County Commissioner Plays Politics Over Newtown School Tragedy

Friday, the town of Newtown, Connecticut was shaken beyond anything its citizens or any American could have fathomed possible. My heart continues to go out to all those affected as we remember those lost and are forever grateful to those who risked their lives to save others. We use this time now to mourn together. It is my hope that we may soon use what we learn from this event to have meaningful discussion around how to prevent such tragedy. We must put politics aside and come together, community leaders and citizens.

Yet, when community leaders use tragedy to play partisan politics, it becomes nearly impossible to accomplish anything positive and to create meaning from such loss. Yesterday, Calvert County Commissioner Evan Slaughenhoupt blamed liberals for the events at Sandy Hook Elementary asking, “Why do Liberals insist upon having innocent children in defenseless schools making them prime for slaughter?”

The Commissioner blames Northern Liberals for not properly protecting their children. Yet, here in Calvert County we do not have armed guards and metal detectors at our front doors. The Commissioner also overlooked the fact that, like our area, Newtown is an overall conservative town in a liberal state. However, it is not the fault of liberals or conservatives. We will hear a lot about metal detectors and armed security versus stricter gun legislation and regulation. But while we shouldn't simply repeal the Second Amendment, we cannot turn our schools into a military state. Forcing our children to live in fear is as much a denial of our inalienable rights as denying our right to bear arms. There are many countries in which armed guards are required to keep peace in the streets; America is not one of them.

America separates itself from these other countries through humanity and love. We invest in the people of our country, hoping that they see a better tomorrow than what we live through today. We need to continue to invest in the people of our nation, providing resources for a better, more holistic path to wellness. Mental health is oft-overlooked and under-appreciated  While we may need to have a serious conversation about gun related legislation, mental health and hygiene is a crucial aspect to our daily lives and extremely important in our battle to prevent such tragedies.

As we reflect on what has happened, towns across America look to their leaders, Democrat or Republican, for guidance and hope. We hug our children and family a little tighter at night, more thankful for what we have than before. And instead of laying blame across party lines, we look to them for sustainable solutions to the myriad of issues we face every day. We may not always agree on the path we should take, but there is no question that we all strive for the same thing in the end: a safer, brighter future for those we love so much. 

Duwane Rager
President
Southern Maryland Young Democrats

Rural Democrats: Progressively Conservative

Americans from all walks of life have the same basic priorities and concerns. We want to see our economy strong and growing. We want to keep our families safe. We want to leave America better and stronger for our future generations. And in what seems like economically uncertain times, Young Americans have a greater stake in America's future than ever before.

At the core, Americans, both urban and rural, want these same things. But it is in their approach to ensuring a prosperous future that they differ. The geographic make up of rural regions is vastly different than that of urban areas, and this affects how we approach everything from budgeting for the gas needed to travel the extra distance to scheduling the time for a run to the grocery store. And rural economies tend to vary from that of an urban setting, relying much more on farming and agriculture. We approach every day with a slightly different mindset and every issue with a slightly different perspective. 

We need to continue to close the digital divide. Expanding technology resources is very important in keeping everyone connected, especially when the people of a community such as ours are spread out over a larger geographic region. And like technology, expanding on higher education opportunities in the rural setting is a top priority. Community colleges are a staple of rural areas. We have a great resource available to us at the higher education level: the College of Southern Maryland. It serves our community well and provides for a more financially responsible stepping stone to the next stage in our lives. Coupled with technological advances, we can bring higher education to more people within our rural community than ever before. Farming is also a large part of what defines a rural culture, and we take pride in the impact agriculture has on our community. We need to work with state and local governments to make it easier for farmers to expand crop variety and their impact on renewable energy production. Closing this digital divide will help bring the farming community together, connecting them with the rest of the community while expanding impacts of farmers markets and our ability to buy local.

 

These are just a few of the areas that make up a Rural American, no matter your party affiliation. It is our approach to these issues and others that defines us as both Rural and Young, but ultimately as Democrats. We all understand the need to conserve our way of life. Democrats support a progressive, lasting approach to achieving these goals. And like no two people are the same, neither are any two regions or counties. We value our home and what it means to live in a rural community. We also value the diversity of our great nation. We look to build on our party ideals and values within the rural community and beyond, ensuring all Democrats feel at home within their party no matter where they live, and we look to work with our neighboring regions and states in our combined efforts to build a better, brighter future for all Americans.