Keeping Abreast of Local Government Issues Easier Than Before

OPINION 

I have one simple rule in life that has worked to great effectiveness: You only get what you ask for. This doesn’t mean that you always get what you ask for.

That being said, you never get that for which you don’t ask.

Government at all levels is driven by those people who ask for things. Not many people ask for things; therefore, government decisions are driven by the few who ask.

If you want to understand the decisions government makes, just look at the folks who are asking for things. Because not many people have time to actually participate in the process (that “earning a living” or “taking care of a family” thing) most of us are not really aware of who is asking for what.

When the trucks show up to turn that lovely road in front of your house into a four lane divided highway, the house on the corner suddenly is replaced by a 7-Eleven, or that woods behind your house suddenly becomes a warehouse, it many come as a surprise to many who weren’t paying attention.

The first category of folks asking for things are those who profit from the decisions made by government. There are entire business practices devoted to asking for things. The business of packaging proposals for the government’s consideration, preparing publicity and the story for the public, and navigating the administrative procedures to get something approved is big business. For them, business is good.

If you want to get a quick list of people who make a profit asking the government for things, just follow the money. In the case of State and local Government, just look up who is donating their money to politicians by using the Virginia Public Access Project website.

Only a fool would think that there is no relationship between the “big money” businesses donate to political candidates and the decisions they expect those political candidates to make on their behalf.

The second category is people who want to stop government projects in their tracks – those projects usually asked for by lobbyists. The halters are generally private citizens with jobs, families and obligations that take up most of their waking hours. In today’s economic climate, you can add worrying about keeping your job or finding another one to that list. Watching who is asking government for what really isn’t a priority to this second category.

Also, this category is generally at a disadvantage as they don’t make their living asking the government for things, are usually unfamiliar with the processes involved in approving something, and perhaps have never even attended or watched a government meeting in action because they are busy with that earning a living or doing that whole taking care of a family thing.

All they have to offer is their vote.

When the two categories are matched up it’s not a fair fight; however, surprisingly the private citizens win occasionally.

When it comes to elections, money increases the odds of winning. On the other hand, you can influence voters but you can’t actually buy votes. The trick is to measure that second category’s resolve to determine if it influences enough votes to create a tipping point regarding the public’s perception regarding any particular candidate.

The math is very imprecise.

Most residents live in a very fragile world blissfully unaware of the decisions that government is making for them because they are busy with their lives. It often takes something like the rumor of a country road upon which they live being paved over into a four-lane divided highway, an asphalt plant being built next door, or a parkway planned to go through their farm to get their attention.

Sometimes, they find out too late.

Social media has changed all that. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, blogs, real-time on line news outlets, and email issues that were once the province of a few may now quickly go viral. What might have been two or three citizens speaking up can quickly become hundreds or thousands of angry residents asking for something.

They are often asking to stop something.

You do not have to accept a Government driven by a few folks who literally make their living and their fortunes profiting from the decisions it makes. While this column is really discussing Government at all levels, Prince William County is blessed with a number of blogs that offer a variety of points of view to give you different perspectives on compelling public issues.

Washington Post – Tom Jackman, the State of Nova. Even handed reporting on a variety of issues. It is every local politician’s fear that Jackman will pick up on something in a local blog and turn it into national news, as he has done several times in the past.

PWCnews.us covers the spectrum of political thought in Prince William County. PWCnews is particularly interesting because it presents interviews with local political personalities, community activists, and “movers and shakers”.

The Sheriff of Nottingham of Prince William County. Often “over the top” and very personal reporting on Price William County issues. That being said, the quality of its analysis continues to improve.

The Prince William Conservation Alliance. The Prince William Conservation Alliance is an environmental advocacy group; however, I have noticed that they make a lot of business arguments to influence public policy. Charlie Grimes is my favorite blogger on this website. I don’t always agree with Charlie, but he makes me think. Occasionally, he changes my mind.

Moonhowlings. An unapologetic left of center blog that usually does some really good reporting on a wide variety of issues. It “makes me think”.

Black Velvet Bruce Lee. If you want to know what the most Conservative elements of the Republican Party is thinking, this is where you go.

The Derecho. Often “over the top” bordering on “outrageous”; however, this blog’s apparent insider knowledge of how things work provides an interesting dimension to any issue it choses to investigate.

Virginia Virtucon. Solid conservative reporting with a point of view.

OurschoolsPWC. Critical review of what’s going on with the local school system. They get half of Prince William County’s annual revenue, so I’m interested in where it is going.

Prince William County Government. I go here to see what local government wants me to think.

PWC Education Reform Blog – A citizen driven blog operated by a group of parents striving to improve the quality of instruction our children receive in Prince William County Schools.

Most people tend to gravitate to news that reinforces their point of view. I like to follow blogs and news outlets with which I perhaps disagree to understand what the other side is saying. I hope you get out of your comfort zone, browse a few local blogs, go ahead and “slap your head” when one of them offends you (they do that because it generates reader interest), and add whatever they have to say to your thought processes.

I suggest you take all of them with a grain of salt, and do your own fact checking.

If you find something that you want to either confirm or gather more information on, do what I do. Contact your Prince William County Supervisor and ask him or her what’s going on. Send an email, schedule lunch or an office visit, or pick up the phone and call. Fun fact! Every request from a citizen is a legal Freedom of Information Act request, and must be answered. Which gets back to the purpose of this column — you get the government for which you ask, so ask!

I hope you add my column to your list, as I’ll be here every Sunday.