An Athlete takes to Politics

A local newspaper here today described politics as the "New American Sport." The Jeffrey family athlete, 13-year-old Alex, could have served as a case in point. A local candidate has caught his imagination. County Commissioner candidate Jim Schottmuller is running an aggressive campaign with stunning clarity. The bad-guy incumbent Tony Bennett voted himself and his fellow commissioners a 25% salary increase so that they make over $80,000 for their part-time jobs. Although there is a sizable revenue surplus in the county, the incumbent is planning a tax-rate hike. The incumbent has done everything possible to curtail citizen participation in county business, even switching hearing dates with little notice, and shutting them down early when citizens nonetheless managed to come to speak.

2008 will go down as the year the national media died, for its refusal to investigate Obama's terrorist connections, for refusing to publicize our successes in Iraq, for basically refusing to give McCain the time of day. So it's understandable that someone young and idealistic would be attracted to work in a local campaign in which the media has little impact. So, our Alex heads joyfully out for door-knocking on behalf of his new hero. And then he returns to see if he can break 500 in his soccer ball juggling.

Life is good when there are battles worth fighting, heroes worth emulating, goals worth the striving. May honest contending become the norm. May good sportsmanship regain its footing.