gospel version of that. How does "God" keep score without a zero-sum calculus? America has to get its normative narratives in order. There has to be a dark side to the doctrine/dogma of "We just, win, win, win." The rest of the world is getting tired of it being in their neighbourhood.
Welcome to Home Owners Associations across America.
(((clapping)))
What an amazing article that details the essence of what Democracy actually is ; the practical implications that directly affect people, including ourselves
I have been arguing for quite a while now that the debates we are having are following that party lie you speak of because of one very important thing; we are debating everything in the abstract with very big numbers that people cannot comprehend. ( especially for health care )
We can talk about what taxes people pay and percentages and so on and so forth, but for a great many, it is a life and death struggle. Furthermore, there is so much pain inflicted along the way. How do you quantify that when presenting a political argument ? You put a face front and center. You put a life front and center.
You tell people up front, that if you put a road here, then someone is going to lose out here ( or be seriously hurt financially or even die )
We should be making decisions that are in the best interests for as many as possible, instead of being for a select few.
Just a thought.
What an amazing article that details the essence of what Democracy actually is ; the practical implications that directly affect people, including ourselves
I have been arguing for quite a while now that the debates we are having are following that party lie you speak of because of one very important thing; we are debating everything in the abstract with very big numbers that people cannot comprehend. ( especially for health care )
We can talk about what taxes people pay and percentages and so on and so forth, but for a great many, it is a life and death struggle. Furthermore, there is so much pain inflicted along the way. How do you quantify that when presenting a political argument ? You put a face front and center. You put a life front and center.
You tell people up front, that if you put a road here, then someone is going to lose out here ( or be seriously hurt financially or even die )
We should be making decisions that are in the best interests for as many as possible, instead of being for a select few.
Just a thought.
3
They don't have a healthy anything. Come on. Would you live in LYME anywhere?
Thanks, KJ. Just thanks. What a perfect Independence Day column. And oh-so-timely.
1
Wouldn't it be more efficient to fund the county to grade the roads? Buying an expensive grader (along with paying an operator) for a single small community is a major tax item that would probably not be used for most of the season. Maybe the town manager (if they have one) will be smart enough to rent out the use of these grader to adjoining communities.
Small towns should really sub their schools, police, fire, garbage, madical and road maintenance to a larger county entity, and just concentrate on property value items.
Small towns should really sub their schools, police, fire, garbage, madical and road maintenance to a larger county entity, and just concentrate on property value items.
You obviously do not live in a small, rural New England town. Miles and miles of dirt roads. The grader is in use year-round for wash-outs, mid-winter thaws, etc. Not just in spring (when, of course, every other town is also using their grader).
1
County government in NH is largely irrelevant. If affects the court system, that's about it. There is no county legislature, no county executive AND no county sales tax AND no County property tax.
Some small towns form schools with neighboring towns to split the overhead. However, in most communities the town and the school district are one and the same.
NH has the second lowest tax burden in the Country (Alaska's is lower thanks to oil revenue). NY could learn a lot from this model.
Some small towns form schools with neighboring towns to split the overhead. However, in most communities the town and the school district are one and the same.
NH has the second lowest tax burden in the Country (Alaska's is lower thanks to oil revenue). NY could learn a lot from this model.
1
What percentage of the charming town you describe is white?
That, Deborah, of course, is the little inconvenient fact that the author glides over, just as she neglects to mention that her sweet Andy Hardy-esque town is probably 95 percent Christian. All it would take to spoil her pastel portrait would be a proposal to build a mosque (or three schoolgirls in hijabs); or a movement to teach sex-education in elementary school; or a suggestion to equip volunteer paramedics with Naloxone packs; or a bond issue for sewer lines so the local water won't be contaminated by septic-tank leakage.
In Carvel, Idaho, the hometown of Andy Hardy, everybody was white, Christian, generous & tolerant--and of, course, when the going got tough, they all helped one another. No surprise--people help people who look, sound, pray & think as they do. Otherwise, it's Katie, bar the door.
I realize it's the 4th of July, and it's unpatriotic to sneer at a bit of uplift, but , as the late, great Simone Signoret said, "Nostalgia Ain't What It Used To Be.'
In Carvel, Idaho, the hometown of Andy Hardy, everybody was white, Christian, generous & tolerant--and of, course, when the going got tough, they all helped one another. No surprise--people help people who look, sound, pray & think as they do. Otherwise, it's Katie, bar the door.
I realize it's the 4th of July, and it's unpatriotic to sneer at a bit of uplift, but , as the late, great Simone Signoret said, "Nostalgia Ain't What It Used To Be.'
6
One of the state legislators is Indian. Latha mangipudi Is a State Representative in New Hampshire. She arranged for Sanskrit prayers at the NH State Legislature. http://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/article.php?article_id=13182
School children watched history being made in NH.
School children watched history being made in NH.
There are thousands and thousands of City Councils, School Committees, local hearings, Mayor's Committees, School Boards, Town Recreation Leagues, Senior Citizen Centers, etc. held every day across the United States. If only President Trump or any of his staff had served on their town's committees. However, the hundred dollar stipend, paid annually, is quaint compared to the high rollers buying federal legislation. It's too bad. It's these boards that govern this nation, and reasonable people know this. When, at the end of four years, Trump and McConnell dismantle the Federal Government which will include the United States Military, the only elected governing pieces left will be the local ordinances of authority; on their own, working impossible volunteer hours, for their community, on behalf of everyone. These local bastions of our Republic are so unsung, and so ignored nationally. It is a privilege to observe pubic patience enacted in thoughtful ways by every citizen, rich and poor, black and white, young and old. It's real; often discouraging, occasionally entertaining, but always inspiring.
4
Thank You.
1
I lived in New Hampshire for 26 years. I once stood up at a town meeting regarding a new gas station being built at the end of my road and told them I already felt like a deer in the headlights each time I pulled out of my street. i was quoted in the Exeter Newsletter. it was the one time I made the news. I now live on a dirt road in Vermont. I know this kind of politics.
This is a great story.
"You learn pretty quickly that if you don’t treat every washed-out road as though it were your own, you may not like what happens when it is."
Remember that quote when you're contemplating healthcare.
This is a great story.
"You learn pretty quickly that if you don’t treat every washed-out road as though it were your own, you may not like what happens when it is."
Remember that quote when you're contemplating healthcare.
2
There is no trans-state regional authority doing cost-benefit analysis of improving various kinds of roadways.
This is true democracy, with active participation so things get done. This is real politics (the art of the possible), as opposed to the 'politicking' seen nationally.
What The New York Times Editorial Department is not addressing:
The crisis : that Donald J. Trump is severely mentally ill.
So never mind this article at all: Please Editors address this issue...Trump
has proven sic. the recent video (wrestling CNN)...proof that Trump is too
unstable to remain in office...a day longer...Please call upon Lance M. Dodes
M.D. Harvard Professor of Psychiatry...sic. Letter to Editors Feb 13, 2017..
advising that Trump has a severe and dangerous psychiatric disorder which
will get worse...and be dangerous ...He must be dismissed from office
ASAP...please ...re print this Letter of 2/13/17...today.
The crisis : that Donald J. Trump is severely mentally ill.
So never mind this article at all: Please Editors address this issue...Trump
has proven sic. the recent video (wrestling CNN)...proof that Trump is too
unstable to remain in office...a day longer...Please call upon Lance M. Dodes
M.D. Harvard Professor of Psychiatry...sic. Letter to Editors Feb 13, 2017..
advising that Trump has a severe and dangerous psychiatric disorder which
will get worse...and be dangerous ...He must be dismissed from office
ASAP...please ...re print this Letter of 2/13/17...today.
3
The small New England community is ruled by the unofficial Tradition Party, comprised of those who have lived there for generations. They are a duel edged sword in keeping what is best while preventing the benefits of progress, but don't think these iconic town meetings are without politics or partisanship.
It is not that The Tradition Party is racist or against any religion, per say, but that they put the "them" in Them. Others are simply not from here, and thus an opposition party that is, at first, a diversion slowing the debate and then a problem. Signifiers include dress, mode of transportation, and diet.
Our nation is diverse. The author is correct; politics are local. Our national government can create the rules of the game, but once they begin to dictate how to meet them they will fail because each community has their own solution. Let the Traditionals and Them fight it out here, instead of a straw proxy version in D.C.
It is not that The Tradition Party is racist or against any religion, per say, but that they put the "them" in Them. Others are simply not from here, and thus an opposition party that is, at first, a diversion slowing the debate and then a problem. Signifiers include dress, mode of transportation, and diet.
Our nation is diverse. The author is correct; politics are local. Our national government can create the rules of the game, but once they begin to dictate how to meet them they will fail because each community has their own solution. Let the Traditionals and Them fight it out here, instead of a straw proxy version in D.C.
Nice try, but everyone knows small towns are full of cannibals, satanists and occasionally vampires. No thank you!
How nice for Lyme, NH, pop. appx. 1700.
