You don’t get to complain

Amother had five children and decided it was time, for several reasons, to move to a new city. She summoned her offspring together and told them: “In a month we have to move, but we have several options. Each of you has 30 days to come up with your choice and explain to me in writing why I should accept your pick.”

The days and weeks passed. The mother grew anxious as the deadline approached. Only one of her children submitted a proposal.

So on moving day, mom packed her family in the car and headed off to their destination, based on the proposal of only one child.

During their trip, the siblings began to whine. “We don’t like this city; they don’t have free Wi-Fi,” complained the eldest son.

“I hear this city is really polluted,” said the eldest daughter.

“The schools are supposed to be terrible,” said yet another daughter.

“The crime rate is outrageous,” said another son.

At that point, the mother pulled over and stopped the car.

“I gave all of you a month to make a better suggestion,” she sighed. “Only one of you came up with an idea. So guess what? You don’t get to complain.”

I have the same message to some 32,729 registered voters who failed to cast a ballot during Tuesday’s primaries.

Only a total of 21.57 percent — 9,001 — of the county’s 41,730 registered voters managed to get to the polls during early voting and on Tuesday to cast ballots in the County Commission, Floyd County Board of Education and Floyd County Sheriff’s Office races.

Dear 32,729 Floyd Countians who decided to not take advantage of your right to vote — a right men and women struggled to obtain during our nation’s history — you don’t get to complain.

Obviously you must not care what the Floyd County Commission does, a board that sets your tax rate, helps pave your roads, MIKE COLOMBO works to make sure your water is clean.

Obviously you must not care what the Floyd County Board of Education does, a group tasked with the oversight of around 9,954 of our children — more people than the number who actually voted.

Obviously you don’t care what takes place at our Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, charged with making sure the Floyd County Jail is a safe place to be incarcerated and also charged with serving warrants and making sure our courthouse is kept safe.

Years ago, Floyd County and Rome got together and created the Unified Land Development Code, which is more or less an overall zoning plan.

They held meeting after meeting, talking to regular people, property owners, the business community. We advertised the meetings in the newspaper, covered the meetings. Few people attended.

Then, after the ULDC was passed and the Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission began to tell people what they could William Brown, TCA

and could not do, the firestorm erupted.

“What do you mean I can’t build a racetrack on property zoned agricultural?”

I wanted to respond every time: “Did you go to any of the meetings, read any stories in the newspaper?”

Government reporting is seldom sexy and often boring. Even I can’t watch C-SPAN.

But remember this, because my libertarian friends will be quick to remind you: Government does not have its own money. To spend money, it reaches into your pocket and mine.

Like you, I don’t enjoy being taxed, but if the government is going to tax me, I want to have a say on who does it and why.

There’s a quote often attributed to Pericles, the Greek statesman, that sums up the issue very well: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.”