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Inside Out
Isn't it amazing just how looks can so often be deceiving? You know, you see someone who just looks fabulous on the outside; only to learn on closer inspection that they have so many personality flaws about them that their physical attraction suddenly is diminished. Or maybe you have been house hunting and from the street or the curb appeal as the realtors like to call it, you think that maybe this is your dream house. But, when you get inside, you see cheap construction or wear and tear that is not visible from the outside but is obvious on the inside. The old phrase "never judge a book by its cover" is one of the truest pieces of advice that we will ever receive. On the outside, it may look wonderful or it may look awful, but we need to look closer…on the inside…before we make any final judgments.
This is where we find ourselves in Gwinnett County these days. Many things from the outside look wonderful and many things in Gwinnett are wonderful. As many people have stated, if things were not pretty good, people would stop moving to Gwinnett. But, we must be careful not to forget those things in Gwinnett that will never make the pages of the glossy magazines or the photos for the public relations brochures. Despite the many good things in Gwinnett, in fact very good, we must admit that there are some things in Gwinnett that are bad, in fact very bad. If you're waiting for examples, you obviously live in the sections of Gwinnett that fall into the "very good" category. Because if you live in some of the other areas, you already know what I am speaking of.
I am speaking of sections in the county where gang related crime is a way of life. I am speaking about areas of the county where elderly citizens literally lock themselves in their houses because they are afraid to go outside. These items of concern have been written off by some experts as having been blown out of proportion. Try telling that to the people who live in these areas. Try telling that to those people who are selling their homes as quickly as possible to get out of Gwinnett. These are people who have lived in Gwinnett their entire life. It just won't fly!
The number of people who fall below the poverty level, concerning family income, has been on the rise for several years in a row. The number of children who receive subsidies such as financial assistance in their daily school lunches is more than we have ever seen. Our public health department is seeing more patients, who are uninsured, than they have ever seen before. We cannot continue to blame all of our problems on the fact that the county is going through some growing pains. If some of those "pains" get any worse, we may actually start to hear the moans.
As we head into the next year, with a cast of new political leaders who have promised to bring relief to a host of problems, let us implore them to look at all of Gwinnett County. While one end of our county continues to soar into heights that we have never seen, other parts of the county continue to decline. We cannot afford to become a county divided by economic boundaries. We have seen the effects of that practice in some of our neighboring counties. How can we make the good parts great? How can we make the great parts even greater? But most important of all, how can we make the bad parts simply livable? It can be done, but it will take a commitment and an admission from us all that we do have our flaws.
It is like a sock that you might see in your drawer. When it is right side out, it looks like a pretty good sock. However, when you turn it wrong side out, it is a fabric that is stretched and worn with holes already starting to show. You then must decide whether to throw the sock out or mend the holes before it is too late.
For further information, visit www.voice4victims.com
If you are interested in having Mr. Hall speak at your next club or group meeting, please email contact information to:
SHallBadgeNotes@aol.com
091704
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