Last week in his commentary on life in Greenville, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold did a good job of giving his opinion on what all he thinks is wrong with our city without doing the homework needed to give an informed decision on what life is really like in the Camellia City.

Feingold, a three-term Democrat from the "Cheese State" unfairly characterized Greenville as a place where the American Dream is dead and where people have somehow been brainwashed by an "an increasingly radical conservative movement" that is more concerned about homosexuality and abortion than healthcare and the future of our children.

Nothing could be farther from the truth and we people, the ones that actually live here, know the truth.

The senator was right in one regard; Alabamians are a philanthropic people who give generously when asked but we do it because of one profound truth- because we know it's the right thing to do. We do it because that's how we were raised by our parents and how our parents were raised by their parents.

That's why so many of us living in Greenville and the thousands of other towns just like it in the south, wouldn't trade it for anything. Yes, we have double digit unemployment in Butler County and we've been dealt some hard times, but we know we're a resilient people and with the healthy economic news we've had recently and the progressive people we've voted into office, we know our future is bright.

Feingold did choose to characterize our beautiful city and its residents only by what he saw out his car window and that's unfair, but isn't that what so many other people do who travel through our city? That's why we have to remember each and every day to put our best foot forward and continually look for ways to improve the thumbnail sketch people get from first appearances.

Our mayor has invited the senator back and he has accepted. Whether another visit comes to pass is questionable, but we hope the good senator will invest the time necessary when he visits again to really learn what living in Greenville is like. If he does, we're confident his opinion on living the American dream in Greenville will change.