25 Things

You can do to be more involved in

Government, Politics and Media

1. Vote. 2. Register to vote. (No one said these were in order) 3. Attend a meeting of your local county commission or city council. 4. Know what youre talking about. Read the paper. Read a couple of them. Every
day. Become more knowledgeable of local and national issues.

5. Read the political columnists the ones many people skip because the issues
are too hard to understand. They really arent. And they really matter.

6. Read the Editorial Page. Its important to know the positions of the people who
select the news you see and the news you dont see.

7. It might make you mad, but read opinions of people you know you disagree with.
Consider what they say before you decide theyre wrong (or worse).

8. For one week, watch the cable news network you think is all wrong. If youre a
Fox person, watch CNN or MSNBC, or vice-versa. Listen to what theyre saying. Is it Fair and balanced? Then decide if you care if it is?

9. While youre surfing the Internet, read some political blogs, i.e. Daily Kos (liberal)
and National Review Online (conservative). 10. Watch the television news (The Today Show and the Daily Show dont really count). What can TV news do that print or internet news cant? 11. Read a book about the historical beginnings of our country. Find out what the Founding Fathers were really thinking.

12. Watch or read All the Presidents Men. See how the relationship between media
and government works and how two reporters uncovered one of the greatest political scandals in our nations history. 13. Know who represents you in government. Do you know the name of the person who represents you in Congress? In the State Assembly and Senate? On the County Commission and City Council? (Do you even know if you live in the city or the county?)

14. Visit whitehouse.gov and read a transcript of a White House press briefing.
Theres a lot more going on than what you see on TV.

15. Learn the difference between the different political parties. Dont forget about the
smaller parties like the Green Party, Libertarian Party, etc. What do they believe in? Why are they different? Are you in the right party?

16. Join Twitter. (Its not just for 14-year-old girls anymore.) Follow news outlets you
like - CBS News, Fox News, Jon Ralston, Steve Sebelius, the Associated Press, or any reporter covering a subject youre interested in. News isnt just delivered in the mornings on your driveway and in the evenings on your TV. Its all day, every day (whether theres any news to report or not). 17. Now that youre in the Twitter-verse, follow your elected officials to see whats on their minds.

18. Make friends with a politician. (Not Facebook friends, were back in real life now.)
See them at an event? Introduce yourself.

19. Volunteer to work for a campaign and help get someone you believe in elected,
or re-elected.

20. Be a lobbyist. Not professionally, but find a cause you feel strongly about
curing cancer, saving Red Rock - and go talk to one of your elected officials about it.

21. See something wrong in your community and talking to your elected
representative isnt getting you anywhere? Find others who feel the same way and work to develop a ballot initiative to solve a community problem. (Bring a pen.) 22. Teach your kids about government. Encourage them to be interested in how it works.

23. Write a check. Support a politician you like. Help them get re-elected. Attend a
fund-raising event. They come in all shapes and sizes and prices. (And theyre great theater.) 24. Pay attention. Most people arent.

25. Run for office. You dont have to be in Congress to make a difference. Serve on
the Board of your HOA, your church council, the office birthday committee. Find out what its like to represent your neighbors, colleagues or peers; all of whom have different opinions they are all too happy to share with you when you dont do things they way they want you to