Is There A Different Way?
Politics: voting, lobbying, running for office, raising money for office, tax increases, tax decreases, Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green, committee appointments, 527s, etc., etc., etc. If you are like most people I know, not including the various political junkies, (I myself need to be in a 12-step program) you are fed up and/or disgusted with politics and politicians in general, and elections specifically. You don’t know who or what to believe. Many, many people make a conscious choice not to vote because they have either lost faith in the system, or never developed such faith. The question that needs to be considered is “why?” Why is it that someone like Barack Obama, a Black man with little national political experience can draw huge crowds, have candidates hoping for his support, and elicit calls for him to run for President? Why is it that columnists, such as those in this DUS edition, concern themselves with telling him not to run because he doesn’t have the experience.
No, this is not an endorsement of Obama; it is an indictment of the current state of political affairs in this country. Clearly, a majority of people are looking for and needing something different than the current model. Good people are afraid to run for office for fear of being vilified; they don’t want to have to beg, borrow or become beholden to the money it takes to run a campaign, or maybe they just don’t think it could make any difference. Someone like Obama, who talks about “hope for a new tomorrow, hope for our children’s future,” is a symbol of what people desire. Politics has become an example of the worst of extremes: conservative vs. liberal, whatever those terms really mean. The public is asking for a balanced approach, one that allows for reasonable discussion and reasoned results. Hard decisions need to be made -- yes, but hard and inflexible dialogue does no one any good. If a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results, it would seem a good time for politicians to finally prove insanity is not a part of politics. Consequently...if you are not registered, or do not or did not vote, you are just another side of the insanity.
On a lighter note, this edition reflects our respect for community elders. The cover story invites us to learn a little more about Charles Burrell, a musical legend, while other stories allow us to say thank you to Grace Stiles for her passionate work keeping our history alive and Ethel Allen, known by all who visit Miss Ethel’s House of Soul. As always, enjoy the many community notes, educational and informational articles and around town photos.
Peace and Blessings
Dante |
