America Still Lives in Small Town, USA

I attended a fund-raiser for a local volunteer fire department this weekend. It was a great time! Only in Small Town, USA can 54 lawn tractors pull people and coolers around the town on a "Poker Run", ending with drinks and dancing at the local bar. I spoke with the fire chief, a 35-year veteran volunteer, and he shared with me that 72% of all citizens in this country are served by volunteer fire departments. The tax revenues in rural areas are not sufficient to fund full-time fire protection and EMT personnel. Instead of these small, often rural, communities whining for the government to step up, members of the community come forward and just get the job done. These men and women are on call 24/7. They attend hours of training each year and spend their weekends maintaining the fire station and the equipment. The monies that these departments do get from property tax revenues don't cover the costs of running the departments, so several events are held each year in the community to raise the additional funds needed for facilities, training and equipment. The communities are always generous because we know that every dollar we contribute goes directly into the fire department and will be used with the greatest benefit to the community. These volunteer departments are required to meet all the same regulatory mandates and are often called upon to provide support to and work alongside their professional, union counterparts in the larger departments.

The same type of "git'r'done" attitude can be found in nearly every area of Small Town, USA. In our town right now, there is an effort underway to fund the second phase of the renovation of our little city park. There are simply not the funds available from government sources to improve the facility, but the residents want the improvements, so we are paying for them ourselves. We purchased new equipment last year with a private grant that matched the funds we raised. The equipment was installed by our own residents. Our local branch of the county library is staffed by volunteers.

Several years ago, it was determined that a new city hall / library building was needed. The townspeople formed a committee and conducted several fundraisers over a period of about 5 years and a new facility was built to meet our needs, debt-free and without tax money.

Americans do not need "big government" to provide for us. Americans are innovative and generous, so there is no doubt that any need we have will be met. We take pride in our communities and we care about our neighbors. The call for big government always comes from one of two groups: those that want to control or those that don't want to work. We don't need Barack Obama to call us to community service. Real Americans serve everyday, we just don't keep score.

If you do have the urge to be a "community organizer", organize a Lawn Mower Poker Run. It's the most red-neck fun you will have with your neighbors on a Saturday afternoon!