Welcome To The Civic Twit

After much thought and prayer, I have decided to begin my journey as a blogger. This blog will represent my opinions, thoughts, dreams and frustrations with life as a citizen of Cedar Rapids. I am interested in how we as individual citizens can make our communities better places to live. I want to encourage others to become more engaged in civic life in our city. As a definition found based on Word.net 3.o in the Farlex Clip Art Collection defines Civic:

Adjective: 1. civic- of relating to or belonging to a city, "civic center", "civic problems"
2. civic- of relating to or befitting citizens as individuals, "civil rights", "civil liberties",civic duties.

It will be the second definition that I will use primarily within the context of my blogging here.
What are our civic duties and how do those duties interface with our forms of City and County government.

I don't claim expertise in either of those categories. I am not an elected official and I have no intentions of becoming one. But I do feel called to try to understand what it is they do? How does someone get elected and more importantly, how do they govern? How do we go about holding them and ourselves accountable for the things that go on in our communities.

So often I hear that we need to throw the bums out- this may very well be true. But do we truly understand what the bums do ? Do we honestly believe that all that is needed is to find someone who does something more to our liking? How do we insure that they don't become the very bums we kicked out in the first place.

It is a New Year and as always, an election year for someone. As we slouch toward another year of governance and an election cycle I challenge each one of you to get to know the people who are serving in our elected capacities. Ask tough questions- ask silly questions. Don't go home until you feel like you have been given the chance to hear the answers for yourself. Know who is representing you and why. If at the end of the day you want a change than be part of the change you so desperately want.

For my part- I pledge to spend the next year helping to attempt to frame timely questions, ask questions so others can hear the answers and hold the people who represent us accountable. I can't promise I won't slip into irreverence and I am a notably awful typist but if you stick with me- I promise it won't be boring.