I am interested as to how many people here speak out in their communities. Doesn't matter if you are liberal or conservative (not sure what connies have to be pissed about, but whatever). Just curious.

i once ran through my neighborhood from the police (ok, more than once)

This is one of those things that I've felt like asking many people on this site at one point or another. So many people come on here and bitch about this or that, but you've really got to wonder if they are doing what they can to make a difference in their community.

Personally, I have had somewhat limited involvement in local politics, but I have certainly kept myself informed on the issues that involve my community, and voted accordingly. I am a member of Kiwanis International, and we do a lot of fund raising that benefits not only children in our area, but also around the world. I have volunteered a room in my place of business to serve as the location for our annual "winter coat drive", and I facilitate the donations and disbursement of these coats. It makes a huge difference to many families in the area. I am also a volunteer fire fighter. I get paid nothing, and it takes a fair amount of my time weekly, but I am happy to make a difference where I can. I regularly volunteer for events in the area (I'm sporting a gnarly sunburn from officiating a kids bball tournament this past weekend). Being involved isn't always easy, but it's always a good idea.

I'm pathetically uninvolved in my community. I really need to get out and do way more to help those who need it.

I used to be active on my block with assorted things, but I've just moved, so at the moment I'm not actively participating in anything.

I am the secretary for the Chapel Hill Public Library Board of Trustees. I have to go to all the Town Council and County Commissioners meetings and support the library.

I also have been writing and calling my state Senators and Representatives trying to get a beer law changed. This also resulted in me having a letter published in the local paper slamming the Senators in opposition to the change.

I didn't think of letter writing when I read "active in the community" - so yeah, I write letters to these jokers on occasion also.

c-

I work full time. That counts.

other than certain block association things...no..I have no desire

i actively volunteer my time to local charities. but no political issues.

Does being sexually active in the community count?



Just kidding. I'm definitely not, and it really sucks. I, like so many others I'm sure, just don't know where to start getting involved. Most of the stuff around here is centered around churches and little league and I have no interest in that. The only opportunity that I've really noticed is that a group in my area has uncovered some corruption in city politics and has been attempting to expose it. Naturally, they're banning them from future town meetings and such so I'm considering crashing my next city council meeting on their behalf.

No. No, it doesn't.

Why would charity work coming from churches not appeal to you? Most churches...almost all of them really don't care what your religious affiliation is. In my opinion, the object of religion shouldn't matter at all, just the fact that you're doing good, or that the organization is doing good.

when i was 13 or 14 my friends and i started a petition and wrote our mayor asking her to consider building a hockey rink at a local park near our house b/c the only place we could play hockey in the neighborhood was the street. she wrote back saying she thought it was a great idea and she we bring it up at the next board meeting. less than a year later, they built a basketball court at the exact spot where we wanted the hockey rink. to show our anger we became active in stealing street signs in the neighborhood. i think the grand total ended up being 10

Ummm, yes it does. I'm a much more productive member of society than these hippies who run around protesting stuff all the time and think they're making a positive difference in the world.

I'm a big believer in volunteer work. I did volunteer work for a local no-kill animal shelter for over a dozen years while I lived on Long Island. I now volunteer at a local VA hospital in upstate NY working with Vets who wear Prosthetics as I do that for a living also.
I think anyone, whether right wing or left could find a cause worthy enough to donate some time to, no matter where they live. It's a great way to help your community out and make yourself feel really good at the same time.

What makes you think that those people don't have jobs? Can't accept the fact that they are twice as productive as you?

Because typically the people setting it all up are doing so at church, and I just don't have any interest in that. I'm sure they're doing good work, I just have no desire to be around organized religion in any form. Just a personal preference.

I don't have a problem with charity work being done by churches. I have a problem with federally funded social services being done by churches. I have two reasons for this. One, the focus of a church is not what is best for a person. The focus is giving god to a person. If a person feels that what is best for them is to focus on their relationship with their son and not on God, that's not in-line with the philosophy of 99% of churches. I don't trust a church to help a person that wants to work on non-God shit. Secondly, when you do government work, you get paid on-top of the cost of the work you do. I look at that as government funding of a church.

An anecdote demonstrating what I hate:

I work with a girl who runs a non-proft, faith-based organization with her mother (yes, Bammer, that's on top of her full-time job). Her roommate recently told her mother that she was living with her boyfriend. Her mom informed the other board members. Three quit and her mother made her decide between sleeping with her bf or working at the non-profit. This girl has supported this non-profit for 3+ years.

So, now the focus is no longer on the clients that they are being paid to support. It's on this girl's private life. Good workers have quit and a co-founder is being forced out for something that has nothing to do with their work with these kids, which has been stellar. You can't mix personal morals with secular work or the secular work won't get done properly.

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