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From One Small-town Person To Another
FROM ONE SMALL-TOWN PERSON TO ANOTHER
Dear Governor Paylin,
You amaze me. Hardly any of your stump protestations remotely resemble what we small-town residents believe in or care about. Listening to you, it's as if your human spirit and upbringing froze in the tundra of your little-town experience. We do not want a bulldog with lipstick! We want a leader who empathizes with our human condition, tells us the truth, and looks out for our best interests.
Our mills and factories have closed. Businesses are boarded up. Those fortunate enough to have health insurance can not find a doctor or dentist in the community anymore. We haven't the income to send our children to college. Record numbers of our neighbors now file for bankruptcy because of outrageous health-care expenses, losing their homes in the process; their American dream gone. Oil heating bills exceed property taxes.
Stories of our residents unselfishly helping those in need dominate the conversations around our town's pot-bellied stove. We organize, work together to solve problems in our small town. Yet, Mrs. Paylin, you denigrate community organizing at every opportunity.
In our small-town, we balance the budget, making do with what we can afford. Occasionally we receive a few thousand federal dollars in grants, fixing the sewage treatment plant for instance. Yet Mrs. Paylin, as mayor of your small-town, your employed the indicted Senator Ted Steven's 'man' and got 27 million dollars of federal money. As a professed reformer, you are a good politician when it comes to getting your hands on our tax dollars. Aren't you Mrs. Paylin?
In our small town, we try to get along with everyone. We do not berate homosexuals or people of different races or religions publicly. Yet, you, Mrs. Paylin, publicly pray in your bible church to make gays straight and belittle those, even other Christians, who do not accept the bible as you so narrowly interpret it. In our small town, teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases happen with increasing tendency. We want and desperately need scientifically proven sex education in our community's schools for our children's sake. Yet, Mrs. Paylin, you want abstinence-only education that does not work. We need science teachers in our community so our children can compete in this world. Yet, Mrs.Paylin, you support creationism.
In our small town, we read the news of a complex world in turmoil, we want the leader of the free-world to be as educated as possible and possessing good judgment.
Mrs. Paylin, you abused the governor's office for a personal vendetta. That is not good judgment Mrs. Paylin. But do not worry, the cover-up is underway.
Just a generation ago, our small-town thrived, industry provided fair wages, health and retirement benefits. We could work hard and realize our dreams. We were the middle-class-backbone of the nation. Then the republicans, like you, took over Washington, singing the praises of small-government, cutting taxes for the rich and corporations and doing away with government regulations for selfish financial gains; rules that had protected us small-town citizens from the greed of the market-place since the Great Depression And all the while, like you, they attempted to impose socially conservative, right-wing, intrusive policies upon us.
In our small town, your word is your bond. Is your word your bond Mrs. Paylin? Your republican, political, magician, Karl Rove, lied to us during the last two presidential elections as he and his minions are lying to us now. Why do you and Senator McCain lie with impunity? Do you think we small-town people are complete imbeciles? It's true that the lies and innuendo worked in the past two elections when too many of us small-town folks wanted to believe in the republican's delusional mantra of small government, no taxes, ETC. and helped vote your party into power.
Under this republican leadership with John McCain leading the charge, the White House propaganda machine whitewashed us into supporting the War with Iraq and our small town children answered the call and volunteered. Many have paid with their lives or incurred life-long injuries. We go to their funerals, do you Governor Paylin?
The great American author and playwright, Thornton Wilder, captured life in a small town better than you and I ever will. I suggest you read "Our Town" Governor Paylin, unless of coarse, it's on your "books to be banned list."
In the climatic scene of the play, Emily's spirit hovers over her gravesite looking down on the mourners of the small town and says,
"They just don't get it, do they Mother Gibbs?"
Mother Gibbs replies,
"No dear they don't. Poets and saints maybe, some do!"
Sorry Governor Paylin, but you just don't get it and the next time we pray, let's pray that our small-town voters do!
