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25 ThingsYou can do to be more involved in
Government, Politics and Media
1. Vote.
2. Register to vote. (No one said these were in order)
3. Attend a meeting of your local county commission or city
council.
4. Know what youre talking about. Read the paper. Read a couple
of them. Everyday. Become more knowledgeable of local and national
issues.
5. Read the political columnists the ones many people skip
because the issuesare too hard to understand. They really arent.
And they really matter.
6. Read the Editorial Page. Its important to know the positions
of the people whoselect the news you see and the news you dont
see.
7. It might make you mad, but read opinions of people you know
you disagree with.Consider what they say before you decide theyre
wrong (or worse).
8. For one week, watch the cable news network you think is all
wrong. If youre aFox person, watch CNN or MSNBC, or vice-versa.
Listen to what theyre saying.
Is it Fair and balanced? Then decide if you care if it is?
9. While youre surfing the Internet, read some political blogs,
i.e. Daily Kos (liberal)and National Review Online
(conservative).
10. Watch the television news (The Today Show and the Daily Show
dont reallycount). What can TV news do that print or internet news
cant?
11. Read a book about the historical beginnings of our country.
Find out what theFounding Fathers were really thinking.
12. Watch or readAll the Presidents Men. See how the
relationship between mediaand government works and how two
reporters uncovered one of the greatestpolitical scandals in our
nations history.
13. Know who represents you in government. Do you know the name
of the personwho represents you in Congress? In the State Assembly
and Senate? On theCounty Commission and City Council? (Do you even
know if you live in the cityor the county?)
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14. Visit whitehouse.gov and read a transcript of a White House
press briefing.Theres a lot more going on than what you see on
TV.
15. Learn the difference between the different political
parties. Dont forget about thesmaller parties like the Green Party,
Libertarian Party, etc. What do they believein? Why are they
different? Are you in the right party?
16. Join Twitter. (Its not just for 14-year-old girls anymore.)
Follow news outlets youlike - CBS News, Fox News, Jon Ralston,
Steve Sebelius, the Associated Press,or any reporter covering a
subject youre interested in. News isnt just delivered inthe
mornings on your driveway and in the evenings on your TV. Its all
day, everyday (whether theres any news to report or not).
17. Now that youre in the Twitter-verse, follow your elected
officials to see whats ontheir minds.
18. Make friends with a politician. (Not Facebook friends, were
back in real life now.)See them at an event? Introduce
yourself.
19. Volunteer to work for a campaign and help get someone you
believe in elected,or re-elected.
20. Be a lobbyist. Not professionally, but find a cause you feel
strongly about curing cancer, saving Red Rock - and go talk to one
of your elected officialsabout it.
21. See something wrong in your community and talking to your
electedrepresentative isnt getting you anywhere? Find others who
feel the same wayand work to develop a ballot initiative to solve a
community problem. (Bring a
pen.)
22. Teach your kids about government. Encourage them to be
interested in how itworks.
23. Write a check. Support a politician you like. Help them get
re-elected. Attend afund-raising event. They come in all shapes and
sizes and prices. (And theyregreat theater.)
24. Pay attention. Most people arent.
25. Run for office. You dont have to be in Congress to make a
difference. Serve on
the Board of your HOA, your church council, the office birthday
committee. Findout what its like to represent your neighbors,
colleagues or peers; all of whomhave different opinions they are
all too happy to share with you when you dontdo things they way
they want you to
