Hearing what Council Member Brown has had to say in regard to political action has mainly confirmed what I already know to be true. A lot of change that may be necessary does not necessarily get funded by the state and federal government, even when it is agreed upon as being necessary by almost everyone. This is the biggest concern with my issue. What Brown said about the subway system that the city needs oddly made me think of mental health. Nearly everyone in the Council can agree upon the fact that Columbus is in need of a subway-type service, but the funding necessary for it just is not there yet. This is exactly my concern with mental illness. Nearly everyone can recognize that it is an issue, however, the means necessary to implement any policy are restricted from the lack of funding given by the federal and state government.
My biggest takeaway from this discussion was the means in which a single person can best spark change in the eyes of Council Member Brown. She said that the best way to get the attention of local government is to directly call the representatives and talk to them. This is something that I had already expected, but I was surprised at how much confidence Brown had in this means for change. Our Council Members and representatives really are here to serve the community (in most cases), and so it is up to the community to bring forth the issues it sees as the most necessary to attend to. I think personally I may consider doing research on the representatives of Columbus and even Ohio, and to call those people and talk to them about mental health and the needs that must be addressed.