Health & Fitness
From The Sidelines: Some People Just Don't Like Politics
Is politics a part of your life and do you care one way or the other?
Here is a quote from a poster commenting on a Patch article.
"Mr. Mayor and Mr.Grant...You are both out of line. This is not the forum to debate your political views.This is about the township of Montville and it's residents, enjoying a #1 ranking in the state and # 17 in the country."
A lot of people feel that way. Even in presidential elections nationally almost half of all eligible voters don't bother to vote. Many people tend to think of "politics" as separate and apart from their lives. They tend to think of it only as bickering for position or a power trip or even in terms of the abuse of office that they believe all politicians (except the ones they like) engage in.
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
This quote came from a Patch article about Montville's No. 1 small town status in N.J. Does this person really think that politics had no role in that?
Politics leads to leadership and on a local level that leadership can determine things like how your garbage gets picked up, what your neighborhood looks like, what facilities your town provides you and your family with, how your roads look and if they get plowed or not in the winter. It can determine what is built next to you and provide you with water and sewers. It can determine how quickly police and EMTs respond to your needs and how safe your neighborhood is. Leadership determines how your tax dollars are spent. Do you have enough police and is response time as good as it can be? We all just went through a natural disaster and was government and all their tools (public information, emergency services, etc.) as effective as possible?
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
These are all political questions because they become leadership questions and yes, they can get snarky and mean spirited, but they do belong in any post about the quality of life in a community. Politics in the best sense is about the future and is an important adjunct to public service which is also a fine vocation. No matter what the candidates say about each other someone will win and then they will lead.
