I know quite a few people who like to complain about government from the local to the international, but when I have suggested to a few of them that government would improve if more intelligent, principled and thoughtful people like themselves would run for office the reaction is unanimous: “Are you nuts, Betsey?”    or simply “NO!”

Perhaps I am crazy;  David Brook’s column on Illinois Congressman Mark Kirk seems to suggest that the political process chews up good people and spits them out.

But I am a crazy idealist and still believe that having good candidates with multiple viewpoints at the local level will, eventually, trickle up.  The 2011 election is only a few weeks away.  The first thing to do is vote, then think about running for school board, city council, or county commission in 2 years.