Final post in my mini-series on connecting with elected officials. This week we focus on the local level. Every community, town and city is unique, but there’s one universal thing you should keep in mind: Local is where it matters most. Local government impacts you literally every day. The water you use, the roads you drive on, the […]
Government
How to Contact Your Elected Officials | State Edition
Here’s the second post in my mini-series on connecting with elected officials. This week we focus on the state level, and here’s where it gets more difficult. The difficulty isn’t in access – that’s easier at the state level than it is at the national level. The difficulty is in providing a one-size-fits-all guide, because […]
How to Contact Your Elected Officials | Federal Edition
Hello, my name is Shannah and I work in local government. I want to make it clear this post isn’t from “Shannah of the system.” Rather, it’s from “Shannah your fellow American who happens to have worked in D.C. for a summer teaching youth about our government and also has lived in some interesting places […]
I Spent Time in Jail and it Gutted Me
Over the course of the past month and a half, I’ve had the privilege of going on ride-alongs with our local police and fire departments. The opportunity came through my participation in Leadership Plano. They were also designed to prepare my Leadership Plano class for our April session, focused on public safety in our community. […]
Leadership Plano: What The Fuss is About
In a fit of unreasonable schedule assessment, I applied to be a part of Leadership Plano. And I have to say, a little unreasonableness is a good thing every now and then! Leadership Plano is an educational program, a leadership development program, a … well, it’s many things, but primarily it’s an amazing opportunity offered […]
Leadership Requires Vulnerability
I went to a leadership retreat last month. We did a variety of team-building activities, including outdoor challenges, as part of a process to get know ourselves and each other better. I’ll write about this group in a later post, but for now I’ll simply say that I’m fortunate to be part of a group […]
America’s Future
In the middle of grading my community college students’ papers, I read the following excerpt from student’s essay aloud to The Boy: Once the US, as big as we are, starts taking oil from Alaska and other countries… The Boy just laughed and said: Perhaps we should educate that student about Seward’s Folly.
How to Alienate Customers and Go Out of Business
Yes, US Post Office, I’m talking about you. I know why you are going out of business – it’s really five simple issues. 5. Shout at customers standing in line “NEXT PLEASE. I’M TALKING TO YOU – NEXT!!” Nothing like feeling devalued and handing over money for the privilege. 4. Don’t restock supplies, forcing customers […]
No Complaining Allowed
This weekend, The Boy and I took advantage of early voting and cast our ballots for the last election of 2011. We didn’t have any candidates on the ballot, but we had ten (count ’em: 10) constitutional amendments to consider. That means we’ve voted in every election this year and have not only made our […]
Don’t Just Remember Them – Know Them
I just found the most amazing website that tracks the faces of the American soldiers lost in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It’s a wonderful tool for humanizing the war, as well as reminding us to pray very specifically for the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Including a 4-H friend of my family, Kyle […]