Historical February–March 2006 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
My writing today represents a little pique that is probably mine alone. Politics is an essential part of our lives.
It determines highway routes, spending for education and health care, and electronic eavesdropping. Yet, it seems that many disdain politics and pay little attention to it. Even my secretary thinks politicians are all crooks. Certainly the Abramoff matter will not dissuade her. Yet, politicians are human beings just like us who look out for their own selfinterest as we all do.
It seems that scandals, usually involving influence and money, take place in many nations with different types of government.
We need to get beyond the corruption to see how politics affects us and what we can do about it.
We have officeholders and former officeholders in the neighborhood who have served Skinker DeBalkiviere well. New and renovated housing was made possible by politicians. And, politicians helped to clear the way for the building of the East Loop. What bothers me the most is that many people, including my own political science students, don’t draw the connections between political actions and personal results.
In this part of the world, elected officials are remarkably accessible. You can find out what’s going on; you can have some say. Local issues are comprehensible. National issues require greater effort. Is surveillance without judicial warrant justified to prevent acts of terrorism? What is “settled law?” It’s time people looked beyond a tax cut or a change in service to ask what’s really going on? Barely half of registered voters participate in presidential elections. Is this a good thing?
I certainly don’t have all the answers about all the issues.
I try to keep learning and comprehending. And I continue to find politics fascinating as I have since my father told me Stevenson was better than Ike.
He then had me watch Meet the Press with him every Sunday.
I don’t want to be an anomoly.
In Skinker DeBaliviere, with its long political history, I won’t be. But, what about the rest?
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February–March 2006.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2006_02.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
