A dose of small town values

By David Lewis, Editor

The elitists are in a lather. It seems John McCain’s running mate is from a small town. Bad enough that Sarah Palin has no Washington experience, but she was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Where the heck is that? Do they serve brie there?
You don’t have to look far to find this attitude among the intelligentsia. In an editorial a few days back, the Denton newspaper described (name of town) as “smaller than Gainesville but larger than Pilot Point.” And we all know about those rednecks in Gainesville and Pilot Point, don’t we?
Oh, to live in Denton and be sophisticated!
Palin may or may not make a good vice president. But to claim that her experience is irrelevant because she served as a small-town mayor shows how little elitists know about small towns.
For one thing, you won’t find many small-town mayors being driven to work in limos, like the fat cats in Austin and Washington. And you won’t find them eating in fancy dining rooms paid for by the taxpayers. You are more likely to find them hunkered down over financial reports or measuring potholes or out at the sewer plant.
I’ve known several small-town mayors in my time, and most of them have come to the job to be of service to their community. The opposite is true in Washington, where it’s every man for himself and the people back home count only at election time.
This year’s presidential election has been described as a “change” election. The question is, what does “change” mean?
I think it means people are sick of politicians fighting and scraping the cream off for themselves. We are looking for leaders who will work to solve problems. We are tired of partisanship.
Former Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin may or may not be the one to do it, but a dose of small-town values would go a long way in bringing real change to Washington.

E-mail: editor@postsignal.com.