This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, November 28, 2017

A political god

Throughout history mankind has turned to entities they believed controlled their world and the afterlife to enhance physical pleasures, health, wealth and to garner personal and political power. In the process producing religions with strange, bizarre and oftentimes gruesome rituals.

People today attempt to appease these craving by mimicking these pagans with one peculiar twist. Their god isn’t some unfathomable spiritual entity embedded into a worshipful object or person — it’s the Democrat Party.

In the not too distance past when the worthy poor began to overwhelm Christian churches they turned to politicians for help. From good intentions mutated a political party that takes from workers and after providing for the worthy poor, began appeasing the demands of social leeches and ethnic and minority groups while massaging the egos of the rich and powerful, spawning irresponsibility, dependence and creating a political god in the process. Then the banishment of Christianity from the public domain solidified this god persona.

Those working to destroy the image are being brutally and viciously attacked by the god, its surrogates and dependents. Although its image is being tarnished, its destruction requires its creator and Christians who comprise its core, to abandon the political god they inadvertently created. In spite of an agenda and conduct that emasculates Christian values, Christians overwhelming and enthusiastically continue to shamelessly support and defend the Democratic Party with ungodly enthusiasm.

Perils of partisanship

Truth be told, Americans like to win. And this focus on winning is driving today’s political battles. Partisanship explains why we argue over politics. But sometimes we take partisanship too far. The recent reports of sexual harassment have caused embarrassment to members of my friends and family because they went beyond sensibility in their favoritism toward people like Al Franken and Charlie Rose. To them, these two could do no wrong. They also viewed Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, Bill Clinton and Bill O’Reilly as paragons of trust and values.

One of my family attempted to ruin Thanksgiving dinner by following a magazine’s advice to talk hate-filled politics during the gathering. Elsewhere, Sen. Charles Schumer, an uber political hack, designed a phony tax plan chart for Thanksgiving dinner so as to ruin the event. And, loathful idiots blocked the Macy’s parade route.

From frivolous lawsuits to fake news to meaningless boycotts and downright lies, the madness that drives people to deliberately harm their fellow Americans is beyond my grasp.

Today, my overly partisan friends and family are silent as I watch them grapple with their mistaken loyalties. I hope they come to understand the danger of concentrating all their energy into one area. I wish them to learn not to rationalize beyond reason or discount the thoughts of others, but to recognize that no one has all the correct answers. To actually consider or condone a purposeful attempt at setting people, especially loved ones, against each other is despicable. There is an old saying, “Politics end at the waters edge.” It can also apply to friends and family.

Spending

Don't believe the lies. Tax cuts don't increase the national debt. Government spending does.

Hopscotch development

I was dismayed and saddened when I read recently about the Target store on Presidential Parkway plans to close. This is just the latest step in Macon’s death spiral. Target is the anchor store in this shopping center; other stores on Presidential Parkway will follow.

Even more ominous is the Macon Mall, currently over half empty and hanging by a thread in spite of all the renovations done by the current owners. J.C. Penney’s closure at the Macon Mall definitely bodes ill for the mall’s survival. What will our community leaders and elected officials do when all of Eisenhower Parkway’s once first class retail centers are gone? Think about the loss of tax revenues, both property and sales taxes. Do our elected officials ever think about that? After all, if Maconites still want to shop Target, Penney’s or Sears they can drive to Warner Robins.

Our local Planning & Zoning Commission is a joke, but it isn’t funny. It should rename itself the “Development Facilitation Commission” because that is all it really does. The commission has never stopped any major development even in the face of strong opposition from Macon residents. The most recent case in point is the mega-development they approved for Zebulon Road. The Shoppes at River Crossing should never have been permitted, that was the beginning of the end for the Macon Mall. Now there is to be further development on Bass and Riverside. How many times does the pattern have to repeat itself before those responsible for planning in our community finally realize the destructive effects of unchecked development?

A while back The Telegraph ran a great series of articles on the negative effects of urban sprawl in Macon, so it’s not like no one has thought about what is happening, but there clearly is no will to do anything about it. It is also quite clear that the developers and realtors can do whatever they want to do in Macon-Bibb.

How much retail space can Macon support? Should it all be concentrated in north Macon? Is there any residential area that cannot be spoiled by retail incursion? What will become of the acres of deserted buildings and parking lots blighting our town? These questions have been raised before but no one seems to be willing to take them seriously.

In the mean time, rapacious developers cut down trees, tear down homes and clear property for the latest shopping center leaving deserted retail properties in their wake. Can nothing be done about this?

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, November 28, 2017."