We like politics, not just in the sense of the newfound interest in social media, but rather in the sense of really enjoying the political arena.
That may sound strange to some, and others will understand our position based on the fact that we are a news organization. But there is more to it than that.
Over the next several months we hope to fulfill our duties to inform the public, and to do so in a manner in which the information is factual and can be used by our readers to make decisions. We plan to strengthen our policies to give balanced and objective news stories and to use only this page for our personal views.
Within the next weeks we will re-launch our popular “Argus Page,” giving our readers some expanded space in which their opinions will be highlighted and giving some of the politicos the opportunity for op-ed style information. You can rest assured that the local issues will receive priority.
In the world of national politics we, as citizens rarely get the opportunity to look straight into the eyes of those running for office and truly evaluate what we are seeing. Often, we fell the urge to simply accuse them of lying to us. At times we may feel, and rightfully so we think, as though their acquisition of power is much more important to them than we lowly citizens are.
While we encourage involvement in the national scene, we strongly believe that the real success of this country must begin on the streets, in the city halls and the courthouses of every community, small or large. Those communities truly represent what this great nation is.
While there certainly exists those people who are seeking local, regional and state offices as a form of personal, and even narcissistic satisfaction, there are many more who are asking to be placed on a board or elected to an elected public office because they truly care about their local communities and have decided to do what they can to help.
It is the responsibility of every voter to become informed and pick the best possible person to sit in those chairs in the front of our council chambers and county boardrooms. The votes in a small town election are every bit as important as those cast on the national level. In many cases the immediate ramifications are more significant on a personal level when a bad choice is made for a county commissioner than they are when a bad choice is made for a president, and the fact is that the individual voter has much more control over who is sent to the commissioner’s chair.
Most of us will be completely fed up with politics by the time we actually walk into the voting booth, but we must resist the urge to become passive. We must endure. We must understand that local politics is important. So, stick with us over these next months. Don’t miss anything. We promise we will do our part.
