Play that Funky Music…
I write today from Arizona and news from home this week literally trickles to me through a dial-up modem (the good old days really weren’t all that good.) From what I have been able to gather, it appears that political environment in Dakota South continues to be dry, brittle, and flammable. It is easy to imagine that all of us will be swallowed up in a conflagration which means that once again, we all will be burned out on the political scene in the land of Rushmore.
We are distracted. Our focus needs to be on the issues before us rather than trying to shape the debate and outcome of matters that have yet to be decided. Whether it is the accusations about one member of the legislature acting inappropriately with young employees or another bending campaign finance reporting statues into a twisted pretzel, there are plenty of other issues that deserve our attention and ought to be discussed.
What do we do about school funding? How can we address the availability of affordable housing for new families? (This challenge is a serious threat to continued economic development in many of our communities.) What kind of efficiencies can be realized in local and state government through greater cooperative efforts and technological advancements? How do we enhance the relationship between higher education and the private sector in areas of research and development? What do we do about water development? And how do we ensure that our children continue to receive the best possible education?
Instead we are preoccupied by the salacious and dim behavior of miscreants. Some would say that is just human nature to become mesmerized with the scandalous and aberrant. And while that may be true, it is time to evolve to the next level on the Darwinian Chart.
Our elected leaders need to sound a clarion call and we all need to respond to it. We need to discuss the issues calmly without flamboyance and grandiosity and with the goal of resolution rather positioning. This is can be accomplished if we all make an effort to keep our attention on the issues before us rather than the misguided actions of a few.
The best campaign slogan emerged from the din of this past campaign season, “It’s time to get back to work.” Yes, yes it is time we got back to work.
And maybe we need to have them blow the trumpet a little louder.
We are distracted. Our focus needs to be on the issues before us rather than trying to shape the debate and outcome of matters that have yet to be decided. Whether it is the accusations about one member of the legislature acting inappropriately with young employees or another bending campaign finance reporting statues into a twisted pretzel, there are plenty of other issues that deserve our attention and ought to be discussed.
What do we do about school funding? How can we address the availability of affordable housing for new families? (This challenge is a serious threat to continued economic development in many of our communities.) What kind of efficiencies can be realized in local and state government through greater cooperative efforts and technological advancements? How do we enhance the relationship between higher education and the private sector in areas of research and development? What do we do about water development? And how do we ensure that our children continue to receive the best possible education?
Instead we are preoccupied by the salacious and dim behavior of miscreants. Some would say that is just human nature to become mesmerized with the scandalous and aberrant. And while that may be true, it is time to evolve to the next level on the Darwinian Chart.
Our elected leaders need to sound a clarion call and we all need to respond to it. We need to discuss the issues calmly without flamboyance and grandiosity and with the goal of resolution rather positioning. This is can be accomplished if we all make an effort to keep our attention on the issues before us rather than the misguided actions of a few.
The best campaign slogan emerged from the din of this past campaign season, “It’s time to get back to work.” Yes, yes it is time we got back to work.
And maybe we need to have them blow the trumpet a little louder.
No comments:
Post a Comment