1
New Hampshire has diversity? I thought it was a lily-white state with a tiny amount of nonwhites. In America and its institutions there is a long standing hostility that exists towards black people and one of the most virulent enforcers of institutional hostility towards blacks is small town governments (Ferguson anyone?). When we saw all those lynching pictures from the 20th century, the black man would be hung from a tree out in the woods in places that resemble New Hampshire. I am quite tired of this idyllic view of small-town America as some wonderful bastion of democracy. Tell that the to the blacks or other minorities who dare move to these isolated places. There is 400-year-old white hate in small town America. Today that hate most clearly manifest itself on the national stage where we see that rural whites would rather die from a lack of access to healthcare than see same said healthcare extended to their nonwhite fellow citizens; this because they don't see nonwhites and non-Christian Americans as fellow citizens. Mayberry RFD is only wonderful if you are a white Christian man. If we want peace, we must end the lying fantasy. This idealizing of this wonderful place, where only a small group of whites live, is racist.
70
"I thought it was a lily-white state"
There is more to "diversity" than race.
"You don’t all have school-aged children, you don’t all live on a dirt road, some of you are on the wrong side of the washed-out culvert."
The lesson here applies to racial diversity too, "You learn pretty quickly that if you don’t treat every washed-out road as though it were your own, you may not like what happens when it is."
There is more to "diversity" than race.
"You don’t all have school-aged children, you don’t all live on a dirt road, some of you are on the wrong side of the washed-out culvert."
The lesson here applies to racial diversity too, "You learn pretty quickly that if you don’t treat every washed-out road as though it were your own, you may not like what happens when it is."
3
Back in the 1980s, southern NH, bordering MA, was booming with Digital Equipment Corporations as one of the largest employers. Many of these engineers who worked at DEC came from all over the world, white and non white. We watched Chinese Indian Thai Mexican restaurants opening where once only burger and steak were the standard fare. That diversity stayed and spread at least till Manchester, Concord and Salem. Yes NH can be diverse, non white and non Christian.
3
@GregAbdul: You are so wrong. Most small towns are completely white because not too long ago, America itself was 90% white. And most small town people harbor no resentment nor hatred of black folks, and many haven't even met any. The lynchings of which you speak occurred nearly 100 years ago, and mostly in the South, where black folks are much more numerous than in the North. And this is not a "racist" country. The United States has done more than any other civilization in the history of this world to try to improve race relations and economic opportunity for those of every race within our borders. Oh, and there is no "400 year old hate" towards black people. That exists only in your mind.
1
Before considering anything else, when deciding how I will vote on any issue, I think about how it will affect those less fortunate than myself. Am I able to think this way because I've never been in great need, or ever been in a position where my life or livelihood would be in jeopardy? I'd rather think not. What drives my decisions is knowing that what is best for everyone in the future will also be best for my family's future.
I believe it is in everyone's best interest if we share equally all the advantages we possess. And since we stole everything of value from the continent's native peoples, I believe we should be willing to give a little something extra to those who played an unwilling role in creating our great wealth. Those would include native Americans, the offspring of slaves and all the others we imported to do our dirty work, like building railroads, bridges and skyscrapers and the like. Many of these people are still struggling to make ends meet. That's sad, and frankly, I believe un-American and uncivilized.
I believe it is in everyone's best interest if we share equally all the advantages we possess. And since we stole everything of value from the continent's native peoples, I believe we should be willing to give a little something extra to those who played an unwilling role in creating our great wealth. Those would include native Americans, the offspring of slaves and all the others we imported to do our dirty work, like building railroads, bridges and skyscrapers and the like. Many of these people are still struggling to make ends meet. That's sad, and frankly, I believe un-American and uncivilized.
4
> we stole everything of value from the continent's native peoples,
Give back your iPhone and SUV to the next Indian you meet.
Give back your iPhone and SUV to the next Indian you meet.
I continue to be astounded by the vitriol lately. Peruse Twitter - pick any reply stream off a DJT post - and witness crassness. From lefts, expressions of embarrassment and numbed shock. Most of their fire is directed at DJT, senate republicans, or Paul Ryan. From rights, abject vindication, a giddy peal of schadenfreude, directed mostly at the lefts themselves. Hate streams from their corner, trampling the republic, Godzilla/Trump-like.
I imagine it's hard for 1,700 NHers to disagree that the road is in fact washed out. Just go look at it. Not so when it comes to taxes, the environment, or healthcare. Take the latter. Can most agree that life is a terminal condition, and that nearly 100% of us will need access to care of some kind? I somehow doubt it. Most hope to die peacefully in sleep. Most won't. Do you want to be on your own in this situation? Do you want to be alone? If your care is extravagant do you want your children to bear the costs? Or do you want 330 million fellow Americans pulling for you, if not in fact then at least in spirit, because we all support the same basic healthcare system?
Why is it not framed like this? Your road may be washed out and you might have a hard time getting to work. Your neighbors will figure out the best way to help. One day each of our roads will end. Do you want your neighbors to forsake you then? I'd much rather care for people than spend energy hating them. Is that not what it ideally means to be an American? I hope so ...
I imagine it's hard for 1,700 NHers to disagree that the road is in fact washed out. Just go look at it. Not so when it comes to taxes, the environment, or healthcare. Take the latter. Can most agree that life is a terminal condition, and that nearly 100% of us will need access to care of some kind? I somehow doubt it. Most hope to die peacefully in sleep. Most won't. Do you want to be on your own in this situation? Do you want to be alone? If your care is extravagant do you want your children to bear the costs? Or do you want 330 million fellow Americans pulling for you, if not in fact then at least in spirit, because we all support the same basic healthcare system?
Why is it not framed like this? Your road may be washed out and you might have a hard time getting to work. Your neighbors will figure out the best way to help. One day each of our roads will end. Do you want your neighbors to forsake you then? I'd much rather care for people than spend energy hating them. Is that not what it ideally means to be an American? I hope so ...
83
This is so true. In the town meetings we have attended people brought their babies, young children and interested high schoolers. What a marvelous lesson in non political democracy that works for everyone.
Thanks for the reminder. We have to stay involved, it's our duty.
Thanks for the reminder. We have to stay involved, it's our duty.
2
Beautiful and so relevant for our times. As others have said here, no one was paying someone else off with money (campaign or otherwise) at this town meeting and I suspect the local politicians were all present for questions. If more facts are presented, WITH EVIDENCE ,calm voices are used and and less emotion is involved we can often "improve the human condition." Or minimally, make some compromises.
2
There is much wisdom in this piece. Here's the nub of it: "...what connects us together as a town or a state or a country? What do we owe our neighbors? How do we value that which is not of direct value to us? Who gets to decide?"
This applies to the big question of the day. Does the individual owe a care for the health of his neighbor? Should he bear any of the burden? Recently a NYT commenter wrote "Individual responsibility, yes. I have no responsibility for my neighbor's health insurance. None. Zero." That is one side of that debate.
There is another side, as the Town Hall Meeting suggests: individuals need their neighbors' assistance. Were the U.S. to apply this concept to the present health care debate, without the interference of politicians, it is likely that quality health care would be provided to every citizen by a single payer. That is how Canada did it: determine through an open and inclusive national debate the shared values that should be applied to health care: not profit, not cost, not ideology, not gross selfishness, not politics, not class, not race or ethnicity, but quality care for the health of each individual. What values do we share?
This applies to the big question of the day. Does the individual owe a care for the health of his neighbor? Should he bear any of the burden? Recently a NYT commenter wrote "Individual responsibility, yes. I have no responsibility for my neighbor's health insurance. None. Zero." That is one side of that debate.
There is another side, as the Town Hall Meeting suggests: individuals need their neighbors' assistance. Were the U.S. to apply this concept to the present health care debate, without the interference of politicians, it is likely that quality health care would be provided to every citizen by a single payer. That is how Canada did it: determine through an open and inclusive national debate the shared values that should be applied to health care: not profit, not cost, not ideology, not gross selfishness, not politics, not class, not race or ethnicity, but quality care for the health of each individual. What values do we share?
5
It's a fine example of an Atticus Finch world that many of us probably either never knew, or have long forgotten.
When we don't know our neighbors, it's only natural that we make decisions based on the little information we have, and what will ulitimately benefit ourselves.
If you replace the washed out road with Medicare (for instance), and the 40 homes that were cut off with the millions who will lose healthcare coverage if the road is left unrepaired, the dynamics of the small town politics change into what we are experiencing now.
The millions who are left stranded are mostly not our neighbors or people the majority of voters know peronsally. They're an abstract group of Americans who, to many, have characteristics that make it questionable as to whether their needs are really worth addressing. Enter political parties and spin, to help shape the debate and appeal to people's emotions to sway opinion, support and votes.
When we don't know our neighbors, it's only natural that we make decisions based on the little information we have, and what will ulitimately benefit ourselves.
