FROM MY FRONT PORCH
Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.
Life should make sense, shouldn’t it?
Looking around at our world and the people in it, the above exclamation becomes problematic. I acknowledge the possibility I could be suffering from some sort of personality disorder where my brain seeks facts to link together to create a reasonable, responsible chain of thought. Is this abnormal? I am not referring to being obsessive-compulsive and having the need for all things to be in order, but rather having actions and words be consistent with one another. It seems like such should be the norm, but in reality, it is anything but normal.
Here is a partial list of some things that don’t make sense.
These are all questions that challenge the soul.
My latest aggravation are politicians who criticize authority figures but never suggest a solution to the problem they complain of. It is easy to promote “lower taxes” but why don’t they provide concrete suggestions with specifics on how they are going to make it happen? Is it because they have no idea and are only attempting to gather political support by blaming, criticizing and telling people what they want to hear?
Yelling “lower taxes” sounds appealing to almost everyone. The difficult part is figuring how budget cuts are going to be made to lower taxes and still operate an efficient governmental agency. Those are the kinds of suggestions I don’t hear, and I wish I did because then maybe we would start solving problems rather than talking about them ad infinitum.
There are lots of “go-to” political positions for politicians. They declare they are going to end “waste” in government, be more “transparent” and be “your voice” because those in power have “lost touch.” Carefully analyze those type of comments. You will see they are hollow representations designed to motivate the listener to blame or hate, and fail to explain a plan for governing. What is missing is how the speaker will make things better. It is easy to spout tired old political rhetoric as opposed to finding solutions to problems, especially when the solutions require more sort of sacrifice on the part of the voters.
Some things in life don’t make sense and I guess they never will. If I could ever figure out what happens to that one sock that gets lost in the dryer, I could become a millionaire. When it comes to politics and casting your vote, stop and listen to what candidates say and let yourself hear. Demand that it makes sense or do not give them your vote. Don’t let them sway you with broad, non-specific rhetoric. We need more than talk, we need action. Doesn’t that make sense?
Thought for the day: When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.
Until next time.
sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260