Kathleen Ann
Precinct Committee Woman – SC11
Chairman South Dakota Legislative District 30
Posted Jan 15 2010
There would be very little if anything that I could add to what has been said about the plight of Haitians.
I also am seized by the desire to DO SOMETHING! Folk on call-in radio shows ask how they can give in person, in place of giving money. Some of them were making the point that they weren’t in a position to give money but allowed as how they could give of themselves!
How many times in these past few days have we heard the phrase: “…poorest country in the western hemisphere”?
Well, we do have, here in Western South Dakota, according to many sources, the poorest county(s) in the USA.
Does charity start at home? We have all kinds of opportunities to help those in need – right here on our own doorstep – we needn’t travel thousands of miles to do good – just a few miles – just a few blocks – even.
Winter has been tough on all of us, human and beast alike. My heart goes out especially to my farmer/rancher friends and what they go through to get themselves and their animals through this.
It distresses me that the words “politics” and “politician” have come to be thought of in negative terms.
If the dictionary definition of politics is “the art and science of government” then a politician is one who is active in government. It is a noble calling. If there are incompetent or dishonest politicians, then it is the patriotic job of us ALL of us to correct that situation.
I have been harping ad nauseam about how big and diverse out district is. I have spoken to so many who had no idea.
I still think that it is our job to understand each other’s circumstances that we may do constructive work to make district 30 and all of South Dakota government better.
Those representatives who serve us at all levels of government need the help of all to be informed.
I live in eastern Pennington Co; almost as far towards the eastern edge of the district as one can get. It is rural living as isolated as can be. I am surrounded by thousands of acres of badlands and grasslands. The chief concerns of my neighbors in how to balance environmental concerns against eking out a living on sparse grasslands; the prairiedog issue is huge and too often causes animosity.
But to those living in the Edgemont area, almost as far south as one can get in the district the provocative issue is “uranium mining”, go west up into the Elk Mountain area and school funding bubbles to the top, etc.
We must not expend our energies fighting one another but come together. That is my call to you all – educate yourselves – come together – be civil and let’s do our best.
I can’t go everywhere and talk to everybody; but I’ll do my best as long as the powers that be ask me to.
God speed to you all;
Kathleen Ann