If you replace the washed out road with Medicare (for instance), and the 40 homes that were cut off with the millions who will lose healthcare coverage if the road is left unrepaired, the dynamics of the small town politics change into what we are experiencing now.
The millions who are left stranded are mostly not our neighbors or people the majority of voters know peronsally. They're an abstract group of Americans who, to many, have characteristics that make it questionable as to whether their needs are really worth addressing. Enter political parties and spin, to help shape the debate and appeal to people's emotions to sway opinion, support and votes.
8
Interaction between any two people is a relationhip. Interaction betwen 3 or more people is politics. So let us not pretend that comity and lack of R or D labels will allow us to remove politics from the equation. It may allow us to remove some of the partisanship, where we align solely by such labels, but even that is unlikely. People naturally form factions and alliances, sometimes for rational reasons, sometimes because of our lizard brain. I could extol my most recent HOA meeting in similar terms as this author has, where people with much in common attempted to govern in the community's best interest, or I could report on it as a bunch of petty squabbles where people who learned about the issues on the fly interjected their instant opinions and succeeded mostly in roiling up their neighbors and not accomplishing much. Both are true. And we will do it again next month. Ah, America, where all politics is local.
7
I think the difference between the "politics" of this local local town meeting and "politics" at the state or federal level is no one has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars or more to influence the outcome of the votes.
13
Brilliant and timely. Thank you. We, as humans and voters, seem to have a desire if not a need to tribalize, to seek community in some soothing fashion. What I've long not understood is why so many of us willingly adopt political labels, slavishly adhere to them, unquestioningly support the leaders of those political tribes, and equally unquestioningly condemn in absolute fashion those who are different or simply today's targets of tribal leaders. We are supposed to be a nation of individuals who can come together for a common good whether in an actual town hall setting (unlike the meetings hosted by today's elected politicians) or on the national level. Where are those individuals? Why have so many of us become political drones and fodder?
13
On the assumption that this story is indicative of how well democracy works in small-town America, let us take note that in that very productive level of government, there are no Primaries, and there is no Electoral College. Just one vote per person. What a concept!
14
I lived in townships with small very local boards. What happens is total domination by one political party, ingrown incumbents, positions inhereted because people vote by last name, and a old boy network develops. Then some big issue comes up, a gravel pit or natural gas powered energy plant and meetings need to be held in a gym with the county sheriff present. Boards ignore public sentiment, vote in secret, upheaval results in new boards, later again thrown out and everything goes back to the way things were with more good old boys. For me it was a disappointing experience in lack of local democracy. These New England traditions didn't carry on in the midwest. I envy them their traditions and involvement.
9
yes -- that's the way it is here, too
5
Yes, this is how I see it happening, right now. But, gien the nationwide trouble we've seen, due to these kinds of dealings, shouldn't we adopt a grassroots attitude and a plan to take back the government, beginning with the town council, and working our way up to the presidential race. We have problems to solve. HUGE problems to solve. And, our current government(s) are not solving them. Let's elect the candidates who propose authentic solutions, not the hollow promises we've heard for the last few years. Democracy is on the line. Either you're FOR it or you're AGAINST it. Your reliable vote, in EVERY election, will help us fix the country.
3
It occurred to me that a practical solution to the rerouting problem described here would be to allow the 40 homes with more accessibility to emergency services from another town to be incorporated into that municipality or merge the emergency services of the two towns. This article is both an example of the value of local control as well as the cost -- sometimes to the detriment of the population.
2
I kid you: every person at 'the meeting' knows you - the 'problem solver' who thinks "let's get to the task and fix the problem". You are needed and important to the process - but meetings are not about problem solving, they are about venting emotions, claiming turf, flouting seniority, having your say-so, etc. Those of us who are a little quieter smile when you speak and imagine that you must always wonder "why don't they just get to the point?" This is not criticism - I appreciate your 'kind'.
There were other compromises possible too, other accommodation. Perhaps they could ensure the farmer has free access to his land on both sides of the new road, and give him part of the old road to replace what he's lost -- a dirt road is not that far from being planted, and can be removed even easier than the new one graded.
I grew up in Saugus, MA and during highschool years attended our town meetings with my best friend. Later in college we used a text book which measured democracy against an ideal model, namely the New England Town Meeting.
Excellent article. How far we have descended in much of our politics.
Excellent article. How far we have descended in much of our politics.
4
The article fails to mention the most relevant issues: why did a road that's probably been around for a long time suddenly "wash out"? Why cannot it be restored? If the farmer's land is being taken, why not simply pay the price at which he would voluntarily sell it, if necessary partly at the expense of the newly isolated homeowners? Presumably they knew that their road was precarious when they purchased.
5
They probably did not anticipate what climate change would do to rainfall rates.
11
I grew up in a small town in VT, a bit larger but otherwise not entirely dissimilar to Lyme. Sometimes during floods river banks shift. Sometimes farmers won't sell at a remotely reasonable price - or even at any price. And Steve Bolger might not be wrong about climate change - flooding does seem to be becoming a more frequent and severe problem in our corner of the world. On top of that, small towns often have limited budgets, especially those who lost the foundations of their economies to globalization and other economic trends that more and more favor large cities over small towns, and have watched their working-age population drain away to better job markets. This presents real constraints. I'm not familiar with the specifics of this town and the meeting in question, so I'm not going to stand up and say that there weren't better solutions. But I find it plausible that there actually weren't.
5
To you of flat land, paved roads, corrupt politicians, and high taxes...in the hinterlands of America, people live in areas for generations. Stuff happens that you can't control. When I was on a town board of 3 supervisors, I found that consensus and cooperation needed to be done to solve problems and issues. I find it unbelievable that Congress accomplishes anything with the many factions and issues pulling representatives to and fro.
A charming piece. The suggestion seems to be that if we have only to deal with things within our immediate vicinity that clearly impact us personally, things work out albeit not to everybody's satisfaction.
But, of course, the village is not an island. And the big question is how will the national problems be handled. So far, the answer is: as desired by a few balmy billionaires that control all three branches of government, pay for their candidates, promulgate their issues, and unfortunately, disregard the general welfare.
But, of course, the village is not an island. And the big question is how will the national problems be handled. So far, the answer is: as desired by a few balmy billionaires that control all three branches of government, pay for their candidates, promulgate their issues, and unfortunately, disregard the general welfare.
17
This article correctly points out about how small town issues are often about tangible things that people can easily relate to in their everyday lives. But small town politics are just as "rich" with ideology, intrigue, backstabbing, manipulation, selfish power grabs and power plays, and the positing of "evil outside forces" (e.g., the neighboring village or city, the county, the state, etc.) as at any other level of politics. And there's a the question of public participation, or lack thereof. In my experience, almost all of the public remains on the sidelines 99.9% of the time. They don't pay attention, and they don't know what's going on. They're too busy with their private lives and show virtually zero interest in public affairs -- unless someone warns them that something might raise their property taxes. The result? There's rarely any debate at all. The resulting vacuum is filled by the more ideologically-driven "good old old boys" (and some women) who know how to (quietly) take advantage of this to further their own agendas. That's the true local politics that I know.
17
There are few politics nastier than condo association boards. Neighborhood associations have earned similar reputations.
This is a lovely memory of a time past when life was much simpler but it does not fit today's techno saturated world. What we really need is an influx of dynamic young people of all races, sexes and ideas to take over our government from the old white men now failing miserably. It is now time for another 1960's moment to shift our attention to what matters -- our country.
22
This "memory" is from four months ago. Technically "in the past" I suppose, but not in the sense you mean.
"but the thing is, when it’s local, it’s not “politics” at all — at least not as we’ve come to understand it."
We tend to think of politics as a negative process, but this is not correct. Politics is basically governance, organized control over human community. What Ms. Dell'Antonia describes is democracy but it is indeed also politics and there is nothing wrong with that when the process is positive.
We tend to think of politics as a negative process, but this is not correct. Politics is basically governance, organized control over human community. What Ms. Dell'Antonia describes is democracy but it is indeed also politics and there is nothing wrong with that when the process is positive.
35
The town meeting makes for charming story. Direct democracy is a lovely if obsolete idea well suited to small towns with homogeneous populations. Lest New Englanders think the concept is only alive in the states with four seasons, in Florida the town meeting is called "condo association meeting" or "homeowners" association meeting.
As the author indicates, a primary concern of these meetings is to allocate money to meet the needs of the town or association; each participant is keenly aware how much of the money in question is theirs. In my condo association, square footage is the determining factor in allocation so larger condos pay more than smaller condos. Residents of large condos still get one vote just like small condo owners. And just like town meetings, the power resides in who shows up to vote. The author didn't mention what rules are in place for absentee voting at a town meeting for those giving birth or away on business, but condos allow proxy voting.
As the author notes, the largest division in town meetings is often between new residents and old residents. Generally the new residents are younger, wealthier and more willing to spend on amenities in towns or condos. Failing towns and failing condos don't have new residents; they have strict budgets which only limit new residents.
