Perspectives: Sam’s Perspective – Election Season

Hello, I’m Sam Jones. We are about a month away from what some are calling a “make or break” point for our republic. The election season is upon us. We used to refer to it as the silly season, a time when grown men and women would kiss babies, call for change, not for the babies of course, and promise a chicken in every pot. But those days are gone. Now there is a fortune to be made in selling mud to ladies and gentlemen to throw at one another, as they reach for a life paid for by you. I’ve never seen such name calling, not by the politicians, but by the voters and the gap between them seems to be growing by the hour. In fact the country is more divided than at any point during my lifetime. That division started long before the last Presidential election when lots of folks felt they were being ignored. Then it took on a life of its own and all of a sudden the United States became a land of them and us. I guarantee there will be many more uncomfortable arguments around the dinner table this thanksgiving. This was also the summer that saw hundreds of immigrant children ripped from their families, many never to see them again. Their only crime? They came to his country illegally. We’re talking about children here.
We watched California burn and saw hurricanes and floods tear lives apart, and gun violence kill and maim and no elected official willing to take on the NRA. In spite of it all, the Republic still stands. Dented, scraped and bruised but it’s still there. Now, it may be hard to believe but here was some good news.
The boys of summer took to the fields to toe the rubber again. Soccer contains to gain in popularity. And then there’s Georgia, that state had a bumper crop of Vidalia onions, so named by law and grown only in a certain area of that state. If you’ve never tried one, you’re missing a real treat. They are a sweet onion grown in soil very low in sulphur.
So sweet you can pick and eat em’ in the fields while they are still warm from the sun. Mix them with locally grown produce and you have a salad of the gods. The taste is always “slap your mama” sweet with never a hint of anything hot and burning. Like anger. You see, Vidalia onions do exactly what they are supposed to do, please the palate.
It’s a shame office holders can’t or won’t do the same. If they did, maybe children would never torn from their families, the hungry would be fed, the homeless would have shelter, budget problems might be fixed, a serious plan might be launched to fight Mother Earth’s anger and sooth the environment. They might even be encouraged to stand up to special interests and big lobbies. They won’t do it of course, but there’s always hope. And Lord knows we could use a bit more hope right now.
And that’s my perspective.