Choose wisely: Elections have consequences
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
In My Humble Opinion
Jodi McDade
A friend asked me why I didn’t fully finish my column in the May 20 edition of the paper and, looking back, I guess I didn’t do a good job of bringing it full circle like I said I would.
I listed several topics that I said would roll together by the end of the column – gas, formula, Supreme Court, education, immigration, and the election. I DID mention all of these, but failed to make the final connection. ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. Every one of these issues are connected by the people we hire to “run” our country, state, county, and town.
The problem is made worse now by the wide divide between the two ruling political parties. I repeat my ending of “Choose wisely.”
The most important responsibility we have as American citizens is participating in the elections by doing our research and going to the polls to cast our votes. With that said, less than 34% of the registered voters in Coosa County chose to participate in last week’s primary elections. And, statewide, less than 25% of registered voters in Alabama did so.
Granted, these elections were based on party affiliation so maybe people just weren’t interested in supporting either party or their candidates. Again, ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. And, in some of the races, we will have a runoff because no candidate received 50%-plus-one vote to win outright. Also, again, “choose wisely” – our futures depend on it.
The main topic right now is the horrible tragedy in Texas. So many things are wrong here, but there are no easy answers to why this happened, how this happened, and how (or can) we stop the same thing from happening again. Unfortunately, the aftermath is being moved into the political realm where we see this immense divide of morals, responsibilities, laws, mental health, and values.
As immediately predicted, the blame is being placed on the gun that was in the hands of a person who had all the signs of others who have committed these same crimes before – horrible home life, no parental involvement, bullied or ignored in school, no social values, no regard for human life, and probably the desire for suicide by cops. Young people today are more influenced by video games, social media, the lack of adult involvement in their lives, the lack of religious connections, and the lack of discipline.
Parents have been removed from our children’s lives by the changes made in our society in the past 100 years – yes, it’s been coming slowly but surely. The family structure was badly altered because of the need for both parents to work outside the home; by the welfare system that promoted single motherhood and rewarded those with no father in the home; by the government takeover of our schools; by the removal of the Bible from the schools because a handful of people were being offended; and, in general, because the majority of Americans sat back and let it all happen.
Our laws have been watered down, and punishment is almost non-existent or takes so long that it doesn’t matter anymore. And politicians have done all they could to destroy the very fabric on which our country was founded.
We have kids having kids, kids no longer having childhoods, kids having to raise themselves and siblings, kids without social skills. Yes, drugs play a role in all of this, too.
Many children are being raised in environments that they cannot talk about because they realize their home situation is not the same as their friends. They are taught to protect their parents’ secrets and way of life. These kids are also not afraid of “consequences” for their actions from law enforcement, parents, or school officials because punishments have been so watered down – thanks to our government.
It’s very difficult for us older people to wrap our minds around all of this – we experienced an entirely different childhood. Sometimes “advancement” and “progress” are not such good things.
Many of us were the first generation to have televisions, to “see” the news (not opinions), to experience fast food restaurants. But, we were also the first generation to be exposed to food additives, big pharma, new illnesses, 24/7 news channels, “opinion” journalists, and many other things that have festered into some of our most pressing problems.
So, what do we do to turn this around? There are many ideas being floated around, but we definitely do NOT need to take away the ability for law-abiding people to purchase and own weapons. The guns are not the problem; the criminals and people with mental health problems are. They are what need to be addressed. And, keep in mind where and how our laws are written and enforced.
Laws are made by elected officials and enforced by the people other elected officials appoint. District attorneys and judges (who can either be elected or appointed) make the decisions on whether criminals are charged and their bail.
Our criminal justice system operates now with the theory they cannot violate the rights of criminals, but victims are on their own. This is upside down and backwards.
And now, again, ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES and CHOOSE WISELY. If you don’t bother to even vote, you have no right to complain about anything. If you do accept your responsibility, do your research, and vote based on your personal values, you have the right to complain, but you also need to help change what isn’t working.
Also, I suggest we all spend some time praying for the people who need help and for our country. Second Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