The biggest problem left out by the author is the egotism of people who refuse to compromise or work with others for a solution until no "next time" meeting occurs.
As the author indicates, a primary concern of these meetings is to allocate money to meet the needs of the town or association; each participant is keenly aware how much of the money in question is theirs. In my condo association, square footage is the determining factor in allocation so larger condos pay more than smaller condos. Residents of large condos still get one vote just like small condo owners. And just like town meetings, the power resides in who shows up to vote. The author didn't mention what rules are in place for absentee voting at a town meeting for those giving birth or away on business, but condos allow proxy voting.
As the author notes, the largest division in town meetings is often between new residents and old residents. Generally the new residents are younger, wealthier and more willing to spend on amenities in towns or condos. Failing towns and failing condos don't have new residents; they have strict budgets which only limit new residents.
The biggest problem left out by the author is the egotism of people who refuse to compromise or work with others for a solution until no "next time" meeting occurs.
10
This is a perceptive comment, and can be interpreted as showing the "privatization" of American politics. The condo owners have no responsibility for schools, police, fire protection or anything else outside the scope of their properties. There are only so many hours per day that the average person can devote to political engagement, and the most important issues are always those that affect you directly. So this form of home ownership creates a gap between the individual and the next level of government, and reduces their ties with others in the outside community. The effect is probably small and not that important. However, we usually think of gated communities and large condo developments as self-selected groups wanting to preserve some form of privilege. What we may not see right away is a re-direction of "democratic energies" into narrower and ultimately less relevant forums.
To get more people involved, perhaps there should be some part of every bill that states the (known) future consequences of what happens is Bill X is/is not passed---spelled out in reader-friendly language, and published in the local papers. (If there is a local paper left).
Most people do not have the time to examine all these issues (even if they wanted to) unless they are retired.
Most people do not have the time to examine all these issues (even if they wanted to) unless they are retired.
6
Therein lies the problem as to what truly will be consequences and whether there will be any.
I lived in a small town as well. All of the same issues were voted on and discussion was vigorous. While were not voting in a partisan way, i.e. republican vs. democrat, we were still voting on ideology. Which is precisely what is going on nationally. Small towns are microcosms of the country as a whole.
8
A few vital aspects of civic life are left out: education, the police and the courts. Probably state run and funded.
3
mijosc, Both education and police (local) are included in the mix. In NH, our property taxes are what pays for a good chunk of the education bill (with some coming from State and Federal, less and less each year). Courts are paid for at both the county and state level.
8
smaller communities such as townships don't have their own police and school systems. In Michigan they utilize services of county sheriffs, schools are part of a larger district and court is held only at a county level. So those decisions aren't made in the township forum.
2
Ok, just imagine what will happen if a Syria refugee family resettled in the small town? Let's face it, the simplicity is really a product of homogeneity and less people. Humans are selfish and democracy is messy. Especially when you throw in race, religion, gender, income level, etc. To pretend otherwise is too simple-minded and naive.
I totally understand why some people want to have the good old days back. I would. Who does not like the simplicity of purity and innocence? But I think it is too late already. Even so, this country still needs to fix the broken immigration policy. And BTW, if you are not happy with the broken system, you should not just blame the federal government. The federal government didn't recruit undocumented immigrants. They came because of the "free market force".
I totally understand why some people want to have the good old days back. I would. Who does not like the simplicity of purity and innocence? But I think it is too late already. Even so, this country still needs to fix the broken immigration policy. And BTW, if you are not happy with the broken system, you should not just blame the federal government. The federal government didn't recruit undocumented immigrants. They came because of the "free market force".
7
How are you able to imagine with such clarity what would happen if a Syrian family settled in the town?
to JC: Yes, and imagine when the local atheists (all two of them in Lyme) start giving their opinion and making comments at the meeting. And those new African American families who just moved in. Then the church asks for some funds from the town and most just assume "yes, that would be fine," and then one person points out that that violates the US constitution. And the atheists (now three of them), during the end of year holidays, complain there cannot be the Christian creche on the town park area. The slightest heterogeneity in world view, ideology or any other strong feeling and this perfect situation falls apart. And those "minorities" who will complain are just the ones who should be complaining because their civil rights are being violated. A simple purchase for machinery is one thing but there will ALWAYS be ideological ivolved ideas to discuss and then the POLITICS begins and it can be brutal.
1
"How do we value that which is not of direct value to us?" is a central issue in the debate about small vs big government.
41
How about by trying to exploit a great rambling wreck of a political/economic system where the existential narrative lie is that everyone matters, but...that each is rewarded based on merit?
My understanding is that Switzerland runs their whole country this way, as if it were a set of small towns (cantons). Many here have long wanted one person - one vote. We don't have to send representatives on horseback any longer. We could all be involved and responsible for selecting judges, passing laws, raising taxes, passing a budget and serving our country.
But that would cut right into the power of the rich to do as they please in spite of the general welfare and our common defense.
But that would cut right into the power of the rich to do as they please in spite of the general welfare and our common defense.
11
I don't know when the term "politics" became a four letter word. But the work of governing, of resolving debate and conflict to address challenges and opportunities, and of making decisions for the betterment of the community of the governed, is what separates America from many other countries who do not have free and fair elections and who suffer from ineffective or nonexistent political institutions.
If we can no longer govern ourselves through our historically successful political processes and, instead, allow corrosive rancor and incivility to infuse the system, we might as well just put a despot in charge and let him tell us what to do.
Oh wait--we already have.
If we can no longer govern ourselves through our historically successful political processes and, instead, allow corrosive rancor and incivility to infuse the system, we might as well just put a despot in charge and let him tell us what to do.
Oh wait--we already have.
34
Our tiny Maine town meeting made state news a number of years ago because of a fistfight among the selectmen. We now have a moderator, a lawyer, from out of town. The tensions between townspeople are the same as national tensions; they just aren't called Dem or Repub: they're usually called "from here" or "from away". The major things like roads and fire etc are mostly voted in by everyone, but personal feelings get in the way as soon as there's an issue not deemed "necessary". It never occurred to me that a library could be objectionable, especially one which receives only a small amount of money from the town, but there is a faction here that hates it, because of a long-ago clash of personalities.
And in a town of approx 1500, about 50-75 people show up at town meeting and basically hijack the process with their animosities. The personal animosity is exhausting and I dread it every year.
And in a town of approx 1500, about 50-75 people show up at town meeting and basically hijack the process with their animosities. The personal animosity is exhausting and I dread it every year.
32
I think the division lies between those who see life as a zero sum game, and those who see it as an opportunity to pursue happiness in alliance with others.
8
LS and Steve: This is a very important factor - the clash of personalities and individual self-concepts that seem incompatible for open discussion and compromise on issues of mutual importance . It would take a moderator with a therapist's background or at least insight into to the personalities that lock horns in order to diffuse the bad feelings and allow people to understand and respect another's feelings and point of view.
1
Town meetings have been passionate this past year in Fort Ann, NY, because of a dirt-bike race course replacing a golf course adjacent to homes and the Adirondack Park. While it's true there is no sign of Republican or Democratic stands on the issue, the debate does reflect changes in the national political climate. Those who want motocross are unashamed to show their disregard for its effect on neighbors forced to move out of their now worthless homes because of the insane racket. They demean their suffering as "nitpicking." Having received a permit with conditions of operation last year, they seek to have the conditions removed this year. Naked ambition, insulting partisanship, infantile self-centeredness, smug entitlement - remind you of anyone? The national stage has legitimized a new tone in local democracy. It's ugly and dangerous.
16
I was born and raised in Iowa. My neighbors were good people, but it wasn't right for me. I was lucky that my parents were able to send me to the Ivy League...whose costs were a small fraction of those today. I then moved to New York and have had a good, successful life.
How do I explain my feelings today? It's ridiculous that a small, unrepresentative state is so important in today's elections. And it's also incredible that a bigot like Steve King now represents my home district. He could NEVER have been elected when I lived there.
And how could my home district go for Trump? For all his talk and promises, he will HURT most of the people who voted for him. And how can business executives and actors and sports stars make tens of millions of dollars a year while most salaries have gained little or are even lower than years ago, considering inflation?
Who has answers? I'm waiting and willing to follow you.
How do I explain my feelings today? It's ridiculous that a small, unrepresentative state is so important in today's elections. And it's also incredible that a bigot like Steve King now represents my home district. He could NEVER have been elected when I lived there.
And how could my home district go for Trump? For all his talk and promises, he will HURT most of the people who voted for him. And how can business executives and actors and sports stars make tens of millions of dollars a year while most salaries have gained little or are even lower than years ago, considering inflation?
Who has answers? I'm waiting and willing to follow you.
37
"And it's also incredible that a bigot like Steve King now represents my home district. He could NEVER have been elected when I lived there....Who has answers? I'm waiting and willing to follow you."
You left. Fix that.
You left. Fix that.
