Ok folks, instead of hammering the CA's coverage and endorsement to death and instead of focusing on what areas voted for whom, how about we move forward and decide how we are going to hold this mayor's and the new city council's feet to the fire? What are OUR visions of this city and how are WE going to make those visions a reality?
We need term limits which is apparent now more than ever. Yes, we have fresh faces on the council but only because members were indicted or chose not to run. Not because an incumbent was successfully challenged. And obviously, we need a new mayor. How in the world can you get fresh ideas if you keep electing the same old faces? With limits, I believe the politicians would be more willing to take on controversial topics because they weren't continually running for office. The average voter is lazy and uninformed. They'll vote name recognition because it's easy. Really studying the candidate and the issues takes effort and most of the folks around here can't come up from the bucket of chicken long enough to educate themselves.
We need activism. Refer to my chicken statement as to why we see so little political activism. The citizens of this city MUST get and stay involved. Write the city council. Go to the meetings when you can. As Goldie Hawn said in "Private Benjamin", "I'm going to be watching you LIKE
A
HAWK." You betcha, that's what we must do.
The mayor didn't get this city in the state it's in by himself. We did. We turned a blind eye. We stopped taking part. We closed our mouths. This is OUR fault people and it's up to US to fix it. And we can but we have to move. We have to get up off the couch. We have to pick up the phone or write a letter. We have to do something besides just blink and breathe and bitch.
This is OUR city. It's not Herenton's or Belz's or the gangs. It's ours. The average Joe and Jane blow who want safe streets, good schools and regular garbage pick up. The rest is gravy. We have to make it attractive to live here so that people will move back in. We have to figure that out then TELL the politicians what WE want and not the other way around. They serve us, we don't serve them but most have forgotten that.
It's a new day, ladies and gentlemen. Let's control it.
