Flannel, boots, and bridges.

Interesting amongst all the bridges talk, I had occasion recently to chat with a relative I rarely see owing to a funeral home visit. As we all stood in small circles who recognized each other thinking of things to talk about like people do at funeral homes, she introduced commuting as a topic.

This relative lives in the rural Indiana hills, a setting that has largely kept her out of urban politics for most of her life. No preconceived notions, no factions, no allegiances-- just the unimpinged, practical mindset that often comes with country life.

"Wouldn't it be great," she said, "if we had public transportation? It would be a lot easier and cheaper. I could just drive a short way to a small train station, hop on, and spend the time usually stuck driving or in traffic doing something productive like reading or working on the computer. I don't see why we can't do that."

Though they're often pointed at as justification, she and "people like her", supposed unaccomplished rubes generally identifiable by their lack of more formal business attire, have rarely been the source of the "can't do that" problem that keeps the region from pragmatically moving forward. It's the unchecked arrogance of area leaders who assume beyond evidence that we must be held back because of them, that certain options and issues cannot be considered because people here are just far too plain to possibly understand the often very simple concepts with which the leaders themselves seem to struggle.

Simply put, they're wrong.