1
When all the people like you leave places like Iowa for places like NYC or California, the people who stay control the votes. If the population of democrats is concentrated in a few states, they will lose on a national level.
One strategy would be to pick one or two swing states and try to encourage more liberal minded people to move to those states.
One strategy would be to pick one or two swing states and try to encourage more liberal minded people to move to those states.
1
to bnyc: I have another question Why do doctors, EMS, firemen, policemen make so little while baseball, basketball, football, and hockey players make so much?
1
This is politics.
3
First of all, I enjoyed this article immensely. I have often wondered why, in this age of instant communication, municipalities and even states have not looked into direct democracy more. ( I actually know - changing charters and state constitutions is a real downer!).
But the essential premise of the article, that the New Hampshire town meeting is "without politics," is incorrect. It is, rather, democracy with politics in the finest sense of the word.
The constant pommeling of the word, "politics," as a pejorative has driven the essential and primary definitions of the word into a state of subordination. My trusty Funk and Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary lists as the first definition of "politics" as: "the science or art of government." It also reveals that the Greek root of the word is "polites," meaning "citizen."
This is exactly what KJ Dell'Antonia and the good people of Lyme engaged in at their town meeting, and God love them for doing it.
And the article correctly points out that every municipality and school district has tons of public meetings and hearings every month an all kinds of things that affect us much more directly than anything Senator McConnell, Rep. Pelosi or President Trump do, say or Tweet. We might not be able to cote at those meetings, but we can learn, listen, and, if needed, speak. That's politics at its best, too.
Thanks to the author for reminding us what "we the People" can do when we get truly involved.
But the essential premise of the article, that the New Hampshire town meeting is "without politics," is incorrect. It is, rather, democracy with politics in the finest sense of the word.
The constant pommeling of the word, "politics," as a pejorative has driven the essential and primary definitions of the word into a state of subordination. My trusty Funk and Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary lists as the first definition of "politics" as: "the science or art of government." It also reveals that the Greek root of the word is "polites," meaning "citizen."
This is exactly what KJ Dell'Antonia and the good people of Lyme engaged in at their town meeting, and God love them for doing it.
And the article correctly points out that every municipality and school district has tons of public meetings and hearings every month an all kinds of things that affect us much more directly than anything Senator McConnell, Rep. Pelosi or President Trump do, say or Tweet. We might not be able to cote at those meetings, but we can learn, listen, and, if needed, speak. That's politics at its best, too.
Thanks to the author for reminding us what "we the People" can do when we get truly involved.
16
The author's assertion that partisan politics has not found its corrosive way into the debates of New England town meetings can be based only on a truly remarkable lack of travel.
10
This is a nice article. Not far from NH, in NYS, when people call for a town hall meeting, they are generally calling for a Congressman, federal, to stand in front of them and answer their questions. The term "town meeting" conjures up notions of direct, information-based participation. The town hall in the town in which I live isn't large enough to hold all town residents if a true town hall meeting were to occur. We elect district representatives. Our republican - as in republic - government is representative democracy and today, many of our "representatives" do not represent. At many post 2016 election protests and rallies, those in favor of direct democracy chant 'this is what democracy looks like." Maybe here, maybe there, but not everywhere.
3
The less elected officials are allowed to hand out privileges and punishments based on political advantage, the stronger the community.
Much relies on how close government is to the people it serves and the direct social consequences of self dealing.
In urban areas and at the state and federal level, public representatives are far enough removed from the consequences of their decisions to be held accountable and influence peddling essentially been institutionalized.
Democracy cannot function if the same people are protected from and promoted by policy outcomes while others are continually left vulnerable and damaged because of those decisions.
The federalization of local issues and the blatant and egregious associated selectivity of rewards and law enforcement (or lack there of) invited the rebellion we just witnessed.
Much relies on how close government is to the people it serves and the direct social consequences of self dealing.
In urban areas and at the state and federal level, public representatives are far enough removed from the consequences of their decisions to be held accountable and influence peddling essentially been institutionalized.
Democracy cannot function if the same people are protected from and promoted by policy outcomes while others are continually left vulnerable and damaged because of those decisions.
The federalization of local issues and the blatant and egregious associated selectivity of rewards and law enforcement (or lack there of) invited the rebellion we just witnessed.
3
I grew up outside NYC in Rockland County. My school years were frequently punctuated by school budget decisions and sometimes teacher strikes when elderly citizens would vote down the town budget. It seemed to me that there was a constant war between the needs of young and old. That held true until I moved to Massachusetts and started to attend our local town meeting. For the first time, I saw senior citizens stand up to encourage their peers to vote in large school budget increases. They voted in several tax overrides (exceeding the 2.5% limit) to counter the severe cuts that Mitt Romney had enacted. These votes saved our schools and allowed them to expand when needed. I love this town now and its annual meeting. It is the best lesson in Democracy and anyone can attend (although you will not be allowed to vote). I have grown to know and respect the locals here because of this tradition.
16
Our town aged, families became elderly couples, and yet the school millage continues to pass each time. Why? Good schools are key to property values. The values of those homes are a major asset of the elderly couples in question, and they want to maintain the value of their homes.
Taking care of the neighbors is ALSO taking care of oneself in an enlightened view. What is required is that bit of enlightenment.
Taking care of the neighbors is ALSO taking care of oneself in an enlightened view. What is required is that bit of enlightenment.
3
Yes, well, I'm glad you have a healthy small town, but not all small towns are healthy, and I do think you're right that there's something about New England that isn't duplicated everywhere else.
Consider two movies--Bad Day at Black Rock and Murder in Catawba County. In both cases, a small group of people control a small town, and the results are disastrous.
My husband and I are New Yorkers who own a second home in a small town in upstate New York, where we second home owners are a distinct minority. A group of men from families who have been there for a hundred years runs the town. Not only do they make sure those "part time" throwaway jobs paying $10,500 go to themselves, their families and friends, they steer town contracts to those they like in the County. It's impossible to break their grip on the town, and they control all town debates by cutting off the discussion if it turns critical toward them. Second-home owners like me (they openly refer to us as "white wine drinkers,", whose taxes they love well enough, are beneath contempt, but anyone not part of that old-time group is dismissed as well.
The point I'm making is that small towns are not a panacea for what ails America. Without the virtues of respect for the law, fellow citizens, some self-control, and a decent citizenry to begin with, small towns become as much of a cesspool as the Trump administration.
Consider two movies--Bad Day at Black Rock and Murder in Catawba County. In both cases, a small group of people control a small town, and the results are disastrous.
My husband and I are New Yorkers who own a second home in a small town in upstate New York, where we second home owners are a distinct minority. A group of men from families who have been there for a hundred years runs the town. Not only do they make sure those "part time" throwaway jobs paying $10,500 go to themselves, their families and friends, they steer town contracts to those they like in the County. It's impossible to break their grip on the town, and they control all town debates by cutting off the discussion if it turns critical toward them. Second-home owners like me (they openly refer to us as "white wine drinkers,", whose taxes they love well enough, are beneath contempt, but anyone not part of that old-time group is dismissed as well.
The point I'm making is that small towns are not a panacea for what ails America. Without the virtues of respect for the law, fellow citizens, some self-control, and a decent citizenry to begin with, small towns become as much of a cesspool as the Trump administration.
90
Yes, small towns can be stifling, but a comparison with "the Trump administration" is more than one step over the line. I'll take one of the stifling small towns any day to Trump and his syncophantic would-be tyrants. Small towns should be kept in perspective--maybe you could have a beer now and then, or at least some red wine, with one or more of the locals--you might find some common ground with those who think you're from "away."
6
We moved into a small town in Arkansas with the same type of government. Even if you lived there most of your adult life, or brought back a bride from outside of their town, you and your children were considered outsiders. What was worse was that the sheriff was (appointed) elected by the elders of the town.
1
You have no idea how hard we tried.
2
More Americans need to read the writings of a community-citizenship thinker such as Benjamin Barber or Michael Sandel.
1
Now, what with Citizens United, gerrymandering, our over-protective electoral college, voting restrictions, alternate truth reporting, a poorly educated populace, media consolidations and their editing policies, we have more politics with less Democracy.
Trump's orange outrageousness should be adequate proof of this.
What will become of us, with our increasingly degraded and confused majority?
A citizen can spend thousands of dollars, with adequate security, using the credit or debit card. Why can't "e" vote in the same way?
Why, with modern communications, don't we have more "at-large" representatives in today's government?
How long will we permit McConnell's "sick" Congress to jack us around?
Trump's orange outrageousness should be adequate proof of this.
What will become of us, with our increasingly degraded and confused majority?
A citizen can spend thousands of dollars, with adequate security, using the credit or debit card. Why can't "e" vote in the same way?
Why, with modern communications, don't we have more "at-large" representatives in today's government?
How long will we permit McConnell's "sick" Congress to jack us around?
