The powerless feeling that there is nothing we can do is pervasive in our modern society: a gnawing terror that nobody hears our needs, or perhaps that the people in positions of power are choosing to ignore us.

Meanwhile, the world around us keeps moving forward, as it has ever done and, presumably, ever shall. Tendencies become patterns. Patterns become habit. Habits become…”well, that’s just the way it is.”

Sometimes, though, we are afforded an opportunity to make ourselves be heard. Those who are highly engaged with local government know some of those opportunities.

Others are presented to us on a silver platter — sometimes with a beg and a plead.

So it is with Clinton County’s Comprehensive Plan and Open Greenway Plan.

A rare chance — the plans are only updated once every 10-15 years — you can fill out the questionaire in a matter of minutes.

The survey is located here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/clintoncountycompgreenwaysplans

The deadline to complete the survey is one week from today: April 1.

The two plans are separate, but related. According to the survey itself, the comprehensive plan pertains more to “land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure, economic development, public services and environmental stewardship. The plan will help inform future policies, funding priorities and coordination efforts that affect residents, businesses, healthcare access, community facilities and quality of life;” while the greenways plan focuses on “parks, trails, waterways, open space and natural resource connections. This plan will identify opportunities to enhance recreation, improve connectivity, support conservation and protect natural assets.”

Live outside the county? As long as you have a connection here — say, you work here or frequently visit — you can still make your voice heard.

We would imagine, in fact, that if you are responding while living in a neighboring county, the planning committee would be particularly keen on hearing ways they can entice you to visit, bringing your time and money to the county.

These types of requests are a fantastic asset to representative government, as they afford residents the chance to inform our officials of what we would like to see.

Do you want to see more economic development — more businesses, better parking or bike lanes? Tell them that.

Are you worried about the effects of our shifting climate — perhaps, on our stormwater infrastructure, as a river town with a history of floods? Tell them that.

Maybe you think more parks or an improved trail network is something the county should focus on. Tell them that.

And so on.

The fact is that you are the only person who has the particular set of history, memory, skill and desire that you do. Your perspective is unique and valuable — no matter what social media or AI delusions may try to tell you in an attempt to elicit apathy or doomscrolling.

This is an opportunity to leverage your perspective to join with the voices of others and effect change.

“Change we can believe in” was a famous slogan of President Obama during his first campaign in 2008.

In some circles, it became a joke in reference to coins in your pocket — which honestly feels a little more accurate.

Regardless, to borrow from Obama’s campaign, this survey is “change you can believe in.”

While we — as humans who live in 2026 — have a relatively dim view of most state- or federal-level officials, we believe that most local officials are genuinely trying to make the area they live in better.

We might not always agree with the directions or methods they choose to do that, but, in most cases, we cannot argue with the strength of their conviction.

For change to happen, there needs to be a direction — a dream needs to be dreamt before it can be given form. Taken together, our voices and yours can provide those dreams, which our officials can then effectuate through plans, funding and the other gears of government.

But it all starts here, with us.

And you.

Fill out the survey within the next week.

Be heard.

As a reminder, it can be found here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/clintoncountycompgreenwaysplans