Responsible Citizens

Let's set the stage for 2010

Now that the, as some have said was one of our most important, elections are finally over and the national and state stages are set for the next two to four years, it is now time to start thinking about setting the stage for, what I would say, is going to be one of the most important elections for Tennessee, in general, and for Hardin County, in particular, in August 2010.

In just 21 months the citizens are going to be voting on whether to maintain our status quo of plantation mentality or to move the county in a more positive direction toward a true representative democracy . We will decide who is going to be setting and executing policy in Hardin County, thru 2014, with the county general elections.

The mayor, the Board of County Commissioners and most of the other elected officials, if they want to be re-elected, will have to stand before the citizens and account for their stewardship of our county government, which includes the citizens safety and welfare.

The question will be asked, have our public servants, our mayor and commissioners in particular, served with a servant’s heart or a master’s heart. We’ll have more on that subject in future articles at the appropriate time.

But first, there are a few points that need to made about the citizens stewardship of their duties and responsibilities in a representative democracy. Remember that we were taught in Sunday School that the Lord helps them that helps themselves.

The questions you can ask yourself about yourself – and be honest – is "Am I a responsible member of the community and a responsible citizens?" "When I do cast a vote, am I well informed about the issues and/or candidates?"

Some will say that with their busy lives they don’t have the time to participate. Some will say that it doesn’t matter, because they will do what they want to and "I don’t have the time to get involved." Some will say, let someone else keep up with that, I don’t have the time.
There is a saying in free societies: "You get the government you deserve."

In our grade 6-8 citizenship classes our children are taught that the most important right citizens have is the right to vote and that by voting, the people have a voice in the government because the people decide who will represent them in ‘their’ government.

They are also taught that the right to vote is a duty or responsibility as well as a privilege and that persons who do not vote lose their voice in government. Most important, these 6-8 graders are taught that before voting in an election, each citizen should be well informed about the issues and candidates.

Assuming you graduated from the 8th grade, in these citizenship classes you were also taught that, between election, to be responsible members of your communities, you can volunteer your services to help obtain needed improvements. The citizens can offer their knowledge, time and talents to different local organization or committees and that participating in town meetings, public hearing and community projects, like Hardin Metro SPCA among others, is important for community improvement and for finding out the problems that need to be solved.

To help in this area we are rolling out a new project that is designed to help inform the citizens about some of the key issues facing Hardin County. We have named Phase 1 of the project – Uplift Hardin County – with the goal to provide the citizens of Hardin County with an insight into key issues that impact our County and thus our families.

While we are developing and prioritizing the key issues, we will be using the various media outlets and other vehicles, including a web presence and discussion groups, to get the citizens input on the key issues and advise them how they can help determine the outcome.

Our mission is to be fair and balanced by providing all sides on key issues and becoming a reliable source for useful information for the citizens to make informed decisions about the current and future direction of our community and their role in it.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Helen Keller

Respectfully submitted for your consideration


Ted G. Cook