As most people are already aware, next Thursday President Barack Obama is coming to town as part of his re-election campaign. He will be speaking at a fundraising event at Sony Pictures Studios. Tickets are selling for $250 for general admission – about the price of a family trip to Disneyland or a ballgame with purchase of food and beer. Better still, for anyone under the age of 40, tickets are a mere $100.
I find it encouraging that ticket prices are marked down for younger adults. It’s important that young people find cause to engage in the political process. This economic climate is difficult enough on people well-established in their careers, but for 20- and 30-somethings, it’s a jungle out there. Furthermore, there is little hope of sunshine on the horizon. Hope is an essential tool with which we carve out an existence. Without it, the foundations of society begin to crumble.
Still, there is only so much we can expect from national political figures. Change happens slowly in the machinery of our national government. And that is by design. The problem of late is that the gears and cogs of that machinery are grinding to a near halt due to partisan gamesmanship. The next president of the United States will be the candidate who can persuade voters that he or she can jump-start the engine of change, and get progressive legislation passed (or “past,” for the cynical.)
Washington politics may be unwieldy, but that is no reason to lose hope. Local government, which is far more likely to impact the citizenry, moves at a more rapid pace. Votes weigh more heavily when few. With that in mind, there is another office-holder speaking on April 21: Mayor Christopher Armenta. He will be giving the State of the City address at the annual mayor’s luncheon, which will be held at the Radisson Hotel – Los Angeles Westside, 6161 Centinela Avenue, Culver City. Today is the last day to purchase tickets ($22 – a bargain). Go to culvercitychamber.com.
Whether it’s the Mr. Obama or Mr. Armenta, I encourage everyone to engage in the political forum by seeing attending a speaking engagement of a government official. It’s like going to ballgame – you can read about it in the paper, but it’s better to see it in person. Oh, but be sure to read it in the paper, too.