Afterthoughts.

Many thanks to my friend for being willing to put herself on record with her convictions. Sandy is not a blogger (though, arguably now she is), so I applaud her courage!

Poverty, illegitimacy, weakening of marriage, & educational failure rates are only a few of the issues she brought up, yet they are some of the most complex problems that we face in America. Sandy rightly states that neither Republicans nor Democrats have faced them squarely. (Note that some of my dearest family & friends are Democrats. While I do favor one approach over the other, these are not issues over which either party has a claim to victory; clearly.)

While contemplating these issues, their etiology & their solutions, here’s what comes to my mind:
Reinstate the notion of God’s presence in our public conversations & forums. Reclaim morality. Protect life. Reinforce & encourage traditional marriage as a foundational element of society. Promote literacy & educational achievement. Lift away the learned helplessness that comes from reliance on government for the sustenance of life - by encouraging business expansion, which provides broader workforce, which affords broader financial opportunity.

What to do, then? Get involved in your local public school, whether you have a child there or not. Read with a child. Teach an adult to read. Support local businesses (or start one) & farmers. Get involved with philanthropic & faith based organizations. Serve someone else – don’t wait for government to do it. Claim, or reclaim, your faith. Find out – if you don’t know – what your faith says about morality, & claim that too. Support your church – or start visiting if you don’t have one. Pray. Then vote. Then pray again.

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