4 minute read
JUST TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE
It doesn’t take much time to empty the trash, or to vote in an election. So why don’t we?
The garbage bin is located in the busiest room in the house, so it collects the most garbage. And without fail, it seems as if every time I slide it out to load something in, it’s overflowing. Sometimes, it’s even overflowing in a way that makes me laugh out loud; there’s no way the person before me could have walked away in good conscience while leaving behind a propped-open garbage lid overflowing with banana peels or empty milk cartons.
The logical thing, when faced with an overflowing garbage bin, is to address the issue: Pull the bag out of the bin, walk about 50 feet (granted, more than half of it outdoors) to the city-provided super-jumbo garbage bin in the backyard, and then load an empty liner in the kitchen bin so the next person isn’t inconvenienced.
The whole process takes less than five minutes. Maybe even less than four minutes. It’s important, it’s the responsible thing to do, and it’s really not that difficult.
Everyone in our house knows it’s important, and everyone knows it needs to be done. But everyone seems to hope that someone else will step up because that’s just the way most of us are. I understand that thought process, because that’s exactly what goes through my mind, too.
I bring this up not because my garbage situation is all that fascinating, but because as we enter another political season, there are some parallels here.
Democracy and voting in this country are no longer the shiny new pennies they must have been 200-plus years ago. With every passing election, fewer of us as a percentage of the voting population take the time to vote. Less than half of us decide most of the elections these days. Often, 10 or 20 percent of us make the call. It takes too much time to do the right thing, so too many of us do nothing at all.
Something that should have changed this trend and sparked interest in elections and candidates is the internet — in a matter of minutes, anyone anywhere can find out everything about any candidate, any ballot issue, any controversy. We can watch words spill out of the candidates’ own mouths on YouTube, on their own sites, on news sites, on our phones.
We can assess their positions, evaluate their intellect, even spar with them online if we (and they) so choose.
But like hauling out the garbage, we generally choose to let someone else do the work. And many of us seem to think we’re getting away with something when we’re too busy to spend a few minutes doing what needs to be done. I keep telling myself that one day when I find
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So I dispose of the garbage, and my four or five minutes right along with it. Leaving the chore for someone else just isn’t the right thing to do.
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Continuing a Tradition of Protecting America
Given his family’s history of military service – both of his grandfathers served in World War II and his father in the National Guard – it seems Kenneth was destined to honor this calling as well. After his graduation from Mansfield High School, Kenneth enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and in January of 1996 he began his training as a Marine. For more than fourteen years, he has served our country in both the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserves – achieving the rank of Captain, the first in his family to earn a commission.
Priorities That Will Keep Texas Strong
While serving on the front lines in Fallujah and throughout his military service, Kenneth and his wife Michele learned how to make ends meet and to do more with less. Budgeting and fixed priorities helped the Sheets family, and it is exactly what our government should do in these uncertain times. Lower taxes and cutting wasteful spending will help Texas families and small businesses keep more of what they earn. Kenneth also supports efforts that seek to improve the quality of public education in Texas and increase accountability. Additionally, he will give law enforcement the tools they need to protect our neighborhoods from criminal illegal aliens. Kenneth Sheets represents the principled leadership we need for a stronger Texas.
A Family of Faith
Kenneth and Michele were married on August 5, 2000 and are active parishioners of the St. Thomas Aquinas community. Their faith and activities within the church community are extremely important parts of their lives.
