Last night my wife and I attended our local City Council meeting.

I’m a little ashamed to say that this is the first time I have done this in the nearly two years I have lived at my present address. Why that is, I couldn’t tell you, so I guess it comes down to apathy. Life has been good and easy, so the motivation to “get involved” and “make a difference” in our civic life has been effectively nada. (Apologies for the cultural appropriation.)

Of course it doesn’t help one’s motivation when there’s been little else but gridlock in our national government for the better part of the 21st century – which may in fact be for the best, if we’re being honest. Even so, state and local governments seem to have been been quite active during this same period of time. This includes plenty of legislation that has bothered conservatives. At least “stuff” has been happening, with different policies being attempted in different states.

But whether it’s the Supreme Court overturning a particular state’s legislation to the preclusion of all other states, or our Fourth Branch of government — otherwise known as Department of President Obama’s Pen and Phone — enforcing such vapidity as a potty-time policy upon all the bigoted little boys and girls, federalism seems defeated at every turn.

What a contrast, then, to go see good (or at least functioning!) government in action.

Here’s a summary of what happened:

• We watched a new Council member being sworn-in, with his proud family in attendance for pictures.
• We saw parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rule of Order being debated and enforced.
• And we witnessed our fellow citizens petitioning the Council for variances to land use regulations and building codes in order to start or ease the construction of their various endeavors.

There was even some disagreement among the parties involved, with one group speaking in opposition to a business plan to create a mixed-use parcel of land at the edge of their neighborhood. The Council heard each of the testimonies, a proper mix of emotional appeal from longtime residents with the opinions of experts who had local knowledge. Members then deliberated openly before casting their votes. One party went home disappointed, but the process worked so far as I could tell, and it was all so wonderfully ordinary and American.

It was something straight out of Coolidge, who said that “the chief business of the American people is business.”

And then my wife and I went home to watch the GOP convention speeches. The tone was so urgent, so “full of sound and fury.” What it will end up meaning, we don’t yet fully know. But I do know, or at least I appreciate a little better, that America is still going strong, with all manner of the day-to-day workings of our local lives continuing as though Washington’s internecine warfare did not even matter.