2
This is all very heartwarming and oh so profound, but it has nothing to do with the reality of national politics in a country with over 300 million citizens. I've lived in New England most of my life, and town meeting is indeed a special thing, but let's not over-romanticize it. Town government also involves petty disputes and personal feuds. There are people who become lifelong officeholders not because they love serving their community, but to satisfy a craving for power and self-importance, even on such a ridiculously small scale. In any case you can't extrapolate the principles of town meeting government to fit a huge polity that maintains a worldwide semi-empire, while living off debt and money-printing on a scale never before witnessed in human history. Town government is fine for your little village and mine, but participatory democracy on a continental scale is an utterly impractical notion.
79
Self-described liberal here, but maybe this is where the notion of "state's rights" (the pure one, not the dog-whistle one) could gain some traction. The warning of history is that empires inevitably outgrow their capacity and crumble. Perhaps attempting participatory democracy on a continental scale is an experiment destined to fail, and devolving more decision-making (and the attendant tax revenues) to the states might just save the Republic?
3
Or it might be the only real solution to the problems and tendencies you describe.
2
What is better than participatory democracy for our national size, then? I'm curious what models may be more practical in your view.
1
Excellent article and thank you.
5
So there had been a road. It got washed out. And the town decided to forcibly take the land of a resident instead of simply repairing the road on its old route (which, presumably, would not require the town to forcibly take the land of a resident.
The rest of this article is just a lot of blah blah blah. The interesting part is that 161 people voted to steal a resident's land when an alternative existed, and the author did not bother to explain why this option was necessary.
The rest of this article is just a lot of blah blah blah. The interesting part is that 161 people voted to steal a resident's land when an alternative existed, and the author did not bother to explain why this option was necessary.
9
The author didn't explain, but it should be pretty obvious to anyone who doesn't assume bad faith on the part of town government. The 4 or 5th time you paid to repair the road which keeps getting washed out because it's route was poorly chosen, you also might wish the road's route could be rethought.
Roads are a simple necessity to civilization. The purpose of imminent domain – in which the taken land is purchased, btw – is to make it possible to prioritize the public good when that outweighs the individual good. Many of us believe that decision should never be made lightly, but this seems like a pretty cut and dried case.
Roads are a simple necessity to civilization. The purpose of imminent domain – in which the taken land is purchased, btw – is to make it possible to prioritize the public good when that outweighs the individual good. Many of us believe that decision should never be made lightly, but this seems like a pretty cut and dried case.
14
http://www.vnews.com/Lyme-NH-Town-Meeting-2017-summary-8555380
Sandbank (Lyme abuts the Connecticut River) - so repairing it would be just buying time until the next wash-out.
Sandbank (Lyme abuts the Connecticut River) - so repairing it would be just buying time until the next wash-out.
8
"Presumably"?
Presumptions are often unjustified. In your haste to denigrate the article you don't bother to consider that the rerouting was necessary because the old route had become impracticable after being washed out.
Presumptions are often unjustified. In your haste to denigrate the article you don't bother to consider that the rerouting was necessary because the old route had become impracticable after being washed out.
1
This process works far better for decisions about road graders than for school budgets, where, in some towns, groups of voters will periodically try to pass a massive cut to school spending since these meetings are attended by only a fraction of the families affected. I ultimately decided to settle in a NH town with representative government where school board members get elected but budget decisions are not made at town or school meetings. Decisions made by elected leaders knowledgeable about the consequences seem a safer bet to me, though I have to admit, town meetings can be thoroughly entertaining.
14
A perfect article.
Of course, many of the early commenters already miss the point, predictably and reflexively, seeing socialism and "interest of the community" where there is little or none.
Though the author may disagree, this article makes it very clear that it is mostly self-interest that animates the "interest of the community" (there is no such thing as a community, there are only individual human beings) and produces not necessarily an optimal or perfect but satisfycing (i.e. good enough) solution. The other element is at least a minimal respect for other humans.
All of that works as long as people are willing to submit to majority rule, however defined, the only fair rule in existence.
Of course, many of the early commenters already miss the point, predictably and reflexively, seeing socialism and "interest of the community" where there is little or none.
Though the author may disagree, this article makes it very clear that it is mostly self-interest that animates the "interest of the community" (there is no such thing as a community, there are only individual human beings) and produces not necessarily an optimal or perfect but satisfycing (i.e. good enough) solution. The other element is at least a minimal respect for other humans.
All of that works as long as people are willing to submit to majority rule, however defined, the only fair rule in existence.
2
Thank you for sharing this! Participation in our town's annual meeting is a point of pride and inspiration for me. Every year, part way through the meeting, we sit down to a potluck lunch -- breaking bread with folks we may have been arguing with moments before. It is an important reminder of how caring people can approach problems very differently, how diverse life experiences can yield skill sets that make different contributions in solving problems, and how groups can use processes that allow for civil disagreement to come, ultimately, to agreement and progress.
32
Great point, but it is one that is not scalable to even the state level, let alone the national level.
10
The scalable part is the attitude. This town recognizes that issues are complex but despite this decisions must be made. They get that they have to think beyond their self interest for the good of the whole. As a result they have to put trust into the system. That's not a bad starting point for how to interact with government or even how to govern.
51
There is always politics in these small decisions that can be seen in the decisions made all the way up to the federal level. Whose cousin sells the salt? My street hasn't been assigned for road repair for years. Mathematically one can not share a pie with more than three people fairly. There will be scenarios where one individual gets a bigger piece than either of the other two. This is the simple case where the object can be shared and all voices have the same strength.
3
"Americans are fond of saying that all politics is local, but the thing is, when it’s local, it’s not “politics” at all — at least not as we’ve come to understand it."
This is a great essay. My Massachusetts town has city council, but many around me have town meetings, which may seem quaint in t his day and age, but make people invested in sharing opinions and having a say in running their government.
When I go vote in local elections, I'm always surprised--pleasantly so--to see ballots listing local officials without party affiliations, in most cases. Without seeing that, I'm forced to follow the candidates themselves: what they believe, what they stand for, if their views align with mine.
I'm not voting party, I'm voting for people. As the GOP gained its preeminence by capturing the most local of elections, town by town, county by county, state by state, we too who feel helpless on national level can get to know what empowerment feels like by getting involved.
And, as you point out, gaining a better understanding of those who don't think like me on key decisions.
This is a great essay. My Massachusetts town has city council, but many around me have town meetings, which may seem quaint in t his day and age, but make people invested in sharing opinions and having a say in running their government.
When I go vote in local elections, I'm always surprised--pleasantly so--to see ballots listing local officials without party affiliations, in most cases. Without seeing that, I'm forced to follow the candidates themselves: what they believe, what they stand for, if their views align with mine.
I'm not voting party, I'm voting for people. As the GOP gained its preeminence by capturing the most local of elections, town by town, county by county, state by state, we too who feel helpless on national level can get to know what empowerment feels like by getting involved.
And, as you point out, gaining a better understanding of those who don't think like me on key decisions.
34
The failure to list party on local ballots led to the GOP capturing local and county power and then putting to work a unified ideology often led by ALEC. I do not trust anyone who runs for an elected office and is unwilling to display their political party identity. My decent Republican acquaintances may be quick to volunteer and cheerful at community meetings, but they are enabling with their votes a radical agenda that threatens me in the most personal way--often because they fail to look beyond the party slogans to the state legislative actions their Republican party is taking to deny local control in states all over the country, including Florida.
10
We have come to conflate "politics" with political parties. This is butch sad and incorrect. Doing away with our two political parties, for example, will not do away with politics.
A Town Meeting is scheduled for this working-class community in Upstate, NY this July. A 'Newcomer', one can listen first, look about at the number of participants, and after introducing oneself with an 'ice-breaker' (duration 4-6 minutes), start asking relevant questions that have been expressed by the Elders over the course of a year.
Leave Politics and Religion outside the closed door, bring in Manners. The Outlook at the moment is grim. There is little work for the young, they have no place to go, the children are receiving little education for lack of funds and family disruptions. Health
The Housing Market is stalled. Tourism is sluggish. We are 'The Forgotten Ones', and Trust in Big Government is low. It is Veterans Country, and a 'Fair Exchange Program' is taking place. If you are an elderly woman in a single household, neighbors on all sides are protective and watching. They seem surprised if you offer a bed to a visiting member of their family because they lack space.
The Fire Department needs volunteers and donations, so does the Library, the focal point of the Town where voting takes place, internet service is available and free books and DVDs are welcome. All to say, we may be on our own, but we are not giving up. Times are rough. Our town doctor is respected, and networking helps for other recommendations of essential needs. We are not waiting for outside help any more.
On Thanksgiving, a neighbor showed up with a plate. It was the best.
Leave Politics and Religion outside the closed door, bring in Manners. The Outlook at the moment is grim. There is little work for the young, they have no place to go, the children are receiving little education for lack of funds and family disruptions. Health
The Housing Market is stalled. Tourism is sluggish. We are 'The Forgotten Ones', and Trust in Big Government is low. It is Veterans Country, and a 'Fair Exchange Program' is taking place. If you are an elderly woman in a single household, neighbors on all sides are protective and watching. They seem surprised if you offer a bed to a visiting member of their family because they lack space.
