None of these efforts is big government. If they are adopted, the federal government will not manage a single local zoning or land use decision. Local communities, however, will have the tools they need to make the best possible local decisions. Just as important, they will know that the federal government is their partner, not their warden, in making these decisions. As I travel and speak on these issues, I find few families who care about the partisan bickering we hear so often of in Washington.
People are focused on the problems of everyday life, of pollution, congestion and unplanned growth.
In the coming weeks, Congress has the chance to tune into those concerns and implement the livable communities initiatives. We should help American communities solve their own problems. After all, it is their budget. Congressman Rush Holt, a Democrat, represents Central New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is an official Web site of the United States House of Representatives.