As the nation watched Congress once again fail to come to terms on a spending plan and the work of the federal government come to a grinding halt, we were reminded that we cannot look to Washington for the change our country desperately needs. Washington is broken, but America is still strong.
If we want to change our country, we need to start in our homes. If we want to make a difference on issues that really impact our lives, we need to engage more in our cities and states.
Start this week by participating in your city election. Vote for thoughtful leaders. Elect people to your city council who are problem solvers rather than rhetorical bomb throwers. Support candidates for mayor who want to build roads rather than create gridlock. This is how we strengthen our country: one family, one city and one state at a time.
Our strength as a country is found in our homes. It is manifested in the couples who embark on the journey of marriage and welcome new babies into this world despite facing economic headwinds. It can be seen in the family dinner conversations taking place where everyday issues are discussed and the moral fabric of our society is continually developed layer by layer.
Our strength as a country is also seen in communities across the U.S. as locally elected public servants tackle the issues people really care about. In Utah, city leaders are building roads to connect people rather than allowing partisan gridlock to shut down our communities. Congress could learn a thing or two about compromise and problem solving from the example of state and local leaders who came together to plan future transit investments in the rapidly growing southwest Salt Lake County and northwest Utah County.
The Transit Fresh Look, as that yearlong process is called, has involved leaders from communities including Riverton, Herriman, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain. Despite competing interests and limited resources, these leaders agreed to support several major regional public transit improvements for the next decades that will benefit generations.
Many locally elected public servants, like Mayor Palmer of Herriman, are prioritizing funding for law enforcement rather than jeopardizing public safety by choking off resources to critical programs. Instead of allowing petty partisan conflicts to get in the way of necessary services, city and state leaders across America like Bluffdale Mayor Natalie Hall, Utah’s Legislature and Gov. Spencer Cox are ensuring access to essential clean water and reliable energy by investing in critical infrastructure.
The drama of Congress will continue to play out over the next few months as they are forced back to the negotiating table and a budget is passed. Hopefully we won’t see the government shutdown last much into November, but even if we do, it’s important to remember: Washington may be broken, but America is still strong. America’s strength was never in D.C. It has always been in our families, in our local communities and in our states.