The reality is we have responsibilities on both fronts. The big national issues and the local ones all deserve our attention.

But will Mr. Klein take part in the local issues that lack the drama he seems to desire so much?

This is why I believe in the principle of subsidiarity. If we raise the stakes of the local where individuals matter more, we also raise the likelihood that people will get interested enough to participate.

For most people, these things are largely theoretical. Tax policy, sure, but the changes are going to be marginal indeed for those making under $75,000 a year. We don't have a draft, so wars mostly impact those who join the military. Even terrorist attacks are incredibly remote possibilities, especially if you live outside one of the top 5 metropolitan areas.

School boards, utility commissions, zoning regulators, municipal councils, and others are far more likely to impact our daily lives and yet most of us are far more interested in national issues that have only theoretical impact on us.

THEORETICAL? National tax policy will dictate how you spend your cash also. ME diplomatic policy affects whether your offspring or friends end up fighting a useless war. National decisions about health care determines how much you pay & the quality of the health care you receive. As a journalist, certain executive orders could definitely influence how honestly & freely you make your living & how important your vote, local or national, is. Deficit spending affects how much your kids can afford to help you out of a jam if you somehow fall out of your carefully planned safety net.

Sounds more real life than theoretical to me. While it is true that individually we can have a larger influence over local governments, I wouldn't discount the effect of national policies on our daily lives either. One Federal decision can wipe out tens of thousands of local school board decisions. Brown v. board of education is an example.

Nationalizing health care will have a greater impact on me personally. Will I be able to see a doctor immediately if I have a chest pain or will I have to wait 17 weeks for an appointment as the access is rationed to meet budget constraints?

Changing how fares are collected on DC cabs will likely have short term impact for those living, working or visiting there, but long term the world will go on. Alternate transportation options will compete with the cabs and a new balance will be achieved.

One of the questions any political group has to ask itself is "is this the hill I willing to die on?" Is the issue at stake one that you are willing to have your political group stake itself to so that the future good (harm?) that your group could do is directly impacted by the outcome of the issue? So for Iraq and nationalized health care, I can see people saying this is such an important issue that we can tie the fate of the party to the issue. How DC cabs charge their passengers? Not so much a hill worth dieing on.