“Do our decision makers, even contemplate what their decisions will do tomorrow?”
By Dennis Shutt
Many people, with all good intentions seem to make policy ,for the majority of the rest of us. They call that democracy. They call that being good people. They call that being a good humanitarian. The problem is at what cost.
Personally, I have lived by the old adage that for every action, there is a reaction. Making it simple: Make decision A. How will or does that effect b,c d etc. Example: I can afford to buy a new vehicle TODAY. How will that affect tomorrow? If I buy the new vehicle, will it leave me short for the rainy day that we all know is coming. Maybe it comes down to a WANT more than a NEED. It is great that people can afford new things but some are thinking about what cost will it affect their future.
Do our decision makers, even contemplate what their decisions will do tomorrow? There are countries all over the world that do not have it as good as we do. Many are coming here for a better life. Sounds great and if you leave it at face value, it is. Immigration had laws to get those people in to our great nation legally, but was not fast enough. So, they have decided to throw out the rules, instead of making new ones to expedite the process, they allow anyone, from anywhere, to escape their bad situation and we will take care of them. SUNY in Buffalo, just removed 44 immigrants because this years students are moving into the dorms and parents wanted their children to have a school environment, not a political one. The immigrants have been housed there since May. At what cost was the housing? At what cost is the moving? At what cost would it have been to help Americans that are veterans, homeless, drug dependent etc, at the same facility, for the same duration of time.
We have the same issues in our community. On this site, it has been mentioned numerous times, that we have a drug problem. The state says it’s our problem. I can remember writing a letter to the editor decades ago, called “imports.” Oak Duke, Neil Simon and John Anderson all read it and printed it in the Wellsville Daily Reporter. It was basically about the state sending the “imports” that Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester wanted out of their cities. They brought them here in State Police cars. I commented then, about fact we could stop the nuclear dump, but we were doing nothing about the state dumping their drug problem onto our streets. It was and still is humanitarian, but at what cost?
We can look all over the country, state , county and village and see what I am rambling about. My opinion today is that our government keeps handing out money at every level to revitalize our areas. We are getting money that requires we come up with ways to spend, or we lose it. We can have nice-looking buildings and streets, but at what cost, when we do not dare walk around in our own community or send our children out to play.
It seems that every day, we as Americans, are expected to take care of everyone. In a perfect world, that would be awesome. Then again, if it was perfect , there wouldn’t be problems. I know that is looking through rose-colored glasses. Our decision makers appear to have votes, as the deciding factor in many instances., but at who’s cost?
Each and everyone of us can stand around and find solutions. The system has stopped many people from coming forward to become “decision makers”. Maybe, at least in our own little part, we can try to look at making things better and if enough of us suceed each day, who knows? At least we will know at who it is costing? It will be the person looking back in the mirror. What better way to start changing what you do not like?
