Illinoisans must stop acting like victims
My letter as edited and published by the Peoria Journal Star
August 3, 2017
Illinoisans must stop acting like victims
I have grown weary of hearing fellow citizens run this great state
down, excusing themselves to others for living here. Their words
express the same negative emotions as a victim of domestic abuse.
One phase of that is denial. Many Illinoisans refuse to acknowledge
what great resources we have. We allow the dysfunction and corruption
of our political system to overwhelm what a marvelous state we are.
Illinois has produced great people, great ideas, great inventions. Now
we cringe in denial, as if we fear the sun will not rise in the
morning.
The dysfunction is breaking our school system. Strong public education
was ordained at our founding, reinforced by an impressive higher
education system. We have been a state dedicated to offering
opportunity from Cairo to Chicago. We must seek solutions, not condemn
students because they happen to be in poor districts. Many parents are
forced to work multiple part-time jobs over multiple shifts at low
wages without health insurance, and their children are provided fewer
resources for their education. We then allow the power brokers to
condemn these underachieving students to lifelong neglect.
Chicago great American City -- Illinois is the fifth largest economy of all states
Why do we not provide safe, nourishing, and enriching care centers
from birth? This would allow parents to be more productive and young
people to flourish in school. Now our governor’s amendatory veto of
Senate Bill 1 has thrown into doubt our schools even being able to
open.
Meanwhile, we demonstrate other symptoms of victimhood. We withdraw
from politics and budgets. We fall into partisan and ideological catch
phrases that always blame the other side. All Illinoisans need to
praise the brave Republicans who overrode the governor’s budget veto.
We need to encourage young Democrats to run as challengers in
primaries across the state. We need to resist the new era of
propaganda news funded by the wealthy. We need to be skeptical of
extremism and bromides instead of fact-based policy.
Illinois is a great state with all the resources to do great things.
We need to stop taking it and fight back.
Steven E. Davis is the Elmwood Township assessor. He lives in Elmwood.
U.S. Grant's first great victory was at Ft Donelson on the Cumberland River
Click to return to IL Abused Spouse