Use Your Vote To Send Officeholder Politicians Home

**Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Community Times Newspaper, it’s staff or advertisers.**

Unlike many other weeks, this week started relatively calm with a sprinkling of chaos surrounding the mindless action taken by the Florence Delegation. When news broke of another mass shooting it was almost shameful to say it did not come as a surprise. It simply adds to the monotony of bizarre things beginning to happen regularly.

If it's not some mindless, demon-possessed, gun-crazed shooter killing innocent little children, it is the so-called “gang of conservatives,” serving on the Florence One School Board pulling off a mind-numbing vote aided by the Florence Delegation, killing the hope for fairness, and returning us to a time when racism and discrimination were expected. The truth is if you think race won't worm its’ way into this seemingly clear-cut situation, as a nation we have taken leave of our senses. If you think the fact that most of the children are Hispanic is not driving the likelihood of them making the right decisions around this senseless shooting, then we would caution you to look around and see that race is injected into everything these days.

There has been one shooting after another. Each new day brings about a catastrophe more bizarre than the last. The news leads off with Texas' Governor saying we are not going to tolerate this kind of madness. Doesn't he know this thing has already gone beyond our levels of tolerance to an unimaginable and unsustainable place? But for many, the solution is still to add more guns. How that becomes a rational argument is best seen when you hear Congressman Gonzales debate Gail King on network television about how to not do something now, but wait for a more convenient time. What he is really saying is we need to give people a chance to settle down and get back into partisan divisions surrounding gun ownership. Sen. Ted Cruz seems to be blind to the fact the police were on the scene almost immediately, and were not able to stop the carnage. But that just goes to show you how far politicians are out of the loop of common sense thinking when it comes to making decisions that are not self-serving.

The only thing Americans can do is get rid of the status quo and begin to elect people with values that remotely resemble their own. Insanity is looking to those people who are present-day “officeholders,” and hoping they would do something different. They are entrenched in their positions of perceived power. Only a person blinded by greed and ambition could hold on to such unsupported ideologies and positions. The true value of trying to write this is to get people to see there is a problem with politicians who take their positions as a way to play the political game and not to be a spokesman for the people they are representing.

There probably won't be anything constructive coming out of this or any other shooting. If politicians have gotten away with not doing anything in the past, why would any rational person expect them to do something this time? The only thing the politicians will recognize, and respect, is seeing some of their own voted out of office and sent back home. Sen. Mark Rubio made an asinine statement when he said more laws won't solve the problem of gun violence. It seems as if he was speaking to the gun pushers and lobbyists rather than to families who have lost loved ones in what could be considered the nation’s second-largest catastrophe. It sickens me to see people looking to heartless politicians for help and hope, when all that seems to be on their minds is performing for the next big donation.

The question that begs to be answered now is, “How did we get into a situation where the politicians are telling the people what to do, instead of being instructed by their constituents on what they want them to do?” Politicians have become so arrogant and self-absorbed, that they appear to be unaware of their pledge to faithfully carry out the responsibilities of their offices. It appears they have taken the position of they know what is best for their constituents. How else could you explain them voting on a matter as important as redistricting without even mentioning it to their constituents? It is obvious Representative Lowe has talked to someone he represents, because he managed to have a plan drawn up that they voted on. This suggests he had some discussion with someone or that he, the superintendent, and probably other White members of the board, got together on a plan. In any case, the Black members of the board were left out of the loop.

Now, in what seems to be a heartless twist of fate, the NRA has scheduled an event the very same week of the murderous event. You tell us if that is not distasteful timing. But nothing appears to bother 45 about speaking at said event. Among all of the proud and boastful things he's done of late, it seems to demonstrate his inability to show remorse. Governor Abbot was quick to point a proverbial finger at mental illness, but it seems with Medicare being the chief provider of mental health care services, he would have expanded Medicare in the State of Texas. But Texas and several other conservative-leaning states have refused to expand Medicare to cover such services. So, it seems as though he is just using conservative talking points to placate his base. To all the people who are not mindless followers of the right-wing, the time has come for you to WAKE UP!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT; is a complete ban on assault weapons unthinkable? Doesn't a thorough background check make sense if politicians won't vote to at least potentially stop more children from being murdered? They need to be sent back home, but many politicians have decided it is best to not even let guns be a part of the conversation when considering the tragic event of the Uvalde shooting.

The time has come to use your vote to demonstrate your displeasure with arrogant and conceded lawmakers, who, by their demonstrated posture, are setting themselves up to do nothing again to alleviate the suffering of their constituents. It's time for goodwill to stand up to good fortune. The people need to be the winners this time. WAKE UP!

The Florence Delegation believes their dastardly deeds are done and there will be no further consequences. But hopefully, they are wrong and what they did in secret may provide the impetus for people to vote them out of office. WAKE UP!

Sincerely Yours,

Time To Knock Wrong Off Of Its High Horse.

Elder, James W. Williams

Chairperson, Advocacy

Organization, Lifelineplus