Sal's Reflections

The constant harangue about where to cut without a strategy serves none of the citizens.The way to growth is to completely build the infrastructure of this country.If we have a bill that enables us to fix bridges,schools and roads it will create millions of jobs and save many small businesses that depend on others for survival. The tax base will grow, and younger people will be able to consider purchasing a home.You cannot cut your way to prosperity but you also cannot spend foolishly on areas that do not benefit the overall economy. Cutting without a growth strategy has never worked.,neither has spending without a strategy.

In a time when it is fashionable to quote the Founding Fathers it would be well to understand their concept of government.They believed that the govenment should represent the people and not be governed by a king or professional politicians.They would serve for a short period of time ,and then return to their prior occupations.Their clear intention was to reflect the will of the people.Today the Congress is composed of professional politicians who are driven to be in that privileged position for life.The will of the majority of the people is regularly ignored,A case in point is the overwhelming majority of Americans that desire sane background checks.The citizens still believe in the desire of the founding Fathers but the majority of the Congess is driven by other compelling forces.I fear that the phrase”government by and for the people” has been replaced.

The virus of gun violence has spread to classrooms., theaters and the workplace. At any given moment innocent life can be snuffed out without any notice. This virus will not go away by denying it exists ,or by shouting matches which finds others to blame.It will ,like all epidemics, come under control by a relentless study of the data as to the causes. At present there is no magic inoculation but that reality cannot give us permission to merely shrug our shoulders as we wait for the next visit of this plague. We all know that it will happen again ,and again and again. Gun owners and non gun owners need to stop the rhetoric against each other and start a mutual search that respects each other, but more importantly respects the victims who will soon be taken by this virus.

Washington D.C.
Once again innocent lives were lost, and twelve persons who did nothing to deserve this carnage were sacrificed but we saved the second Amendment, The villain had anger management issues, but that did not prevent him from legally purchasing a gun because our primary responsibility was to preserve the second Amendment.The Founding Fathers were so afraid of the “slippery slope” that they protected everyone by granting us the wisdom of an Amendment that should never be reexamined in the light of a contemporary society that has a monthly massacre. Yesterday twelve families were informed that their loved ones were murdered but the consolation for them and our nation is that we saved the second Amendment.

My son who was then a broadcaster once told me that the news focuses on tragedies and negative stories.In his words”if it bleeds,it leads.”There are so many opposite stories everyday that go uncovered about ordinary people who strive to make the world a little more kind. There is the young girl that has a lemonade stand to raise funds for a classmate suffering from cancer,The older man who everyday greets soldiers returning from war zones at the airport.The neighbor who trims,without being asked, the shrubs of elderly neighbors.Millions of unnoticed moments when caring occurs will never be announced on the networks.These may be unreported and certainly not earth shattering, but they are the ones that are like ripples in a lake.They spawn hope,love and make us realize that each of us can make a difference.

A sure cure for overcoming boredom is to personally help someone or contribute your time to a meaningful cause. Every day there are endless opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.There are children,seniors and many with handicapping conditions that could use the care and concern of human compassion.It has always been my experience that when I get involved the benefits to me far outweigh the effect I have on others.Being bored ends when compassion and involvement become your driving forces.

It breaks my heart that a twelve year old girl was so bullied that she committed suicide.Even after she changed schools the horrid comments on social medial followed her.It is not being politically correct to dedicate ourselves to protecting every child.The barbs of others led this child to throw herself off a tower, and all oif us must realize that so many children are vulnerable.There is something each of us can do in her memory ,to help all those today who cower at the thought of going to school. If we have children then it is appropriate to engage them actively in a dialogiue.Some will be victims and others villains, all are our responsibility.

I love the old adage that “you miss every shot that you do not take”. It is rare that anything worthwhile is achieved without difficulties or challenges. When it does not work immediately there is the temptation to stop trying, but it is with persistence and dedication that we often achieve what we desire. What I heard in the first grade still holds true”if at first you don’t succeed ,try, try again.”

Adolf Hitler used gas to literally slaughter a whole race, and the world was silent. Innocent men, women and children died and by and large the world did nothing to confront this horror. Today another tyrant has chosen to kill innocents, but now much of the world has confronted this atrocity. There is no simple way to remove Assad and his minions, but we must make sure that “Never Again “is more than a slogan.

The horror of that day changed our country forever but the universal reactions of Americans was to be united. It made no difference whether you were liberal,conservative,black,white straight or gay.Since then the unity has vanished, and we are more polarized than any time in my life.The greatest tribute we can pay to the victims of 9/11 is to move toward each other in dialogue so that the unity can once again be discovered.Hatred was what fueled that infamous day and the antidote to all who plan to hurt us is love.It is more naïve to hate than to love, and embracing the diversity of this great nation fulfills the dream.