The Fire Department needs volunteers and donations, so does the Library, the focal point of the Town where voting takes place, internet service is available and free books and DVDs are welcome. All to say, we may be on our own, but we are not giving up. Times are rough. Our town doctor is respected, and networking helps for other recommendations of essential needs. We are not waiting for outside help any more.
On Thanksgiving, a neighbor showed up with a plate. It was the best.
34
Is the comments section really meant to be "Hey, let's see if I can write the same thing you, the original [professional] columnist just wrote in almost the same banal way." If you go to the Louver do you submit an ameteur picture of the Mona Lisa?
1
To the honest, I was only able to grasp the importance of what this fine columnist had to write. It is recycling day here in our community and time to place the waste bin neatly on the countryside road where I am followed by a young cat who has adopted me and enjoys company.
As for banality, If you go to the Louvre in Paris, you will not find the Mona Lisa sporting a mustache, which caused an uproar in the Art World when Marcel Duchamp, the French artist deemed by some one of the most brilliant minds of the last Century, placed on his own portrayal of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece.
The author of 'Democracy Without Politics' has launched a communal discussion which is food for thought and action.
As for banality, If you go to the Louvre in Paris, you will not find the Mona Lisa sporting a mustache, which caused an uproar in the Art World when Marcel Duchamp, the French artist deemed by some one of the most brilliant minds of the last Century, placed on his own portrayal of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece.
The author of 'Democracy Without Politics' has launched a communal discussion which is food for thought and action.
Bear in mind that all this works if the people in the town conceive themselves as citizens of a shared community and believe in the efficacy of government as a pathway to the common good. When you have a political party that for the past 37 years has run on the principle that government is the problem, not the solution, then it all falls apart.
209
That would be why some voted against the re-routing of the road a d against taking the land. That might not be why democracy on a larger more significa t scale struggles. It might be that it struggles because instead of disagreeing about the scope of government or about any other issue, each side attacks the other as fundamentally bad, not just in disagreement with their own view but as wrecking democracy
4
Yes.
As commenter Moshe ben Asher suggests, the directness of the democracy matters, though. In order to think of "themselves as citizens of a shared community and believe in the efficacy of government as a pathway to the common good" in other words take on the responsibility of citizenship, people require the sense that they have the power to impact the outcome, which is harder to come by in our less directly democratic jurisdictions. The most effective salve to the right's anti-government message would be greater opportunities for direct participation in decision making.
Unfortunately the uppercase Democratic party continues to make the strategic, elitist and ethical blunder of discounting those who disagree with them as ignorant, and out of fear of their fellow citizens empowerment and perhaps the ensuing obligation to engage with them, generally goes along with power holders' opposition to the expansion and improvement of directly democratic processes.
There's a related documentary that attempts to address the resistance on the left to direct democracy, at:
http://timewetalk.org
As commenter Moshe ben Asher suggests, the directness of the democracy matters, though. In order to think of "themselves as citizens of a shared community and believe in the efficacy of government as a pathway to the common good" in other words take on the responsibility of citizenship, people require the sense that they have the power to impact the outcome, which is harder to come by in our less directly democratic jurisdictions. The most effective salve to the right's anti-government message would be greater opportunities for direct participation in decision making.
Unfortunately the uppercase Democratic party continues to make the strategic, elitist and ethical blunder of discounting those who disagree with them as ignorant, and out of fear of their fellow citizens empowerment and perhaps the ensuing obligation to engage with them, generally goes along with power holders' opposition to the expansion and improvement of directly democratic processes.
There's a related documentary that attempts to address the resistance on the left to direct democracy, at:
http://timewetalk.org
1
Town meeting government is democracy at its most raw. Personal comments in endless discussion on inconsequential items. You moved into a new house near the shooting range that has been there fifty years and you complain about the noise?
Simple voice vote on the biggest item, school budget, with no debate except occasional tolerated rants from the usual suspects.
As it should be. Empowered citizens dealing with local issues.
Federal and state government could be more like town meeting if there were term limits to prevent professional polititions from taking over.
Simple voice vote on the biggest item, school budget, with no debate except occasional tolerated rants from the usual suspects.
As it should be. Empowered citizens dealing with local issues.
Federal and state government could be more like town meeting if there were term limits to prevent professional polititions from taking over.
16
There are term limits. It is called the election cycle. We the voters can end a term of our elected officials during any one of them. the real issue is we want term limits on other people's representatives and senators. To do so would be to remove any influence a small state like Rhode Island and Vermont have in terms of seniority on important committees. We either trust our fellow citizens to vote for the common good of each other and the country or we don't. I agree trusting is a task that feels like climbing Mt Everest, the impossible dream.
30
Vicki, I agree. But we need to eliminate political parties so we no longer have a "party over country" government. Our government is supposed to represent what is best for the people not what is best for a particular party and its donors. Our small MA town is run fairly well, fiscally responsible but not to the point of tight fisted. We have full time police, fire and EMT. Our roads are in decent shape and our property taxes are some of the lowest in the state. We have a good public school system, very low crime and a nice rural town feel even though we are only 15 miles from Worcester, the next largest city in New England, second only to Boston. We are 50 miles from Boston so considered a commutable town. When people run for town government positions they run solely on platform, ideas and ideals. No one runs on a party ticket. The voters pick the candidate who best matches their own policy ideas and ideology. Of all of our selectmen I know the party affiliation of two or three since I see them campaigning at our state government elections. Political parties are damaging to government. How many voters vote straight party line no matter how horrible the candidate? How different would our country be if lead by those who put the American peoples' interests first rather than party fealty? How many voters even know what their elected officials support when they just blindly vote for the R or the D rather than the policies and how they will affect them or their families?
3
States and corporations are not people.
1
For the sake of argument, define politics as the debate about what's good for the group.
Does self-interest automatically produce what's good for the group? It might in small groups where everyone cares about everyone else as well as the community, and, in democracies, where one person has one vote; or in republican forms of government, where there is fair representation. Small town New Hampshire may approximate this.
On a broader scale, fair representation and a strong sense of community are difficult to achieve. It requires comity and a conscious effort on the part of individuals to look out for not only themselves but also others within the group and for the group itself.
Does self-interest automatically produce what's good for the group? It might in small groups where everyone cares about everyone else as well as the community, and, in democracies, where one person has one vote; or in republican forms of government, where there is fair representation. Small town New Hampshire may approximate this.
On a broader scale, fair representation and a strong sense of community are difficult to achieve. It requires comity and a conscious effort on the part of individuals to look out for not only themselves but also others within the group and for the group itself.
35
You're right, and you're describing exactly what Jean-Jacques Rousseau described in "The social contract". Democracy can work well only if people vote on the basis of wht they see to be in the interests of the community. Voting purely on the basis of self-interest leads to the tyranny of the majority, in which the 51% think it is OK to impoverish or otherwise disadvantge the 49%.
115
Lucky you! Here we're living with tyranny of the minority thanks to a constitutional quirk.
2
The politics of any given item on the warrant are predetermined before it reaches Town Meeting. The issue has been submitted to a committee which has reviewed it thoroughly and passed it through the Finance Committee. The positions of the town's selectmen are usually well-known, and there is generally a majority bloc with little patience for verbosity or emotionalism.
What makes Town Meeting work is a code of conduct based on personal knowledge of all the political players involved in even the most trivial issue. That is what separates it from the animal house antics that one sees in presidential debates and televised "town halls".
What makes Town Meeting work is a code of conduct based on personal knowledge of all the political players involved in even the most trivial issue. That is what separates it from the animal house antics that one sees in presidential debates and televised "town halls".
24
Thank you for the only accurate description here of how town meeting works....in most towns in New England anyway. At least that's how it works in my town of 32,000 where it works vey well.
I am reminded of a meeting of citizens called to talk about sex abuse issues at the high school, in which we discovered we were all very angry at the Prosecutor. The meeting became loud, and then he was defeated in the upcoming election. It was not at all what those calling the meeting had expected. We have minds of our own, and we like to discover what the rest of us are thinking. It is not always what we've been told to think.
"In our town of about 1,700 people, more than 300 gathered in the school..."
I think it unlikely that the other 1400 citizens were children under the age of 18.
As a member of the Zoning Commission of a small New England town about the size of Lyme, I can attest to the fact that most people don't give a lot of thought to government until it becomes personal. Then comes the grave concern, the righteous indignation, and forefingers poking holes in the air.
Big town or small, citizens would do well to drop in on a meeting of the Zoning Commission, Inland Wetlands Commission, Board of Supervisors or Selectman, Planning Commission, Board of Education or other bodies where often times unpaid volunteers hash out the day to day conflicts and decisions that keep towns, and therefore the nation, running. You might even think of running for a seat yourself.
