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A Yuletide
Blessing?
By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I hope you all had a safe, happy and healthy Yuletide!
Now for some exciting stuff - I believe. On the front page of the Daily
Advocate - Monday - 12/22 - the headline read - "Commissioners, Judge
clash over budget." This is a money issue, again...nothing new.
Money is wanted for the Adult Probation Program for 2015. But what is
new is this - Commissioner Mike Stegall is quoted as saying - "Hein
chose not to participate in the December meeting to discuss the
upcoming budget; but, instead chose to file an order regarding his
request...."
Judge Hein indicates - "a concern with closed-door budget decisions as
violating the public meetings law and gave the commissioners the option
to attend court to handle any questions and concerns they feel are
necessary, thus giving public disclosure." Let that sink in
for a minute.
Maybe "the cavalry" is here! Someone stood up and said - "I'll not
participate in a closed-door session. Let's do it in a setting where
the public can be in attendance." In my mind - "closed door" is the
same as "in the dead of night" - you know - "secretive." But -
maybe now that the "door" is opened - so to speak - people will follow
suit. Maybe, more people will require the truth - in a "lighted"
atmosphere - for all to observe...and ask their questions. Maybe the
"shell games" with our tax dollars will end. Maybe we will get back to
a local "government - by the people..for the people."
And I wonder - Did Judge Hein invite the commissioners to the courtroom
to take a look - to see for themselves - that if we do not stop
the undesirable behavior in the kiddies when they are young - see to it
somehow that they get a different set of values - we will see them in
the court rooms of our local Courthouse? And we will see them in
the Adult Probation Department in the future. Also - I wonder if we
could read the following into the above equation - "The alternative to
less funding for the Adult Probation Department would be to let them be
responsible for themselves after sentencing and mandatory incarceration
time. ...which would put them back on the street....alongside of the
teens who are setting fire to autos, garages and selling heroin.
Maybe if we stop using sex, drugs, money, and poisons to "fix" our
problems - we would not see headlines like the above. The
opposites would be: sex - abstinence, drugs - sobriety, money - barter
system (trading), poisons (something to kill) - antidotes (something to
stop the killing). At any rate - the opportunity exists to finally get
behind someone - locally - who will publicly state that truth and fair
play are the goals.
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time. Ever Toodles!! MONA
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