Imagine there really WAS an emergency in Harrisburg.

Any number of things COULD happen.

We’ve seen the docile complacency caused by flooding.

How many buildings have burned to the ground?

And the SNOW

Shit, we got about six inches with some ice in the last thirty six hours.

I can recall being in grade school and WONDERING if school would be cancelled for six inches.

But here? Today? In Harrisburg?

It’s a SURE THING.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m ALL FOR a forced day off. I’m at the end of a move into a new place and I definitely needed a full day to get my old place in order.

But regardless of how many of us enjoyed this day off; seeing the way that our city handles the least bit of adversity speaks volumes of how we’d cope in the unfortunate event of a major catastrophe.

Mere miles from here sits a mismanaged and overworked NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.

We’re surrounded by bridges on all sides.

We’ve all read about the embarrassing mismanagement of the Perry County water system. Come to think of it, have you ever tested the waters purity in your own home? Neither have I…but I think I’m going to. They MUST sell a home water test kit at a hardware store.

The police are under investigation by the Federal Government.

Infighting abounds in the chambers of City Council.

And the Mayor-where do I even BEGIN the list of things happening with Mayor Reed.

You get the picture.

I’m not writing this to offer solutions. Because the way things look, I think we’d be better off if we just STARTED OVER.

But it’s not just Harrisburg. It’s EVERYWHERE.

Everywhere one travels we find widespread corruption and a lack of accountability in ALL LEVELS of Government.

“By the people, for the people” you say?

I don’t know about you, but I call BULLSHIT.

If our trusted, elected, local, regional or national officials ARE NOT acting in the best interests of the TAX PAYING citizens and our BASIC NEEDS are being affected, then it’s time to MAKE A CHANGE.

Paraphrasing Einstein; the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time.

It ain’t gonna happen.

Sure, it snowed pretty good over the past couple of days…but the way our city responded to a LIGHT WINTER STORM is a disheartening personification of the utter chaos that reigns inside our local administration today.

Aside from converting to an all new, more efficient and unbiased form of government, the only power we have as citizens is to carefully choose with utmost scrutiny the people that we put in charge of our general well being.

And by choosing to live in a certain location, we all have civic responsibility to look out for one another.

And I’m not talking about jump starting your neighbors car battery on a cold winters morning; I’m talking about all of us working together as a community and a unified people to manifest the change that we nearly unanimously agree is needed.

Either that or lay on the couch watching Jack Bauer save the world for you.

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