I think it unlikely that the other 1400 citizens were children under the age of 18.
As a member of the Zoning Commission of a small New England town about the size of Lyme, I can attest to the fact that most people don't give a lot of thought to government until it becomes personal. Then comes the grave concern, the righteous indignation, and forefingers poking holes in the air.
Big town or small, citizens would do well to drop in on a meeting of the Zoning Commission, Inland Wetlands Commission, Board of Supervisors or Selectman, Planning Commission, Board of Education or other bodies where often times unpaid volunteers hash out the day to day conflicts and decisions that keep towns, and therefore the nation, running. You might even think of running for a seat yourself.
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Let me add that patriotism and love for one's country begins with service to one's community, you cannot separate the two.
5
>patriotism and love for one's country begins with service to one's community
In America, patriots defend individual rights against service.
In America, patriots defend individual rights against service.
Great article. Brings back fond memories of life in small town New England. And so refreshing to read something that isn't poisoned with partisan politics. We all need more of this!
I remember back to my time in MA, and every other year or so our town fathers would get a petition by some business entities to build convenience stores at a highway interchange near our pristine neighborhood. We were adjacent to a state park. We knew if built more traffic and more stores. So when it came up at town hall meeting, off a bunch of us would go and let the community know in no uncertain terms that we didn't want it. That was 20 years ago. We visited recently and the interchange is still free of commercial clutter.
Thank you. I miss New England. Just not the winters!!
I remember back to my time in MA, and every other year or so our town fathers would get a petition by some business entities to build convenience stores at a highway interchange near our pristine neighborhood. We were adjacent to a state park. We knew if built more traffic and more stores. So when it came up at town hall meeting, off a bunch of us would go and let the community know in no uncertain terms that we didn't want it. That was 20 years ago. We visited recently and the interchange is still free of commercial clutter.
Thank you. I miss New England. Just not the winters!!
37
You put more than 3 humans together in a group and you're going to have politics. It's endemic in the species. It's probably a function of all social animals since it can be seen in cruder variations within them. So the title of this piece is, for me, all wrong. The nature of the politics at this authors local level is, as stated, direct and participatory. It's a laudable exercise. But it does not scale, does it? Not to +300M people.
Or maybe it does? In todays 'Net based world is it not possible to try something similar at the national level? I tend to doubt it but it would be an interesting, and original in terms of size, experiment to try. I daresay if you think local politics can be noisy and clamorous me thinks it would be as a quiet library reading room by comparison to national debates, eh?
Come to think of it, it could invigorate our national body politic since it has become polarized to the point of being sclerotic. Such an experiment could prove to be strong...medicine? But what are the odds we, as a people, would consider it much less vote on the premise?
John~
American Net'Zen
Or maybe it does? In todays 'Net based world is it not possible to try something similar at the national level? I tend to doubt it but it would be an interesting, and original in terms of size, experiment to try. I daresay if you think local politics can be noisy and clamorous me thinks it would be as a quiet library reading room by comparison to national debates, eh?
Come to think of it, it could invigorate our national body politic since it has become polarized to the point of being sclerotic. Such an experiment could prove to be strong...medicine? But what are the odds we, as a people, would consider it much less vote on the premise?
John~
American Net'Zen
2
In the age of the American Revolution, most informed observers believed that the republican form of government could achieve success only in small, tightly knit communities, partly because the ties between citizens and representatives would prevent tyranny. In "Federalist 10," however, James Madison argued that the diversity of interests in a large, sprawling nation such as the US would preclude the kind of collusion that might enable a small elite to dominate the government. In more homogeneous communities, on the other hand, a family or group of families might so dominate the economy that they would enjoy a similar control over government.
Historically, New England towns and villages seem rarely to have faced this problem. The fact remains, nevertheless, that the size of the community cannot guarantee democracy. The reader cannot determine, for example, whether a coalition formed behind the scenes to ensure the outcome of the vote on the road. When some people gain and others lose from a government decision, in any case, politics always intervenes, even if the result reflects the democratic will of the citizenry.
Historically, New England towns and villages seem rarely to have faced this problem. The fact remains, nevertheless, that the size of the community cannot guarantee democracy. The reader cannot determine, for example, whether a coalition formed behind the scenes to ensure the outcome of the vote on the road. When some people gain and others lose from a government decision, in any case, politics always intervenes, even if the result reflects the democratic will of the citizenry.
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New England is not immune. Conflict of interest arises as a problem when your Board of Selectmen is dominated by real estate brokers and developers and when that also typifies every small town in a county. Add to this that all the real estate families place relatives in town jobs that govern land use, septic systems, zoning, and even monies given to the needy.
Colonial era New England towns were typified by a wide spread family interrelationships, de facto clans. Town interest was family interest. In an agricultural age you depended on manpower within those circles. But it could backfire badly, witness Salem. Feuds never die in small towns.
On a non political but criminal note, James Lee in Texas might want to check the history of the Maverick family. It is possible people just left small town politics the way people leave condo complexes with condo board issues.
Colonial era New England towns were typified by a wide spread family interrelationships, de facto clans. Town interest was family interest. In an agricultural age you depended on manpower within those circles. But it could backfire badly, witness Salem. Feuds never die in small towns.
On a non political but criminal note, James Lee in Texas might want to check the history of the Maverick family. It is possible people just left small town politics the way people leave condo complexes with condo board issues.
21
They discussed the effects of various sizes. They saw small enough as safe. They also saw somewhat bigger as a huge problem, Rhode Island and Providence then owned and controlled by a tiny number of wealthy interests was the example used. They felt it had to be small enough or big enough to avoid that dominance of money and power by an elite few.
Of course with the advance of technology, the size that can be and is dominated by an elite few is now entirely different.
Of course with the advance of technology, the size that can be and is dominated by an elite few is now entirely different.
Consider the word polity.
"A polity is any kind of political entity. It is a group of people who are collectively united by a self-reflected cohesive force such as identity, who have a capacity to mobilize resources, and are organized by some form of institutionalized hierarchy." - Wikipedia
Clearly, this definition would include a small New England town. So what exactly is POLITICS except the execution of organization and mobilization of resources for the group?
Regardless, it is still refreshing to think there are decisions without raging disagreements and reasoned discussion without rancor somewhere.
"A polity is any kind of political entity. It is a group of people who are collectively united by a self-reflected cohesive force such as identity, who have a capacity to mobilize resources, and are organized by some form of institutionalized hierarchy." - Wikipedia
Clearly, this definition would include a small New England town. So what exactly is POLITICS except the execution of organization and mobilization of resources for the group?
Regardless, it is still refreshing to think there are decisions without raging disagreements and reasoned discussion without rancor somewhere.
20
The problem with this piece is not what it describes, consciousness of citizenship and neighborly common interest, but the title. It isn't that New England's "open" (directly democratic) town governments are without politics, it's that by eschewing representative governance they are not burdened by the self-promoting antics of partisan parties.
Open town meetings are popular assemblies in which every citizen is entitled to act politically, directly and in-person. The actions of their elected "selectmen" do not have the force of law until the citizens vote to approve them in an open town meeting.
It's not surprising that after more than 400 years, the overwhelming majority of town residents are unwilling to forsake the legendary political and fiscal integrity of their towns. Special interests don't get a foothold in them, which is not surprising, because the citizens—again, directly and in-person—shape their own laws and policies. They are both the producers and the consumers of the "goods" produced by their towns.
Open town meetings are popular assemblies in which every citizen is entitled to act politically, directly and in-person. The actions of their elected "selectmen" do not have the force of law until the citizens vote to approve them in an open town meeting.
It's not surprising that after more than 400 years, the overwhelming majority of town residents are unwilling to forsake the legendary political and fiscal integrity of their towns. Special interests don't get a foothold in them, which is not surprising, because the citizens—again, directly and in-person—shape their own laws and policies. They are both the producers and the consumers of the "goods" produced by their towns.
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The federalization of local issues over the past half century has taken away much of the point of local government. It's useless to debate what the Supreme Court has decided. That leaves local governments often without much to do except divvy up federal and state aid money. And the lack of serious local press attention doesn't help either.
10
Increased local control is what block grants are about -- instead of federal workers deciding, let those at the state and local level decide. Y'know -- "engines of democracy?"
More to the point -- where's the sense in sending money to WashDC, only to have it sent BACK, with 4+ percent removed for "handing?"
Critical issues like defense and water quality need national standards. Others, less so .. a lot less, IMHO.
More to the point -- where's the sense in sending money to WashDC, only to have it sent BACK, with 4+ percent removed for "handing?"
Critical issues like defense and water quality need national standards. Others, less so .. a lot less, IMHO.
2
No there can't be democracy without politics. For, even a resolution of the local community related issue through debate and deliberation is a sign of politics at play.
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Prof. you are correct. The open debate described is the essence of politics.
A better title would be "Democracy without Parties".
A better title would be "Democracy without Parties".
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