200 Years From Now, 2010 Election Will Be Long Forgotten

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While covering the Gassaway Homecoming Saturday morning, at which there were many people who are running for offices up for election on August 5, I overheard one of the candidates talking as they were walking around soliciting votes.

Most of what the candidate was saying was the expected "I'll do this and I'll do that if elected."

That's really the only thing I want to hear from a candidate, because it's the only thing that's important.

Sometimes while sitting at Joe's Place waiting for my food, I'll read the back of the menu, which has a brief history of the county. Not being from here, it helps to pick up on the history.

I've learned that Cannon County has been around about 200 years.

I'm sure during that time, there have been many good officeholders, and some bad.

Perhaps as can be expected, the bad ones are more easily recalled by most longtime residents I talk to. The good ones, as usual, are taken for granted.

You Can't Please Everyone

I can empathize with the dilemma of officeholders and candidates — it is never possible to please everyone you serve, or seek to serve.

And, there is truth to the words of Ricky Nelson's song — you've got to please yourself.

Easier said then done though — for politicians especially.

Try as they might, whatever their good intentions, there will always be someone who disagrees with the way they run their office, view things or handle situations.

Watching this year's local political races is interesting.

Some of the candidates for office are trying hard, some not hard at all, and some maybe too hard.

Some have a political record that people can judge for good or bad. Others have no track record at all and are mostly unknown commodities.

Some seem to be running for the fruits of the job, more than a desire to serve the public.

Some who decided not to run may regret the decision. Some who decided to run may regret that decision as well.

Some maybe shouldn't be running at all. Some may be trying to hang around too long. Some may not be ready for the job.

At this point, I mostly know who I will vote for, and why. I don't care about who anyone else votes for, their reasons, or what they think about the candidates I will select.

I will listen to those candidates who tell me about themselves and what they will do. I will concentrate on the positive, and discount the negative that I don't know for myself to be true.

As both a citizen and journalist I will note that in the end, and in reality, this election — as are all — is about money and power. The two go hand-in-hand.

The decision is who I trust the most with both.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I get a strong sense that both candidates and critics of candidates take the entire election process much too seriously. After all, if mankind is still around then, few people 200 years from now will remember or think about who ran for office in 2010, who won, who lost — or even who wrote this column.
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June 06, 2010 at 4:24pm
Well written and for the most part I totally agree with everything you have said.

I too think people have taken this election to an entirely new level of negativity, slander and down right meanness that I have never experienced in my 40 years of living here.I think it is a shame that it has come to this level.

I know some people are very loyal to their candidate, just as I am too. But, many things that have been said and done are totally unnecessary. And certain avenues that allow people to remain anonymous have caused a lot of this hatred people seem to be harboring.

I value our county as the best place in the world to live. I value it as a Christian community, with people who are strong members of their respective churches. I view it as a beautiful place to live. I view most of the people with admiration and respect. I have grown to love our county more and more as I have grown older. But this election has torn us apart and divided us to a point that some friendships will never survive.

I hold all of our elected officials to a higher standard because I expect more from them. I expect people who are incumbents or running for office to listen to us as a community, to work toward a common goal of making this an even better place to live. I want people who have EXPERIENCE, not just people who as you say "seem to be running for the fruits of the job, more than a desire to serve the public".

Loyalty to your candidate is a good thing.

The desire to trash the person you are against just to make your guy look better is not who I want holding an office or living in my community.

People may not remember this election in 200 years, but they will remember it 4 years from now or 8 years from now. Do you want to be reminded of how you acted today four years from now?

Jesus said it best in Matthew 15:11 "It is not that which goes into the mouth that defileth a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defileth a man".
June 21, 2010 at 7:42am
If each candidate has the integrity to do the right thing and what is best for any given situation, then he/she deserves consideration. Politicians today forget the people who elected them once they are in office and the candidate forgets to listen to the majority views of the people. "Do the right thing."
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