Dear Readers,
Hello, from the campaign trail. I’m so excited about running for City Council. It has been great. I’m learning a lot about people. I knew that politics stirred emotions but I want people to think about this.
Whatever behavior you wouldn’t expect perpetrated on your child, you shouldn’t want that behavior perpetrated on you.
For example, this is simple, if your child was attacked at school, you would be angry. Even those who don’t have children yet would be angry. Why is it any different when an adult does it?
I’ve seen a lot of angry people and what’s astonishing is that some aren’t angry about job losses, foreclosure and lack of extra money. It seems as though anger has become commonplace just because.
‘Axe to grind’
According to UsingEnglish.com under the War and Conflict category: If you have an axe to grind with someone or about something, you have a grievance, a resentment and you want to get revenge or sort it out.
I’m not running for office because I have an axe to grind. I own a newspaper.
I’m running for office because I feel that I can make a fundamental difference in people’s lives. We need some sense of transparency. You should be privy to some of the correspondence that has come across my desk that has questionable content from officials.
I can see the hurt and pain and then some sense of relief because the “victim” had an opportunity to express a concern. What happens when the people who are in place to help you don’t help you. It seems rational. It’s like taking a class and not understanding the content. Without a tutor, you are stuck and feeling frustrated. What if you had no tutors to help you. We need to have officials who are attentive to the needs of the people.
Rumor Mill
I was stopped on the street and asked if I was talked into running for office by a certain person. Hmm. I thought, this is very interesting. I stared at him quizzically and wondered where he got that from. I advised him that I have a mind of my own.
Anyone who would want to run for a political office because someone asked them too needs to rethink their decision. So, no the decision was all mine. Now
I‘ll say that I talked to about 50 people to get their opinion and only one person thought is was a bad idea. Most said they would do anything to help. Some were angry and some didn’t know what ward they lived in. Wow.
As a result of that, we decided to get some maps and put them up in businesses so that Lansing residents will be aware of what ward and precinct they are in. This is going to be learning process for all and I plan on including my readers as I always have. We need to move past the anger in a conducive manner and think like reasonable human beings.
I’m open to listen to others and will respond with grace to any questions. Again, no one talked me into doing this. That’s absolutely impossible.
Sincerely,
Rina Risper
