Creating the lion’s den
By: Ryan Brown, World News Editor
Whether or not you are supportive of President Donald Trump, there is one thing that his presidency has brought about, and that is an increase in civic involvement. There are people speaking out if they don’t like something, and people speaking up if they do. Regardless of your political stances, that is a good thing.
Another one of the activities that now has more participants than a few years ago are town hall meetings. Town halls are a perfect opportunity for politicians to hear from their constituents. Whether they like what’s going on or not, constituents can voice their opinion freely at a town hall meeting. This is what makes our system work. We are a representative democracy. A great opportunity for politicians to hear from the people they represent is at these town hall meetings.
When reports came out that there are elected officials not holding these types of events, it was very concerning to me. People, now more than ever, want to be heard. It is healthy for the country for everyone with an opinion to express it. Politicians who are not holding town hall meetings because they think it will be filled with people that disagree with them are not doing their job.
If a politician is so scared of having a town hall that could mean that they are scared to stand up for what they believe in. If that is the case, then I would suggest finding a different set of beliefs to stand by.
Some of the politicians who are refusing to do town halls say they are refusing because activists and protestors will just heckle them. My answer to them is “so what?” Vice President Mike Pence has a great response to protestors. He always says, “That’s what freedom looks like.” Let the sounds of freedom ring! If someone doesn’t like something a politician did, they have every right to tell them to their face. It gives the politician the opportunity to explain why he or she made that decision. Every elected official should want to do these types of events.
A great example of this would be my representative back home. His name is Justin Amash and he has conducted many town halls since the beginning of the Trump administration. In fact, every time he does one he has to get a bigger venue because more and more people show up each time. He knows that every time he holds a town hall that not everyone there is going to agree with him, but that does not faze him. He goes into the lion’s den and takes his criticisms and praises like every politician should. Rep. Amash appreciates every opinion from everyone in his district. He is setting an example that every elected official across the country should follow.
A few weeks back I wrote a column on how the only way to heal the divide of this country is to talk with people you do not agree with and have a conversation. I called it going into the lion’s den. Well, in order for that to happen people have to have a lion’s den to go into. And with politicians refusing to do town halls there is no den and there is no path towards healing.
