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Politics Does Matter
F. Patrick O’Keeffe,
candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 97th
District.
The
Tuesday, June 30th, meeting of the Lancaster County Commissioners
confirmed something that I have believed for a long time – “politics
matters”.
Some
people say that they are “too busy to get involved with politics”,
“don’t want to get involved” or my favorite, “all politicians are the
same”. I say simply, “Politics matters.” Politics is the mechanism
by which we choose our government. It is why I got involved, and why
I am running for office.
I attended
the County Commissioners’ meeting with over a hundred of our
neighbors. It appears that two of our Commissioners, Scott Martin and
Dennis Stuckey, have decided to eliminate our county Human Relations
Commission. This is the organization that protects people from
discrimination through education and mediation. It provides a
valuable resource where citizens in our county can turn when they feel
they have been discriminated against. It provides one of the most
basic and important functions of government in America – protecting
the individual from the powerful.
I was
shocked that eliminating the Human Relations Commission (HRC) was even
being considered. I am of the opinion that if anything, the HRC
should be expanded to protect more of our friends and neighbors.
Honestly, I can’t imagine what would motivate someone to argue in
favor of discrimination. This is especially hard in Lancaster County,
an area where many of the founding members were escaping religious
discrimination and persecution.
We are
seeing history repeating itself. In 1991, The Closet Bookstore was on
Prince Street in Lancaster. It was a simple store, selling items of
interest to the LGBT community. It had nothing x-rated or obscene,
just lots of rainbows and some supportive books telling people who are
struggling with their identity that they are okay, that God loves them
too, and they have value as people. Some of our Lancaster County
neighbors don’t believe this. Their version of God condemns people
who do not fit into their narrow definition of Christianity. I really
struggle with this because some of the best, most sincere, most caring
Christians I have known are members of the Gay and Lesbian community.
The Closet
Bookstore was bombed twice. When the owner of the bookstore turned to
the County Commissioners for help, they responded by eliminating the
Human Relations Commission. These commissioners lacked the courage to
deal with an issue that was difficult and unpopular, extending the
protections of the Constitution to people that they did not
understand. And then the Klu Klux Klan came to Lancaster for a
victory march.
Today, two
of our County Commissioners seek to avoid dealing with what for them
is a difficult issue. For the past two months members of the LGBT
Community have been calling on the commissioners to expand HRC
protections to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-gender persons.
Instead of
dealing with the issue, these two Commissioners will happily throw
every other vulnerable group under the bus. If you are a woman,
African-American, Latino, young, old, or living with a disability,
your protections from discrimination will be stripped as well.
Businesses, landlords, and bankers may applaud the decision. Those
who wish to discriminate may do so more freely and openly.
At the
very heart of being a member of a vulnerable group is often the
economic fact that you may not have the resources to take your
complaint to Harrisburg and the state HRC. You do not have the
resources to outlast the efforts of the racists, sexists, etc.
These two
Commissioners will say that it is all being done in the name of fiscal
responsibility. That has become the new cover for every shady action
that a government official takes. It is hard to argue against fiscal
responsibility. But it is just as hard to argue for discrimination.
Never mind that it cost less than $2 per citizen to have these
protections adjudicated in this county.
In the
end, I think Stuckey and Martin will move forward with their plan. I
think that a hundred voices at a meeting will not matter to them. And
for the people behind those voices, I fear they will take this as
evidence that “you can’t fight the system” or “the people don’t count”
or “Politics doesn’t matter”.
I hope
that my fellow citizens will see clearly that “politics does matter”.
Politics is the mechanism by which we choose our government. We need
to elect better representation to government at all level. I
encourage you to get involved. Get out and get active. If need be,
get angry, but get busy electing they type of people who care about
you. Run for office yourself, or work for a good caring candidate.
Politics does matter.
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