There is a whole lot that can be said about politics, some good and some bad.
Even on a local level, politics has the tendency these days to divide people. On the local level it isn’t so much red and blue, but more akin to simply people with differing opinions and different viewpoints on how things should be done.
On the surface, that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing, but the reality is nowadays that social media has given people a platform. The platform provided by social media has the tendancy to not be one heavily favored in facts, but what amounts to tirades and tantrums and way too much perdonal agendas instead of actual knowledge.
Now, before you start blowing up my phone or coming down to the office, let me explain.
I am not necessarily pointing any one person out, and I am definitely not endorsing one candidate over the other. What I am saying is that even on social media, even on a political platform and even in just every day life, we seem to let politics make us something other than who we really are, doing things we normally would not do.
What comes to mind is the old adage, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”
In a perfect world, people would run for office, of any kind, and simply stick to the facts, or adhere to a platform.
You can stump and spread a message about lower taxes or lower utility bills without name calling and trash talking. A candidate can seek an office and run against an opponent by telling voters why they are running for the office and what they plan to do if they are elected, without mounting an attack of any kind on the others running for that same office.
And how about this? How about we try having politics where a debate on thie issues is at center stage instead of races where all we see is negative flyers, attack ads, and social media rants aimed at trying to make the other side look like the lesser of two evils.
Here is what I really think.
How about we try to have elections that center on a meeting of the minds with educated discourse on the issues instead of random statements with very little basis and even less respect for the actual truth.
Case in point. There is a local election going on right now where one of the issues that has been brought to the forefront is the high cost of water in our area. Much has been said about the City of DeKalb letting fire hydrants run pouring water into a ditch, and what a waste that seems to be. But, in fact, there are mandates out there that require municipalities to flush their systems The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requires the flushing of city water lines to be flushed for many reasons. Those include keeping chlorine levels in check, removing “stale” water from the lines, and maybe most importantly, to ensure the fire hydrants themselves are working properly.
Would you want to have a fire at your house or on your street and the fire department find out the only hydrant neer tham isn’t working right?
That is just one of the issues at hand, and trust me, I believe all of the issues being argued and fussed about on social media can easily be explained with a moderate amount of fact checking and research.
The problem with most “keyboard warriors” is that things like fact checking and research are not very high on their list of priorities.
That is where the problem lies. On social media you can say anything without any basis at all, and you will have folks believe you.
So anyway, how about when it comes to politics, we just try to follow the golden rule, keep it nice, and stick to the actual facts?
That could be a crazy concept for some, but in the end I believe one thing above all else.
People in our communities just want a fair shake and we all want what is best for everyone.
So, instead of ranting away, why not take the time to learn, research, become an informed voter, and just be nice.
