It must be election time again. Every political mail piece I receive at home tells me how much more conservative one candidate is over another. Issues such as immigration, religious freedom, Obamacare, cutting taxes and supporting pro life values. All wonderful issues.
Criminal attorneys working regularly on federal immigration matters and state and federal criminal cases know how important it is to win your case if you want to stay in the US or have the leisure of returning if you were to leave. Even legal green card holders are up against the same federal immigration regulations regarding deportation and inadmissibility.
Our local issues that appear to need immediate attention: illegal drugs, child hunger, abuse of women and children, fixing our education system, clean water, poverty and mental health.
I’m not saying which issues are more important than others. It just seems to me that for purposes of trying to make our local community a better place, the community should discuss the issues we can have an immediate, positive impact on and come up with a plan to work on those issues. Can we fix immigration in Athens, probably not. Can we come up with a religious freedom plan locally, probably not. Are we going to have a say in Obamacare locally, probably not. Cutting taxes, probably not. Pro life values, probably not. However, the local issues such as illegal drugs, child hunger, abuse of women and children, our education system clean water, poverty and mental health are probably issues that we as a community could have a significant impact in correcting or making better.
How should we do this? It will take a plan that comes from our county and city leaders. Do we have a plan? Who is going to get together to help come up with a plan? These questions must be answered in order for all of us to be on the same page.
We don’t necessarily all have to agree that we have the best plan or the right plan but we need to be willing to all work together. Let’s face it, whatever we come up with that we all work on together but will much better than no plan and not working together. Isn’t it time to for us to work together to make the community better?
I look forward to hearing your comments.
— Jeff Weinstein
Republicans, for the most part, rule our local government. And have been doing so for quite some time now. I can’t see that they’ve really solved any of the local problems/issues. I have no faith in the democrats. For over 100yrs republicans & democrats have been in charge. And for the last (at least 60yrs) things haven’t really gotten better for us average joe citizens. Republicans & democrats still see drug addiction as a legal issue & not a medical one. The cities around here are still using their police citations as a source of revenue.
I believe that not “re electing” anyone would be a good start. And support a party that still believes in small limited government (libertarians) would do a world of good far our local community & this country.
I agree with your comments. Last Saturday I attended the candidate forum at the Senior Citizens Center with a friend and my 16 year old son. I have always encouraged my children to be informed. Both of the State Representative primary candidates attended. Not once did the words public education , education funding, college tuition costs, highways, jobs, unfunded mandates on local education, county and cities or insurance costs come out of their mouths. These are STATE ISSUES! It was a wasted opportunity for the attendees to hear about a vision or goals from either of these gentleman.
Hopefully we will begin to hear more about their plans to represent us rather than finger pointing and tearing each other down. We got it that you don’t care for each other but how will you address these problems? How about getting off the buzz words and getting on the solutions or at least ideas.
Well said, Jeff.