Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“More than three weeks into the federal government shutdown, Democratic and Republican leaders still refuse to talk to each other about how to end it. That impasse is reflected in a recent poll that found 2 out of 3 Americans do not trust the U.S. political system to solve the country’s divisions. Despite that popular view, many people are still finding ways to work together, exercising local agency to address pressing community issues. One example is the case of Three Rivers, Michigan, where Monitor staff writer Scott Baldauf found that shared concerns over contaminated water are helping dissolve partisan distrust. Similar ‘kitchen-table pragmatism,’ as one source described it, is evident through much of small-town and rural America. Now, several mainstream philanthropies are supporting such efforts with the hope of creating new civic models.” (10/22/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/1022/Depolarizing-America-the-local-way