Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Shaping trees and government

The leaves on this Red Oak are in their final glory for the season. Elaine and I planted this tree, as a young seedling, at our Church nearly 10 years ago. It is a very nicely shaped tree, because of some selective pruning over the years. It suffered some lawnmower damage until a trunk guard was added for protection. Back in my early days of working with Nursery stock, I would tell customers that trees were a lot like people; none of them are perfect but with care and nurturing, they can be improved. That is a bit of the challenge we face in our Democracy each time we have a change in leadership. This transition will be particularly difficult because of the extreme change that we are facing. Previously, there was a certain amount of stability within the framework of the political parties, but that has been diluted in this campaign. I understand that many voters crossed party lines in looking for change. Others voted for the first time looking to Make America Great Again. I liked the expressions of unity that we heard today, but am concerned that the "change" many voters were seeking will not be realized. It may be that something as simple as legislative term limits that could limit the influence  of special interest and make Congress more responsive to their constituents and "the good of the Country". Like pruning and caring for trees, we need to make certain cuts and changes that are well planned, discussed and evaluated, to better shape our institution, called government.

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