Get over It and Get on with It
Last week was a relief for some and other found themselves needing a safe space. I must say that I have little understanding of the need for a safe space unless circumstances involve great personal danger. I know people who have needed a safe space in their lifetime. People whose situations brought them risk of bodily harm. It is an abomination to compare those that actually face life challenges that put them at the risk of harm or even death to those whose candidate lost an election. How did we get here? How did we go from the Greatest Generation to the Sniveling Generation in such a short time? What is even more amazing is that many of those that are seeking protection from life did not engage in life enough to get their righteous selves out and vote. If this is the way that the youngest generation of adults handle adversity we are in serious trouble.
And then there are the others. Those that cry foul at the outcome of an election that was run just like every other election in the United States of America. The rules haven’t changed, yet they take to the streets, some to march against policy that has not yet been scribed and others to destroy the land that they profess to hold so dear. It makes no sense. And then again, it makes perfect sense.
This election has been one of the most classless acts in the history of politics and it has been the creation of both sides. In my voting lifetime, I have supported both Democrats and Republicans. I vote based on merit not party and this year, I must confess, that it was difficult to find much merit to vote on but I did so none the less. Did I vote for Clinton or Trump? Perhaps I voted for a third party candidate or decided to write in for someone else entirely. Whatever my vote, it has nothing to do with my opinion about the aftertaste of this election. This country held an election and those who were eligible and wanted to vote had the opportunity to cast their ballot and support their candidate. That is what we do every election cycle. I am ashamed of the way that the media has driven this election. Journalist do not take sides, they inform. They do not call names or lament when life does not go their way. They are the watchdogs of society and are supposed to walk the middle line siding with neither the right or the left. It is their professional duty to remain neutral and unbiased, in fact, I would consider that their first professional duty. That is not what happened in this election.
They have incited an atmosphere in this home of the brave and land of the free that pits, not just party against party, but person against person. I know that they don’t like President-Elect Trump but I shouldn’t know that, at least not from following their coverage of the “news”. Jefferson County has a strong red line around it and the fact is that Trump received more than a thousand votes more than either Romney or McCain did in 2008 and 2012 in Jefferson County. I know the people of Jefferson County. I have spent my life with these people and it angers me for those on the left, led by a biased media, to count them as ignorant, uninformed racists. The fact is that if a large number of those that supported President Obama had not cast their vote for Trump, we would be swearing in Clinton in January. Does anyone really believe that a racist would support a black Presidential candidate? So, did these voters just become a racist in the last four years? Did having a bi racial President cause an upswing in racism? If so, then the White House has some big questions to answer. It is more reasonable to believe that Trump supports are not dripping in racism. They are just people who voted in opposition to what Clinton supporters wanted.
Locally, we have some new folks in the drivers seats of our municipalities and a few returning faces. After much hoopla, November 8th has finally passed and for that I am exceptionally thankful. We have some big fish to fry here locally and we need to focus our energy on the future. The White Pine School renovation and addition project is in financial trouble, with the School Board facing a $755,000 deficit after opening bids and that does not include roofing, which has been farmed out to the School’s maintenance department with the possibility of a little prison help, to save cost. Of course, that also means no roof installation warranty and we all know what can happen to a roof (see Building 8).
And then the folks in New Market and Strawberry Plains are fighting their own battle with Nyrstar over their property mineral rights. We need money for renovation of the DOE building and the IDB wants to buy almost $2 million dollars of property. Like I said, we have some big fish to fry and we better get building a fire to do it.
Regardless of who I did or did not vote for, I hope that President Trump has great success. His success is the United States’ success. His success is Tennessee’s success. His success is Jefferson County’s success and ultimately, his success is my success. I agree with Hillary Clinton when she says that it takes a village. It just doesn’t take a village of idiots. If you want to make this nation better, crawl out of your safe space, get out of the protest line and go to work. Go feed the hungry. Go forth and prosper. Just do something productive, anything. Just go.
