Up The Creek Without A Paddle
Baseball and politics
by Terry Toole

I thought I'd have something to tell you about going to a very special baseball game this past weekend, but it didn't happen.

We were to leave last Friday, heading for Canton, having to go through Atlanta. Believe it or not, I was kind of looking forward to it - not going through Atlanta, but going to see our baseball star play one of his final games of the season.

The five-year old boy loves sports, and baseball is his favorite. He was to play first base, and I guess he did. We didn't go.

There must be a moral to this. Don't listen to the weather man/woman. It was supposed to rain and have thunderstorms Saturday. Donna had called Thursday to tell us, and Betty Jo suggested that we might ought not to go.

I promise I had nothing to do with not going. I wish we had gone on. The boy called to tell us he made three triples and a home run. He was called out on the home run for passing one of the base runners. It was a beautiful day at the baseball game. They won 17-7 and will play in the World Series next Monday.

I wish I could retire for a few days at a time, but it doesn't work that way. I feel obligated to be here if my 94-year-old mother-in-law is up here inserting and proofing.

As Iwritethison Saturday evening, my thoughts go to what will happen next week. It's pay in time!

The candidates that are running for the various offices will make it official starting Monday of this week through noon Friday. They also must decide if they will run as a Democrat or Republican. The Democratic winners will face the Republican winners in the election in November.

We used to all run as Democrats, and it was over on July 15. That is a day of the past. The decision is a bit harder these days. It would be fine with me if all of the offices, especially the local offices were nonpartisan. That means the candidate doesn't have to choose if he/ she is a Democrat or Republican.

Personally, I am neither, but I'm so much closer to being a Republican; there is no choice. Check how many voters chose to vote in the last general primaries.

I never have been able to figure why all voters do not get to vote for all of the board of commissioners and all the board of education members. Any one of those board members has the power to raise or lower my taxes, spend my tax monies or make rules that our children must live under. It seems very, very un-American that we can only vote for one of five members on each board.

We already know what happens when an area of a county is gerrymandered (manipulation of the boundaries so that a group, party or class is favored). We all know that this is true in District One of Miller County. It would be unfair if the vote were county wide for a few. As it is, the entire county suffers and has no recourse but to put up with poor leadership, or none. We citizens really need to work on this, or we will continue to have higher taxes with no representation. That doesn't sound too American.

The good thing that is happening is that people are offering to serve in some of these jobs. Some of them that serve do a good job. Some of them who have been elected are there for power and control of people and government.

Thanks to those who are running that want to do a better job for our county, our citizens and especially our children.

It's going to be interesting to see how we citizens choose our leadership for the next four years. With times as they are, this could well be the most important primary and election that this area has ever had.