Become active--for a changeIf you have a problem with City Hall and you want to change something, make a difference and have your voice heard, you need to make the effort.

If you are unhappy with the city's decisions, you can show up at a City Council meeting and fill out a speaker card. Not only will you have an opportunity to sway the council, your gripe will be broadcast on local cable television, as long as the cable system is up and working.

And if the cable company is on the fritz, you can write a letter to the editor, taking your complaint to the public through the press.

If you want to get a crosswalk painted on a street, you have to speak up and prove to city officials that one is needed.

If you'd like to tell the Department of Energy that you don't want 1,300 tons of poisonous mercury sold on the open market, you have to contact your senator or House representative and get that message across.

Civil action and civil disobedience are two approaches used to voice discontent and initiate change. Citizens 4 Redevelopment Reform and other local groups have taken advantage of these tools in their protests against the use of eminent domain.

Change and growth both hurt. It takes sweat, dedication and tenacity to get what you want in life. Sitting on the sidelines and griping gets you nothing but a bad mood.

According to the Constitution, it is "We the People" who set the tone of the national conscience.

You can ignore the world's problems and let situations worsen, or you can help find solutions. Don't sit back and wait for the "other person" to take action. That person may be waiting on you to make the first move.