Be careful what you pray for

Once I started attending legislative hearings and interacting with the folks at the capitol about 5 years ago it didn’t take me long to realize that heavy prayer was an essential component in dealing with the folks and issues up there. Along with pleas for wisdom and discernment for myself and the other participants my consistent prayer has been that truth will out.

Well, I had no idea how much truth needed to be outed. I had no idea how prideful and self-serving some of the people in authority and entrusted with the care and concern of our citizens have become. I did not imagine how pervasive the evil intentions of some could be. I still don’t understand how the simple truths of not that long ago have been abandoned and the contorted logic of what can only be called ‘New and Improved!’ wisdom is so fully embraced. It’s been almost overwhelming and I’ve had to take a break from even reading or seeing any more of the shenanigans that are going on in our state. I’m very thankful that this information is being revealed, but I truly couldn’t handle any more.

And like a lot of things that just push it over the top it was a relatively small thing. What started this whole self-imposed news hiatus was the demand by (current) Senator Ophelia Ford that we pay her legal fees for daring to question an election that was severely flawed. It’s my opinion that she should have been leading the charge to ensure that every rule was scrupulously followed and complied with so that she could start with a legitimate and absolutely spotless record. But that didn’t happen and somehow citizens across the state will again pay for the nonsense that is called ‘politics as usual’ in Memphis.

I’ve always had a heart for children and what occurs in our schools but to read about so many incidents of abuse by authority figures was heart wrenching—seriously heart wrenching. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to step back and hug my own children and thank God that my children are in a safe place. I shook my head in amazement that our society requires compulsory attendance but does not ensure that these students are safe. How dare we demand one without providing the other? Currently the educrats are whining because giving families any real choice (choices, choices) is going to put a dent in their monopoly. Too bad, so sad. What’s more important protecting the system or educating children? It’s not YOUR money and they’re not YOUR children. Let go of both.

And then too many of the very folks that are charged with running these schools and their associations have lost their focus and instead of remembering that it’s ‘for the children’ and serving them they pretty much made it clear that it’s for their bank accounts and personal empowerment. It’s as if folks have completely forgotten that all this money does actually come from somewhere and that the reality is not everyone getting taxed to pay for these thefts can easily do without the money. When you steal and waste money from the public coffers you steal from me and my children and other parents and their children and the thousands of classrooms, hospital rooms and homes across the state.

And speaking of stealing and contorted wisdom—have you seen the latest lottery commercials? The one bragging about $2 BILLION dollars in sales, how much money has been awarded and with the tag line “Do the math!” as if the calculations would prove that participating in this bad idea actually makes sense mathematically? We saw a bumper sticker one day that the lottery was a tax on people with bad math skills. It’s absolutely true. The problem is that the very people with these bad math skills probably got whatever math skills they have from public schools. Why are there not hundreds of educational malpractice lawsuits? Attorneys should quit ambulance chasing—surely there’s a bundle to be made in this niche market and there’s no chasing involved. Potential clients are waiting in line at the local Kwiki Mart lottery counter. We’re bamboozling money from poor people and the lottery CEO brags about the integrity of the games.

And I haven’t even touched on the shameful conduct of too many State Troopers, or the DCS or the inability of certain legislators to at least schedule the people’s business let alone step out of the way so that our representatives can represent us. Well, you can see I’d just had my fill and it was a good thing I stepped back, focused on what was true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy for a change.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the season of revealing which made its big debut via the FBI’s Operation Tennessee Waltz scandal is quite over. I suspect there is more to come and I want to encourage everyone out there to continue the good and necessary work of bringing folks to accountability in public matters. I understand it can be overwhelming and discouraging but we’ve got to take back our state from those who wrongly think they own it and that we’re their servants. Winter is over and it’s time for a thorough spring cleaning.