What can I say. It was impossible not to take a deep breath sigh and feel the weight of the world on my shoulders after reading the front-page article of the ntxe-news.com on food insecurity to now learn that one of every four children do without food; makes me hang my head and feel shame.
There is absolutely nothing anyone can do or say to justify the simple fact that here in Fannin County there are children going hungry. This is not a new issue, however. What this is, is an absolute disgrace for our society in many ways. This has been ongoing for years and yes, these are our tax dollars. Our tax dollars are being spent on stuff, not people. To make matters worse these people are children who are being forced to do without, not of their own choice but of our choice. Children are doing without in the richest country in the world. Now that is a real disgrace. I am not writing this to preach. I am writing it to rattle a few cages. However, there is something dreadfully wrong with a society that puts the well-being of stuff ahead of the well-being of children.
What are we doing? Is there an awareness of what on earth we are creating when these children grow up and have imprinted on their minds the deprivation of going hungry. There is your future angry adult who is abusive. We claim to be all concerned with the aspect of crime, well look around as we continue to create that aspect. By placing people’s well-being at the bottom and telling them they are worthless and that they do not even deserve food to eat due to their status, that is shame.
Do we know where we are going and what we are doing or are we just sleepwalking and keeping our heads down? At some point we must take notice, stand and say no more. It is not just here in Fannin County, it is everywhere. We have held trust in our hearts and in our minds for so long and now it is being shattered. Children going hungry is the last straw of the last resort. It has everything to do with what we do and what we allow and what we decide. Are we so short-sighted to allow our attention to be bought and sold by self-serving hot air balloons who tell half-truths. No, I do not believe that for a minute.
We see, we know and we also understand. However, we are so preoccupied with trying to make ends meet to pay the mortgage and car payments we just don’t have the energy or time to put into making important decisions that invade our lives and pull us emotionally down. There just is no simple answer; I wish there were. The only way out of the mess we are currently in is to face it head on. The trust is gone. The trust we held has been betrayed. It is a necessity to stand and make needs and wants known if we want them to be met in the first place. It is our tax dollar and we must be responsible.
Today voting seems not to be enough. Once our vote is placed it is a necessity to have ongoing input in public forums to ensure that our wants and needs are followed through on. The days of promises are gone. It is our duty to see our tax dollars are spent on the items we want to have our tax dollars spent on.
The last three and half years have taught us a valuable lesson. Our hard-earned tax dollars have been spent on items that are not people-oriented but on items deemed necessary. Yes, these are important items, however, there are more important items that deem a much larger benefit in the long run than items for convivence. Take for example our ongoing issue of potholes. Placed next to one another, which is more important, a hungry child or a pothole -- you choose.
Our County Commissioners are there to help us and put our wants and needs into action and they are right down the street from where we live. If we talk, they will listen. They are our voices to represent our tax dollars. It all starts when we decide it is time to start. So far from where I sit, our current County Judge has pissed a boat load of money down the drain on his own wants and needs as he sees fit and is repulsed when anyone challenges him with a different idea.
It is time to stand and be heard, because there is an absolute need for a continued effort to achieve the important wants and needs for ourselves and for our county. It is our responsibility. It is our need. It is our choice and it is our vote. Above and beyond all else that is all that matters.
The days of wine, buffalos and BS are over!
