Guest opinion: The regular citizens have little influence

It is well-known that everything runs downhill. Well, here in the puddle at the bottom, it’s not gun control or airport delays that concern us.

As regular citizens, we have to show picture ID for practically everything we do. If we do something illegal, we are going to be prosecuted for it. If our birth records were destroyed, we are undocumented. They are not the same and never will be.

We are encouraged to vote. Why? Nationally, the elections are decided before our polls even close. Even though a majority of our state votes for one political party, only a few counties in the valley have the final say.

To contact our elected officials and get a response is like mission impossible. What good does it do to vote on an issue such as temporary driver’s licenses when the Legislature will have their way? We are required to insure our vehicles, but for some reason that includes uninsured motorist coverage.

I guess granting temporary driver’s licenses could mean that the license will have picture ID that can be used for food stamp programs since it is too expensive to do it otherwise. It might also prove that more fraud exists in those programs than realized.

Without enforcement, nothing else will change. If you have lived in this country for 20 years and haven’t really learned the language or customs or bothered to become a citizen, there is a good chance nothing will change. Why should it when you can march and be heard even if you aren’t legal? And only in America can you claim you have rights and get away with it.

So the problem is that those who respond to the squeaky wheel and make the changes are too far above the hustle and bustle of everyday life. These are the concerns on the street. Walk a mile in our shoes and you would see what I mean.

Bill Stacey is a longtime resident of Salem, having served in the military and worked with the public in various occupations. He can be reached at staceybr@comcast.net.