Maybe it's election burnout still lingering like those fortunately rare two-day hangovers, when you make it until Monday swearing you'll never drink again.

Maybe it's coming back to a campus that seems to believe all politics are national.

Or maybe it's just fatigue from hearing stupid people run their mouths.

Whatever the reason, I'm tired of national politics. Of eternally split opinion polls still running over the same ground of whether we should be in Iraq or not, whether stem cell research should be pursued, or whether Roe v. Wade should be shredded and thrown to the wind.

Always the same rhetoric.

It never ends.

Resolution is no where in sight.

At home over break, I came to one conclusion. It's about time the people who care start paying attention to politics in their own communities. All politics today are ignoring the local instead of being local. In the far-off boondocks of northern Dauphin County, searching for something to occupy my time, I read a lot of local and state news that I would ordinarily miss during busier times of life.

Two stories in particular stuck out. One was a 19 percent property tax increase for the county. The other was a $100,000 contract renewal of a former county commissioner who would not disclose his specific work as an "adviser" for a county-run authority.

Maybe there was a perfectly legitimate reason for the situation. That was beyond the point.

What bothered me was the lack of outcry. Those who seem to spend their time as part of lofty think-tanks expounding "government waste" at the highest levels were probably too busy throwing blabbering rhetoric against principles of government-run programs versus taxation in general instead of looking for what could be specific problems.

Public transportation is another issue that gets this "talking head" treatment. Most of the time when it gets debated, it is in the context of a far-off notion of how much cars are hurting the planet and how much our dependence on foreign oil is screwing up our foreign policy.

But it is far more than that - or maybe far less is a better way to put it.

Anyone live in Philly or Pittsburgh, or live in the other areas of the state that barely have public transportation?

Do all of you own a car?

If anyone answered yes to the first question or no to the second, then the issue should be falling out of the clouds, off the script of Crossfire, and into your personal lives.

If those entities, such as the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, cannot keep afloat because of funding issues at the state and local level, then you can't get anywhere on your own.

It's no longer about your politics. It's about not being able to get out of the house to go anywhere decent on a Saturday night, or getting your wallet gouged to do it.

With a country so polarized, it's time to bring it all back home. If there is a wrong, let's right it. If there is a need, let's fill it. And there is no place to better begin this process than in our own backyards. All of these kinds of stories happen all around at Penn State, and should be getting attention from all of us.

If you have trouble efficiently getting a bus from the far-off apartment complexes, the borough council's long-range transportation plan should be on your radar screen.

If you live in a fraternity house, the debates over changing property codes are worth a look.

And if you pay tuition -- which is most of you -- then it's time to start focusing on the state's budget process before the hammer falls in July.

Yes, they are important issues, but there is another nice part about thinking, debating, and then acting on these matters.

No liberal or conservative rhetoric here. No party line to toe. It's back to basics, with two or more groups with vested, informed interests trying to compromise.

I know, it is boring. There is not as much shouting, not as much screaming. And you don't get the luxury of having your ideas backed up by the major networks or hear someone who is supposidly paid to think make your point for you. The work is put back into forming an opinion when it's a local issue.

But isn't it better than wasting our time?