Peeling the Onion: A Pretty Strong Smell – Our Government in Action

Here’s a great metaphor for you: “Our government is like an onion, the more you peel away the layers the stronger the smell.”

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Here’s a great metaphor for you: “Our government is like an onion, the more you peel away the layers the stronger the smell.” During election times and listening to the rhetoric of the “to be” and “not to be” in the race towards our elected positions, the layers start coming off. The candidates start peeling away at each other until the stench is not only from the target but from the one doing the peeling. “Get down and dirty,” seems to be the venue for modern election times. Frankly, I am tired of it. Sometimes I have to force myself to vote. I do so only because I believe in the proclamations of our democratic process. We voters in this country not only need to look at the national level but at our local level when it comes to making our elected officials accountable. If government moneys are not being spent wisely in our local government stratosphere, how can we expect our federal government to? We, as citizens, can ask for the records showing where moneys are allocated and how they are spent. We can ask “why,” “where” and “what” to make sure our elected and appointed officials are made accountable. I have recently been made aware of certain inconsistencies in some county spending, especially where the “good ol’ boys” mind set is prevalent. The message of “I’ll open my pockets and let’s just see how much you can stuff in it for me to help” seems to be the theme for contract services, special interest groups, and professional services. There is money being paid out that is not correctly accounted for, and is not going to a service it was originally meant for. I was told a while back ago by an employee of a non-profit organization that moneys were being paid for cleaning services in a building that was not even occupied, and this went on for a year! The non-profit did inform the government agency providing the checks that the building was still vacant, yet the checks kept coming to them. Now, who is at fault here, is it the non-profit for taking the money? They say they believed the building would soon be occupied, or do we blame the government agency that should have been making sure the cleaning services were justified? No, I am not naming names or sources. I am just trying to use an actual event to open citizens’ eyes. I feel this type of mismanagement of public funds is so prevalent in our government that this one event is going to make many government fiscal managers cringe and sweat a little because it is hitting close to home – in county, state, and federal government. Keep peeling away at the onion and the smell keeps getting stronger. A balanced government is necessary, and not just fiscally, but also in terms of gender and social issues. Why are we allowing only the very wealthy to run our government? Why is it impossible for a poor but very politically astute individual to run for an elected office? Oh, they can run, but after the first few feet they get stuck in the mire of “big money” and unless they can get some big corporation in their pockets they stay stuck and the money candidates fly right by. We try to teach our children that money is not everything, but maybe we should be telling them that this little piece of moral advice does not pertain to our federal government. Another level of peeling away the layers of the onion! We still need to think of gender equality in the political scene. Oh, I know leaps and bounds have been made between women and men compared to past history, but “leaps” from our women in politics are still overcome by the “bounds” of men in politics. Right here in our wonderful Willamette Valley, in 161 years, Polk County has never had a woman elected county commissioner. Voters, you have a great opportunity this time around with Sue Lamb campaigning for this position. Time the “good ol’ boys” stepped aside. Let me finish by saying I have started the “peeling of the onion,” but the smell has just gotten a little too strong. There may be some of you out there who have a stronger sense of smell and can get to the core without doing the “peeling” and there may be others that can “peel” more layers and take the smell till you get to the core.