Citizenship: being part of the greater whole
Pub Date: 12/1/2008
By Ronda Wiggers
Montana Coin Machine OperatorsAssociationLobbyist
This past year I was chosen to be our church council president.
I attend a Lutheran church that sits right in the middle of the lower north side of Great Falls. Services are conducted by one of the most liberal Lutheran pastors I have had the pleasure of knowing. Although Pastor Tim and I agree on very little politically, I enjoy our conversations and treasure our friendship.
Our church is located across from a convenience store and behind a grocery store (that we encouraged to open) and a tavern and pizza place that we often visit after council meetings. A number of years ago, the members created a small park with a table and sheltered area for the community to use.
Sunday morning I arrived to find a police officer in our parking lot. It seems that someone in the neighborhood had chosen (again) to use the entry of our church as his personal bathroom. This time he had made quite a mess, leaving behind feces, empty beer cans and wet bedding.
When Pastor Tim took the pulpit he chose to abandon his sermon and address the situation at hand. Being familiar with some of the sentiments against beer sales, taverns and gambling that have been offered at neighborhood meetings, I braced for the worst. I should have known better.
The police officer had pointed out that this is private property and we have the right to lock it so that people cannot get into the nice park area. He suggested we may want to do that.
Tim's answer was clear: Absolutely not! We built this park so that the people who work and live in this neighborhood could use and enjoy it. Three days a week we open our doors and offer free food and clothing to anyone that needs it. Everyone is welcome here. We will not diminish access to everyone because of the acts of one.
We will also not condemn everyone who has a beer, dresses differently than we do, or lives on the street as being responsible for this repugnant act. We don't just have our building here'; we are truly citizens of this neighborhood.
This was the second time in a week that I had heard someone refer to our need to be "citizens" again.
I started to wonder, when did we change from being "citizens" to "taxpayers"?
I seem to remember having my first grade teacher actually talk about the need to be a good citizen. Judging from the material my children bring home, they are currently being well versed in their "personal rights" but not necessarily their personal responsibilities.
It seems that the word "citizen" got hijacked to mean personal rights and entitlements. So much so that many of us stood up and said, "Wait a minute, who is paying for this?" Thus we created the "taxpayer."
I looked through all the campaign literature that crossed my desk this week. Everyone is addressing the taxpayer'; no one mentions the citizen.
This isn't about abandoning any sense of fiscal responsibility. In fact, fiscal responsibility is part of being a good citizen.
It is about being a part of something that is bigger than just one's self'; about making decisions and taking actions that make your community a better place to live and do business.
Is it good for the greater community to pass laws or change regulations because of the acts of a few? Should we lock everyone out of the park because of one person's actions or are there better ways to deal with the situation?'; maybe ways that involve more people being good citizens of their neighborhood.
We are all talking about the high cost of energy, but no one seems to want a power plant built in their community. We want better roads, but please don't tear up the street in front of my business. We want economic growth in our state, but not in the field across from my house.
Somewhere along the line we lost the part about being a citizen, the part about being part of something that is bigger than just yourself. Along with that, we lost civil discourse and we lost a lot of good ideas...and maybe some good citizens.
Montana prides itself in our citizen legislature. As they convene this January, it would be good to put a bit of emphasis on the "citizen" portion of that title.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, December, 2008, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.