Comments (5)
It should be noted that Palin has no experience whatsoever in the mortgage crisis.
Wasilla has experienced a record period of new homes being built and sold, from about 2000 until it "stalled" for a brief period last year.
By "stalled" I mean home prices didn't fall, (far from it) there was just a HUGE oversupply of new homes on the market (aka "spec homes").
The housing market in Wasilla is still humming along nicely, builders are back to building spec homes this year - prices of them have fallen a bit but they were way overinflated from 2003-2006.
As far as I know, existing homes haven't lost a nickel in value in Wasilla, Alaska.
September 7, 2008 3:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's a false economy in Alaska, what with the oil companies and rebates checks. It's really not like any other state in the Union.
September 7, 2008 7:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
"false economy"
Are oil companies different from manufacturers, from agriculture - from silicon valley?
Doesn't feel false to me - perhaps you meant "far removed".
I think of it as an "island economy", we are not connected by rail or roads to the lower 48 - our economic means are born of necessity.
Our State Constitution granted the collective ownership of our mineral resources to the residents of Alaska, Texas has a similar setup only their excess oil funds go towards subsidizing higher education for Texas residents.
Also gambling is illegal here, Alaska natives fought for the right to own land and lease it to the oil companies much like the State and Federal government does. (i.e. The Alaska Native Land Claims Act).
Should they set up casino's instead?
Republicans are in power here because the Democrats consistently try to pass a state income tax - wildly unpopular.
Cost of living is much much higher than most of the rest of the U.S..
Your comment makes me wanna complain that Oregon has an unfair advantage against Alaska because they can grow grapes and make wine and we can't.
Envy is a waste of time and energy.
September 7, 2008 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
"false economy" as in economy supplemented by $27 Million in pork barrel spending, and the ability to charge a windfall profits tax on oil from the near-by fields in order.
September 7, 2008 9:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I spend six months of the year living in a town of 200. And agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Grimes.
We have lost nearly all of our manufacturing jobs. It is clear to nearly everyone here that only major innovation and education will return the good life. But Palin seems more interested in "the market" and in Creationism than creating the kind of new products that only science and technology can bring.
The fishery--the main business/employment around here, has become increasingly chaotic. Fish that have shown up at the same time each year for generations are showing up at the wrong time and not in the correct condition for a good price. We have had three "hundred year storms" in five years. Something is wrong and Ms. Palin says human activities are not to blame. We can't take that chance.
And gas prices are truly killing our community. People count on their cars--at this point they have no choice--to take them long distances to see local family and friends and to make that odd trip 300 miles to Walmart. This is causing a real sense of discouragement around here. And everything has to come in by truck--God Bless the Truckers--and their gas costs have skyrocketed and been passed down to us. And McCain and Palin are tools of the very industry which is stealing our livelihoods.
I just wish Obama would see how important his vision is for rural folks and campaign on that vision. His ideas and policies often have particular benefit to rural areas but his campaign really needs to make the connection. 1. We are the worst suffering victims of high gas and heating fuel prices and transportation costs and also the most likely to suffer the consequences of global warming--Obama's energy policy and commitment to innovative fuel efficiency would help whereas McCain and Palin are just more of the same--they are in the trall of the oil profiteers. Rural people also especially need the jobs Obama's job stimulation strategy would create whereas McCain would leave us on our own.
Finally, there are an awful lot of elderly folks left behind in rural areas like mine. Their only income is social security. They shouldn't be trusting McCain, but they are being made to feel by the Republicans that the Dems don't understand rural people.
There are also lots of hunters--Wow, to those guys love Palin!!!!--who are concerned about environmental issues who could be convinced to vote for Obama. But if its just about "guns" and Palin....
Obama should be winning a lot of my neighbors, and though the Palin pick makes that harder, Obama should be making a case--not so much around the people who have lost their jobs and their homes--'cause most people are managing to get by--but around working people in rural America.
September 8, 2008 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
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