Michael1942's Blog

Why is it that many of us do not fully understand how our Government works yet we scream for change when selected items are brought to our attention? If we look back 20 to 30 years we will see that every election whether it for the highest office or the lowest local race is riddled with the idea that the aspirant can do better. No one can do better until there is a full understanding of the wide range of issues facing the sitting representative even then the scope of the job and its issues are huge. This just means that one can always point out errors when only part of the situation is known. This projected “better job” is based on perception with little or no known facts, just a guess based on maybes and issues that inflame the voters. No Government is perfect because it is administered by people thereby making that administration flawed. Our angry and sometimes violent rants against the sitting elected representatives is for naught if we as voters do not stop using emotion and bias to choose a representative. We need to understand that anyone new has to deal with the leftovers  issues from their predecessors plus any new ones. This is a huge hurdle in the Presidency and while being a lot smaller one as you move down the elected ladder is still a factor in governing.The real question is, can we as voters learn to pay particular attention to whats being said and weed out the truth in order to make a smarter choice among the candidates. The aspirants who tout dismantling the Government have no idea what the end game will be if this takes place. It take months to years for legislature to be proposed, ratified, enacted  and put to use therefore with no replacement plan in place how can anyone make the sweeping changes they propose? The  solution is left to the voters and even then it is a multi year process. If the voters begin to unseat the long termers and replace them with hopefully new representatives who understand what is needed and can balance the needs with what is feasible. Keep in mind that anyone can offer a seemingly reasonable thought on a candidate or issue but should it be at the cost of the truth? Not many of us voters are willing to read the pages of proposed legislation but we want someone to do it then complain when it does not suit us. Affirmative action is more than justice for the underprivileged or deprived, it is the action taken by voters to insure the best people are elected and be willing to unseat them if they are not.

Could it get worse? The Springfield Urban League which has been a mainstay in Springfield and  traditionally the Eastside of town, has started down a path of  increasing disservice to that community. In the past several years, there have been grant funded programs that through poor administration have failed. The program called “Youth Build” was designed to train young men and women in the skills of construction culminating in their being placed with local companies as laborers to learn the business. To date there have been few if any placements from that program. These neighborhood residents could have possibly been used in the Springfield Housing’s construction of new homes on the East Side. The PITW (put Illinois to work) initiative proved a bust in that improper screening allowed folks who were unemployable due to some background issues  to work in proximity of young children and could not be hired due their lack of High school diplomas or GED’s.  The Head Start program is literally falling apart due to poor management and the seemingly iron fisted rule of the C.O.O. Since May of last year at minimum 40to 50 teaches, aides , bus drivers and other ancillary workers have been released for reasons ranging from Union activity to unsubstantiated  violations of policy. The workers began a unionizing campaign that while successful has not slowed the train of destruction that is engineered by this leader. The Head Start program if compared to a  sailing ship with a torn mainsail is now floundering due to understaffing and lack of overall leadership.The biggest loser in all of this are the clients of Head Start, the preschool children whose parents work, the parents who need a place for their children while they work and the employees who work for the program whose children and often grandchildren attend Head Start classes. Head Start provides a safe environment for these children along with the basic learning skills of reading, writing, personal relationships with other children of different backgrounds and 2 USDA approved meals a day. This is all being shredded by the actions of the Head Start upper management. I wonder if the Policy Council (a group composed of parents and Head Start Staff) knows all of the details on this situation as they are supposed to be aware of the hiring and firing of Head Start employees. What of the Springfield Urban League board of directors?