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The Powers that Be
It has always been confusing to me as to why some things happen and why some things never happen. Maybe it was a decision that was made or perhaps it was a law that was written. In some cases when there was a situation that defied logic, the explanation given was simply "that was just the way things were because of "the powers that be." I never thought that simply adhering to a policy, that was obviously flawed, made much sense. I was quickly reminded that the "powers that be" did not really care what I thought.
Who are the powers that be? I imagine a bunch of grumpy old men assembled in some smoke filled office offering opinions on everything from international issues to the boxes vs. briefs controversy. Maybe it is actually all women. After all, few of us can argue that women make most of the decisions in the "real" world. Perhaps it is like the guy from Lord of the Rings. A bearded old man who wears a robe, lives in a tower surrounded by talking trees and is generally not in a very happy mood. Well, whoever the powers that be are, I wish that you could explain to be some things that are fairly obvious.
For example why are we still struggling, after several years, to raise the driving age? We have talked about it and talked about it and during this marathon session of talking, 12 or so teenagers have been killed in Gwinnett alone, due to motor vehicle accidents. Every year the numbers get higher but the powers that be do not believe that the problem merits raising the age. So we have more kids who will never graduate from high school, go to college, or have their own families. We have roadways that have become makeshift floral centers that mark the places that our children are dying and we are still talking about it and yet we still do nothing. What are the powers that be thinking?
What about increasing the punishment for those who sell cigarettes and alcohol to minors? We have instituted one new educational curriculum after another in an attempt to convince them that these vices are bad, but we simply slap the person on the back of the hand who gladly passes these items to them. Is there something wrong here or is it just me? Only the powers that be know for sure.
What about the laws that still require law enforcement and some of our judicial candidates to declare a political interest in order to run for a particular office? We have always recognized the importance of keeping partisan politics out of offices that are responsible for law and order type issues, but these archaic laws, actually inject rather than remove politics. Again, only the powers that be know for sure.
These are but a few examples of those things that I just cannot understand. Everyone that I talk to agrees that these are things that need to be changed, but probably never will because of the powers that be. Who are the powers that be? Is it something or someone that we can identify in order to right these wrongs?
After much thought, I began to realize that the powers that be are only the powers that be because we allow them to be. In fact the real powers that be are people just like you and me who go to work everyday, provide for our families in the best way that we can, and yes the people that utilize their constitutional right at the ballot box. I soon realized that we are the powers that be. If we finally put our minds to it we can change anything to make a better and safer world that actually does make sense. We are in a position, quite simply, to make the powers that be, the powers that were. What a powerful idea from the powers that be!
111503
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