Got an idea? Let’s hear it! Whether it’s a policy for your town or county, or you just want to get people together to build something or pick up trash - this is the place!
Part of the original motivation for The Fence was seeing the Land Use Code changes play out in Delta County, and having the feeling that things would have turned out differently if the people of Delta County were more connected, more aware, and if we had already done the hard work of getting to know each other and finding common ground.
The Fence doesn’t take a stance on WHAT should be done, but we want to support a process that results in THE PEOPLE having greater say in what happens. To that end, the people have a right to know what is being done in their names, by their elected officials. And the people have the right to assemble and the right to free speech, enshrined by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
We are exercising those First Amendment rights by participating here.
Ultimately our government officials are responsible for implementing the will of the people. But what is the will of the people? Right now our representatives have “plausible deniability” in saying that the people do not know what they want, they are a set of fingers pointing in all different directions. And it’s not too hard to see that there is some truth in that.
Meanwhile, lobbyists are professional, polite, and come to the table already having organized their view of the situation. They’ve coordinated with partners and allies that want the same things, and they have policies drafted and ready to be implemented.
Guess who gets what they want? Not “we the people.”
If we want to change this situation, it is up to us. We must find common ground with our neighbors. Instead of focusing on what divides us, we need to recognize that we all have common cause in “the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness”. When our government faces a united population, there will only be one thing left for them to do: to implement the will of the people.