Sen. Pat Roberts was right about at least one thing during his extended monologue at the so-called ?listening tour? stop in Hillsboro on Monday: We are living in tough times. He was speaking of the national scene, where any number of issues seem too complex for conceivable solutions and any number of programs need to be reformed, rethought or refused.
But the issues are not much simpler at the local level. High fuel prices inflate budgets for municipal services, which for most entities leads to tax increases that will only make our communities and Marion County less attractive to new residents that we so desperately need to increase the enrollment of our schools that are facing budget cuts of because declining numbers and high fuel costs….
You get the picture.
We are not discouraged about the future, though. We still believe that positive change is possible if we don?t allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the big picture. We?ll never be without challenges in this life, but we?ll never be without solutions either as long as commit ourselves to improve the big picture one patient brush stroke at a time. ?DR
