How to be a good citizen

Want to be a better citizen?
Here’s a list of suggested New Year’s resolutions for 2013 that might do the trick.
•Attend a minimum of three public meetings of local government entities over the course of the year. High school government students are required to attend at least two.
Shouldn’t citizens commit to more than that? The Citizens’ Calendar on page 2 of each day’s issue of The Commercial Review is published specifically to encourage greater citizen participation in democratic institutions.
•Start paying attention to the public notice advertising in the newspaper. You’ll be surprised what you will learn.
•Don’t just skim over local government news stories. Read them. Make sure you understand what’s going on.
If the reporter hasn’t made things clear, give him or her a call. Hold the newspaper’s feet to the fire. Make sure we’re doing our jobs as well as possible.
•Do your homework. Make sure you understand the functions of various government bodies. How are the county commissioners different from a town council? How is the county council different from a city council? (Answers: The commissioners are both the county executive and the county legislative body while town councils are simply legislative; the county council’s duties are entirely related to budgets and finance, while city councils are involved in a wide variety of matters.)
•Dig out your old high school government textbook or borrow your kid’s. We all can use a refresher course now and then.
•Don’t believe every thing you hear. Learn to withhold judgment until you have more facts in hand.
•Ask questions. Folks at the courthouse or town hall would be delighted to have someone show interest in how things work.
•Be skeptical, not cynical.
•Go to a political party meeting. The party faithful — both Republican and Democrat — will welcome you with open arms. Neither party does anything to exclude people from becoming involved. What excludes people is inertia. Apathy also plays a role.
•Speak up. After you’ve done your homework, don’t just sit silently. All local governmental bodies provide for public input. The people we elect are actually eager to hear what the public has to say. Do your homework first. Don’t wait until you have a personal gripe. But speak up.
•Write a letter to the editor. This page is a public forum. It belongs to you as citizens; preserving it and maintaining it is our responsibility, a way of sharing the First Amendment with those who don’t happen to own a printing press.
•Listen. It’s amazing what we can learn when we’re not talking. The opinions of others help us test our own.
There’s more.
But you get the picture.
You’ve been handed the most empowered citizenship in the world. It means nothing if you don’t live up to its responsibilities.
Make us proud in 2013. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]