The account of Rep. Giffords assassination attempt in Tuscan, Arizona moved me to tears. I read with great interest about her passionate political positions that promoted individual liberties while showing compassion for people by supporting healthcare and immigration reforms. She knew you could have strong beliefs in individual liberties, while showing compassion for her fellow human being. In today’s political environment she is quite unique.
For her beliefs, she gained the political ire of the Tea Party and the Sara Palin PAC. What followed in Arizona and across the country was political rhetoric so frightful that many members of Congress began seeking personal protection when attending public events or town hall meetings. Good and dedicated public servants were fearful of being attacked by vigilantes. How could this happen in the United States?
It seems we can no longer have civil political discourse, but need to resort to name calling and insults to make our point. We have lost of the art of compromise and debate in the name of ideological purity.
Even at the local level we have seen this harsh political rhetoric cascade throughout many of the county councils, township supervisor boards, and local school boards meetings. For example, Northampton Council members have been called “mental midgets”, while township supervisors are being called “incompetent” or “idiots”. Do we really want to conduct the peoples’ business in this manner?
As we pray for the full recovery of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, I am hoping that every elected official at the local, county, and the state level will spend some time reflecting on the events in Arizona. Then we must figure out how to regain our civility and engage in an honest political debate.
Once we regain our civility, we will find our humanity.
1 comment:
"while township supervisors are being called “incompetent” or “idiots”. Do we really want to conduct the peoples’ business in this manner?"
While I applaud you initiating this dialog, trying to correlate the tragedy in Arizona to the statement above is simply ridiculous.
One only need drive around Forks to visually see how this Township has declined. More and more empty storefronts, growing traffic jams, poor storm water run-off, awful planning, etc., etc.
If one delves below the surface, we see a Board of Supervisors who have consistently ignored the will of the majority of the people in nearly every major issue that has faced this township over the last 2-1/2 decades.
We see a Board who keeps re-appointing the same Solicitor without securing other bids, and at a time when a record number of qualified attorneys are out of work, hungry, and would cost taxpayers far less money than our current Solicitor.
This board continues to employee a man as the community center manager even though he is not qualified for the job, and has yet to deliver the profitability that we all expected. We even had to hire a parks and recreation manager to make up for his shortcomings. Why? Because he is a former Board of Supervisor and, well, we take care of our own.
For years we have talked about broadcasting township meetings on the Internet just like thousands upon thousands of other towns do across America. Why hasn't this moved past discussion here yet?
Why has this township failed to properly utilize all the tremendous resource of highly qualified talent that resides in this township? Ego and control come to mind.
I have no issue with toning down the "vitriolic rhetoric" around here, but lets not confuse that with the fact that this, and the last decade and a half of Board of Supervisors are, and have been incompetent.
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