Rusty Strait

The San Jacinto City Council was in a conciliatory mood last night when (after the usual; preliminaries were out of the way, they voted 5-0 to pass all items on the agenda, out of a single negative vote.

Once upon a time, there was a faraway country when the world seemed to be in great disarray. But this country was above the fray. Oh yes, there was great economic chaos. However, lurking in the background was a leader who appealed to those seeking a better world. This leader was a great orator. His ideas generated great interest among the masses, especially the young and lower-middle-class, i.e., small store owners, office employees, laborers and farmers. He was conservative and promised his country that he would make all misery go away and everyone would enjoy life as it was meant to be enjoyed. He formed a political party from those who decided to follow his lead, and they were in the millions. Like a sandstorm, he swept onto the scene and clouded the horizon to such an extent that only his image hovered over the land. Some saw him as a savior for mankind. His deeds and arrogance were embraced like an evangelist's spiel on tour.

Tuesday night's council meeting came out of closed session a half-hour late and by the time they got down to serious business an hour had passed.

Has it occurred to anyone that our causes are turning into mean and hateful religions? What used to be 'causes' were subject to negotiation and compromise. Today it is my way or the highway. No room for compromise because the sect sees only with one eye straight ahead. Whatever happened to the days of Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neil or Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, Presidents and House speakers who sat down after work had a brew and came to conclusions that were more concerned with America's welfare and less about fundraising and reelection.

In a long-winded and often exasperating discussion, the Hemet City Council finally came into the 21st Century tonight on the homeless situation that permeates the San Jacinto Valley. Following in the footsteps of neighboring San Jacinto, Hemet joined up with City Net, an organization dedicated to assisting the disenfranchised back into a working society. More on that later, but first the routine and mundane.