Citizens of Americus and Sumter County, Please take a moment to reflect on what we, as a polite and organized forum which invites all to join in the discussion, have accomplished this year. Think of the changes that have occurred in our hometown because we as a group shared our opinions and our concerns and we made a united decision to demand a Better Americus. We now have a police chief! Now that that long-suffering decision has finally been made, let’s work together to welcome him (and his ideas for improvements) to our town and into our hearts. Let’s accept the fact that our police force has been overworked and understaffed for too long now, and let’s be grateful for this step in the right direction. Together, let’s show our existing devoted police force and our new police chief that we are a town worth fighting for - -that we are a compassionate people who do our level best to forgive those who transgress against us, but that we are also a fiercely united group who demand that our safety be the preeminent concern of our leaders and our police force. Let’s pray that our police chief will instill in his troops the sense of professionalism and style that will help this City accomplish something to which it has long aspired- to be the shining city on the hill. We have narrowly averted a potential disaster for many of our firefighting families, and I for one am happy to pay a few more dollars in taxes to help make sure that these devoted persons who risk everything to keep our properties safe have every chance at retaining their livelihoods. We now have recycling - - and we called our leaders out on the fact that they had been lying to us about recycling in the past. That day – the day that Brian Parkinson spoke and Kat Mournighan and many others helped to organize more than ninety people to come to the city council meeting - - that was one of the proudest days of my life. Our city leaders are also exploring new ways of running the town, hopefully in efforts to stave off the re-occurrence of some of the problems of the past. These are just a few examples of matters on which we have had direct impact. But let’s not think that our job is done. No. For example, let’s remember that our school board is making decisions about the building of a new school and that this issue needs to be fully vetted by the community before the final vote is cast, as there will be goods and bads and fallout in every direction. A nice, shining new school may just boost some parts of the community’s morale, but leaving yet another dead husk of a building in town would not be helpful. I look forward to more lively discussion on this matter. Although we’ve come a long way, we’ve still got an incredible journey to walk together. Together, we as citizens of this fair town and county are going to make this a location where businesses want to invest, where families want to live, and where both rich and poor students know that they will have an opportunity to advance themselves through hard work and personal investment in a quality education system. Together, we are going to turn our backs on those who attempt to tear us apart with racist rhetoric. We will shun purveyors of racial discord and we will draw close those who traffic in logic, reason, and harmony. Together, we are going to remind our leaders that we want cordial professionalism on our council, and we demand that the council use its powers over our dollars wisely. We will not rest until the loss of all of that money is accounted for and we, as the owners of this town and county, know who did what and when. In order to achieve these goals, we will each work to produce the best and brightest households we can produce. We will have the best and most positive impact on those around us as we can. We will set good examples when we can. We will give where we can afford to give to those who deserve to receive (and sometimes we will give to those who don’t really deserve to receive, and we still do it because we are a good and wholesome people) We will raise our children to be thoughtful, kind, innovative, and supportive of their fellow men. We will not teach our children to bully, nor will we permit it when we learn they have done so despite our best efforts. We will teach our children the importance of honesty, politeness, good communication skills, and the healthy balance between private rights and public responsibility. We will teach our children that no one owes them anything and that if they wish to climb to a different level of existence, they must participate in their own rise. We will respect our elders. We will volunteer where we can volunteer. We will treat our animals with incredible kindness. We will not throw trash out of our cars and we will help to pick up the trash that hits our streets. We will be compassionate towards those who are less fortunate than us, and we will hold those who are simply trying to take advantage of us accountable for their actions. Because we, my friends, are the citizens of Americus and Sumter County, and, in this year alone, we have not just demanded, we have CREATED A BETTER AMERICUS. Merry Christmas, and my love to you all:)
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:32:07 +0000
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