In the May issue of the Atlantic, James Fallows has an article about how, while national politics is toxic, local jurisdictions are solving problems, behaving in a civil manner, and generally acting like governments are supposed to act in a democracy.
Using my own unrepresentative sample, I think he may be right. We have been through some small towns that are well-kept and, on the surface at least, look like their citizens care about their surroundings and one another. Waseon, Ohio; Walnut, Iowa; Laramie, Wyoming; Lymon, Wyoming–all look like places I where I could live in peace.
Drivers are polite, clerks are helpful, residents give directions. In spite of the mean-spirited MAGA people you always see at Trump rallies, most people that I've seen on this country trip are just nice.
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