It is a rotten time of year! Winter means your feet are cold and you’re looking for a warm loving place to stick them. We’re forever diving under the covers or dragging out blankets. If we’re lucky we have someone to do these things with. Football season is over and spring is weeks away.
Worse than all of this, every unit of government is back in business at the same time. Congress, state legislatures, county and city elected officials have all reconvened and are meeting at the same time offering … I’m no longer certain what they offer. It used to be leadership but for the most part leaders do not go into politics. I think what they offer these days is their own agenda.
I’ve knocked around every unit of government for the past 25 years. By the time that they convene most have their minds already made up over what they want to do. People go to see them to offer support, offense or a new idea. Except in the case of agreeing with the elected of the land, whatever they have to say mostly falls on deaf ears.
Today’s headline in the “Savannah Morning News” is all about how our City government has led us backwards 40 years so that the primary story is racism is front page news! That’s leadership!
The County just laid off half of the “Recreation and Leisure Services” Department so that kids will not have supervised sports activities. They’ll have to figure out how to have fun on their own. Like learning to use knives and guns, skipping school, and discovering sex as leisure activities. Talk about smart budgeting!
I’m in Atlanta today for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Savannah Day Seafood Lobby-fest. Alcohol, bar-b-que and oysters will bring a thousand people together. Everyone will be kissing political ass in hopes of getting what they want. It is how the game is played.
This is the first year that I’m not representing Union Mission and the faceless constituents of the poor. There are no funding streams to protect, no new grants to explore, and no new policies to be advanced. It’s just me as a member of the Chamber and a citizen. I can ask politically incorrect questions without worry.
“Governor Deal,” I might start, “just how in the hell did you really get elected? And given your track record with your own fiscal management, do you really think that you can balance a budget?”
Of course had it been Governor Barnes who had been elected I would be asking the exact same questions! It is a sad state of affairs.
Then there is Congress. Where to begin? It’s as pompous as it gets! You rush around for ten minutes with the elected person representing you and most often see an aid who is still learning cursive as she takes notes. Then she promises that she’ll pass on your concerns to the Congressman (only white men in my district). You sit there and realize what a waste of time it is.
Political season has begun … again. I sigh heavily. It’s the worst time of the year.
And my feet are cold. I need to stick them somewhere warm.
Oh wait!!
I know!!!
