BY SHARON MARTIN
Some of my friends don’t want to hear political views, mine or anyone else’s. They have that right, and I try not to be obnoxious, but I have to question anyone who doesn’t care about politics.
It’s our lives they’re debating in the state and federal legislatures. If we don’t care what they’re debating, and if we don’t get active politically, we’re going to wake up some morning and wonder where what’s left of our freedoms has gone.
You’re going to pay taxes like you always do, but you may get back nothing you thought you were paying for.
Taxes aren’t supposed to be a giveaway. They pay for the services we all need. Everyone is supposed to chip in. Everyone. And everyone is supposed to benefit.
Neither our tax dollars nor our votes should be taken for granted. We decide with our votes who represents us, and that representation should reflect our personal points of view. The bills for which our representatives vote, and which often pledge our tax dollars to implement, should supply our needs and be compatible with our beliefs.
How many of you like what your representatives are doing to us? Do your elected officials consider the workers who make this country run smoothly – the people who sweep the floors, cook the meals, care for the children and the elderly, keep the oil wells pumping, and the construction crews building?
It seems to me that it’s business as usual; the people with the money have a say and the rest of us are daily “said” on.
Think of what you want – safety, security, a decent standard of living for you and your children, a job that pays a living wage, access to health care that doesn’t take your whole pay check, education, roads, clean water. Think of what you’re willing to pay for with your taxes. Demand these things from your elected officials. If they don’t meet your demands, remove them from office in the next election.
If you refuse to be politically active, you are doomed to a life of servitude to the state. If you give up your right to think for yourself, you are no longer free.
– Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer
