"Do you ever think that we'll be a nation again?" Maggie was staring up at the wall, where a picture of the former Congresswoman being sworn-in was hanging. It looked like it had been intended for a much smaller frame or a scrapbook, but they had made it work when they moved in.
"One day perhaps, but not without a lot of struggle, and even then I don't think it will resemble the nation we knew for so long. Maybe it will be better and ideals of our own founding fathers will find their way into law again, but there is always the chance that those people who are preying upon other survivors will shape whatever comes to pass." Deanna looked at Maggie for several seconds, "Ultimately the survival of Alexandria and other communities like ours is what will shape the future."
"We tried democracy at the prison; it worked well when we had a council, but when the prison fell there wasn't a chance to rebuild that leadership. I was on the council." Maggie shrugged, "I liked the feeling that we could get things done by talking and making a decision that came from more than just one point of view."
"We try to do that here too. There are a lot of specialists here though, and I think ultimately we need to go back to the foundations of the United States. Many of the most influential Founding Fathers were from Virginia, so we have good intellectual roots here; we just need to follow some of their examples for learning and progress." Deanna unrolled some of the papers they were to go over, showing the layout of their community. "It's good to have people with specialized knowledge, but we all need to be able to contribute when we have such a small population."
"Skills to help us all survive. I had some ideas about that, and the sort of training programs which could get everyone involved." Maggie moved to the other side of the table, looking down at the maps.
"Good, I had the feeling that you would have ideas like that. You know what's out there and what skills people need to survive. I want to hear those ideas, and get your input on how we've been operating thus far." Deanna nodded, smiling, "I think you are going to be a wonderful source for pushing Alexandria forward."