Rising from the Ruins
A call to action, by Mark Schaukowitch, chair of the Rooks Co Democrats
The Rooks County Democrats call all citizens to assemble and organize. We recognize our public culture is in ruin. We recognize our small towns are struggling. And we recognize that our struggles, and our ability to win and lose those struggles, will determine whether our future will be ruined or will be made out of ruins.
We gather our tools and get to work (photo by Sam Clarke on Unsplash)
Right now, the Democratic ideal in Rooks County is in ruins. For decades, Republican politics have dominated the county --and region. Many are hopeless. And some here are RINOs just to ensure local politics don’t cause any bigger mess. This tells us there are battles to be fought, and that not fighting those battles has led to political atrophy.
In atrophy, we allow essential parts of our body to become decrepit, useless. A clock begins ticking down to a time when that part of the body will either become a threat to the rest of the body and require removal or kill the body outright. Rehab is necessary, even if that work is unpleasant.
As a party is our mission to engage in the work of rehabilitating our public culture before it’s too late.
Here in Rooks County, we have followed the progress of a building in Plainville, the Hub, and can reach to it for symbolic inspiration. The Hub was a ruin, in multiple senses.
1. The Hub was a ruin of Dessin Fournir, formerly Plainville’s largest private employer. Dessin totally collapsed in 2020 - and nothing has filled the economic and emotional gaps left.
2. The Hub was a ruin of Mill Street, Plainville’s Main Street. It used to be our local doughnut shop. Forty years ago, every building on this strip was filled with a business. But that time has long since passed. It’s harder than ever to have a small business in Mill Street and be successful.
3. But Ruins can be Rebuilt! Ruins can inspire and transform communities, much in the same way the nonprofit Downtown Plainville Inc. is trying to do by taking this former office and offering it as a public co-working space. Ruins have Potential!
Democrats in western Kansas have a unique opportunity right now. We can convert RINOs. We can capture those disgusted with Republican behavior at local, state, and national levels. By competing in local elections and building a support system, we can create a new, healthy public culture.
And we are inviting you to do that work with us today. From ruins, we rise.