M. Mills  

America loves a slogan, and “change” became the defining buzzword of 2008. President-elect Obama championed the word as a call to arms for voters tired of the faltering American dream. From workers losing jobs while corporate leaders grow enriched, to people wanting peace yet watching our military commitments deepen around the world. “Change” embodied a fresh start and new direction for millions of Americans who went to the polls this past November. But voting alone won’t fix the daunting challenges facing America today. 

The slogan and its call seemed to work as people sensed the enormity of this election. Nearly 62 percent of eligible American voters went to the polls, which was the highest level since 1968. The turnout continued a trend of slightly increasing participation the past three elections. 

Volunteerism, another indicator of civic health, is up as well. In 2007, nearly 61 million Americans (roughly 26 percent of those aged 16 and older) volunteered through various organizations. This reversed a six percent decline in volunteerism the previous two years.

However, those are just two measures of the full civic picture. It is important to elect leaders that share our vision for Georgia and America. However, should we be satisfied with 39 percent of eligible Americans staying away from the polls? A 60 percent grade isn’t even passing in school, so how can we consider that a healthy indicator of American civic activity?

Admittedly, volunteering is critical to the health of our communities. Mentoring a young person, for instance, is critical to turning that life around. But does investing in one child solve the roots of why 20,000 Georgia children fail to graduate each year?

These efforts alone won’t solve the serious problems facing our nation, state and local communities. How does volunteer service ensure that bailout money for banks and auto manufacturers isn’t spent on boondoggle corporate retreats or executive bonuses at failing companies? It doesn’t – nor does only casting a ballot. The complete circle of civic engagement includes voting, service and remaining engaged to hold elected officials accountable. It’s not enough to elect people we believe in. True change requires participating in the legislative process to ensure that our voice is heard on the issues that confront us individually and collectively.

The cold hard truth is that legislation happens. It’s just a question of whether it happens with us or to us. Americans have abdicated the development of solutions to people too close to lobbyists and too far from the voice of the people for too long.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who led America out of The Great Depression, once said, “The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain sovereign control over its government.” Never has this call to arms been more important than right now.

America, Georgia and our local communities face an onslaught of “once-in-a-lifetime” challenges that require ongoing citizen engagement and legislative oversight if we are to continue the economic prosperity that defines this amazing democratic experiment we call the United States of America. The nation faces threats abroad, a multi-trillion dollar deficit at home and is daily debating solutions that will have a real impact on our wallets for generations to come. The state of Georgia is struggling with its own $2 billion deficit and Atlanta is starting to feel like a domestic war zone as crime escalates due to reduced public safety services.

Voting was a critical first step and we should celebrate the increased turnout. And citizens are serving more at a time when their individual needs might be as great as the people they help. But the issues we face are larger and require our continued participation: become informed about issues; get to know your elected officials; find others and build support for legislation; and take action (write a letter to the editor, contact your Congressman, join a neighborhood watch).

Voting and service were the relative easy first steps. Our real work begins today as we seek to bring about an America that meets the needs of its people at home and is an example abroad. Real, sustained action will ensure that “change” isn’t just a nifty slogan, but rather the definition of a new way to govern in these troubled times.

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