(The view from the left)
We thank Dick Gale, President of the Democrats of Hemet and San Jacinto for his incisive comments
THE POLITICAL NOTEBOOK
I’ve had the privilege of living 77 years. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years, some good, some not so good. Of course it’s largely a matter of perception, of how we look at things. Is your glass half full or half empty? Is the liquid in your glass water or fine wine? Is the glass big or small?
We had ordered pies from a popular local restaurant for Thanksgiving and went down to pick them up about 10:00 am Thursday morning. I was surprised at the number of people out shopping on Thanksgiving morning which made me realize how many people were working on Thanksgiving instead of spending time with family. Of course we have all heard the advertising about “Black Friday” starting early on Thursday. I’m old enough to remember when only gas stations and pharmacies were open on holidays. Limitations called “blue laws” were written into law in most states. Blue laws originated in colonial days and prohibited work on Sundays. To avoid conflicting with the first amendment of our Constitution some states rewrote the law to allow closing stores a different day of the week. A popular Jewish store closed on Saturday instead. Family time was protected.
We live in a different world today: so many things are different. Technology is rapidly changing our lives. The genie is out of the bottle. It’s almost impossible to put toothpaste back in the tube. Perhaps Robert Frost said it best in his poem “The Road Not Taken when he said “Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back.”
I wonder whether we should go back to “earmarks”. Congress started to eliminate them in 2007 and then banned them in 2011. It was about that time that politicians stopped compromising. Perhaps the “my road for your bridge” while wasting a little money allowed meaningful compromise to begin.
Many of the changes over the years most of us embrace. Equal treatment, equal opportunity for all regardless of color, ethnicity, orientation etc. is a good thing. While not 100% there, thanks to Democrats, we are getting close. Affordable health care for all is coming if we give control of both houses of congress and the presidency to Democrats. We still have places to go, things to do. Voting rights must be better protected in all states. Our veterans and our seniors must be better protected. Climate change must be addressed quickly. Progress has been stalled for three years but we can change that at the voting booth next year.
Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle
Search: The view from the left
