Miner Queries | Cherie Miner

As I engage in political discussions in various forums, accusations of laziness often come up in relation to poverty. Those of us in financially stable positions take the action (or inaction) of others less financially anchored as laziness. But as I regularly caution, we also usually don’t know the full story, and everybody has a story. 

I may bridle at accusations of laziness partly because as the youngest (and undoubtedly most spoiled) of four children, I was frequently called lazy. I still look around my house and yard and know there are plenty of projects to take on. But they often don’t make it onto my list of immediate priorities, which usually involve taking care of people and community. And others may not see my priorities as priorities at all.

For example, let’s take our civic duties. For a lot of people, voting, flying their flag, supporting the troops, saying the pledge and generally showing respect for our national symbols constitute how they live out their patriotism.

But I take a different view. For me, living out my civic responsibilities includes monitoring my government’s actions, sharing that information, asking questions and communicating with my representatives – in addition to voting. 

I will admit, it’s a hard thing for some of my Facebook friends who believe social media is only for sharing jokes and pictures of the kids.  But I grew up discussing politics at the dinner table, so politics is part of my social life. So, I read many news articles and repost a lot. I believe if I find something interesting, I should share it. And I expect others to do the same. 

Why? Because I want as much information as possible when I lobby my representatives for better government policy as well as when I step into the voting booth. I believe shaping our government is my responsibility. And so, I get frustrated when I see so many people expecting to understand the news of the day simply by listening and watching broadcast media. They expect facts to be poured into their eyes and ears without having to think about them.

Now who’s lazy? 

But I have hope for the future. I know plenty of younger and future voters who are far better informed than their parents simply because they do not follow broadcast media. In fact, some of them are leading adults to better information. 

On Friday, May 26, the New York Times ran a story about 15-year-old Gabe Fleisher, a freshman at a St. Louis high school. For seven years, he has been writing and publishing a daily political newsletter called Wake Up to Politics. Some of its well-known subscribers include: Steve Kornacki of MSNBC, Major Garrett of CBS News, and editor Gene Sperling of The Atlantic.

How does this kid do it? First, he reads. He reads magazines, history books and online media. He has an active Twitter account, among other things. He attends political events and asks questions. He discusses politics with other kids and adults. He works at it, yet he still maintains the normal life of a teenager -- doing homework, going on field trips and hanging out with friends. 

Adults, if this kid can do it, why can’t we? It’s just a matter of will.

Cherie Miner is a local parent, community volunteer, freelance writer and artist. In a former life, she was a corporate writer and public relations professional. Contact her at news@redoakexpress.com or on Facebook.