State of Affairs

“Corruption threatens United States national security, economic equity, global anti-poverty and development efforts, and democracy itself. But by effectively preventing and countering corruption and demonstrating the advantages of transparent and accountable governance, we can secure a critical advantage for the United States and other democracies.” – President Joe Biden Corruption is a cancer that eats away at the very soul of functioning society. Corruption erodes the people’s trust in the government. When the people have no trust in their government, they have no trust in their society.

Corruption comes in many shapes and forms, but in Cibola County it is known as the “Good-Old-Boy System.” For 50 years the infrastructure of Cibola has been neglected by forces willing and wantonly spending their money on unnecessary and useless items, and it has brought nothing but destruction to the community.

It shouldn’t be difficult to recognize, all one must do is drive down Santa Fe Avenue and see the mess of vacant storefronts. Community elders allege that once upon a time there was a train station in Grants – I’ve seen the photos, but I still struggle to believe it because all evidence of this once successful and roaring community has been wiped away. A grave injustice has been done to Cibola County.

Why did this injustice happen? How did this happen? Why didn’t our leaders, seeing the collapse of a community, try and make it right? Where did the economic prospects go? In this county we have elected officials who have been in their positions for over a decade and continue to claim they are doing a good job for the community. Look around, see the economic opportunity? It’s nowhere to be found and it’s time we address it. Corruption is a cancer. A cancer which is taking its slow toll on Cibola County, the rot of that corruption is seen in our empty businesses.

So how do you clear cancer? Its never truly gone, but the best way is by cutting out the infected bits. Election season is coming up, the chance for Cibola to use its power of democracy to cut out that cancer is right around the corner, all it requires is for you to vote.

Over the course of the last few months, I have been called a Communist, a Marxist, a Trump Republican and so on. This is me walking the middle line, and if the facts of a situation upset you, maybe take a long hard look in the mirror. I take a stand against injustice in my community no matter who is behind it because we have suffered enough.

I will never stand for corruption; I will never stand for injustice. Anti-corruption is a principal, one that must be enforced. It’s easy to skirt the rules, to do for your friend just because they’re your friend. It’s difficult to do what is right and stop things before they become an injustice. No matter anything else, I believe an elected official is someone who should take care of their community. Someone who should have plans for the betterment of their society, not use their phone in the middle of open meeting to ignore the actions and words of their board. An elected official is someone who should care enough to show up to ever meeting of their board. Because, despite what elected officials might think, they are our community leaders, getting paid by our taxpayer dollars. When an elected official fails to do their job, it is tantamount to corruption because they are taking taxpayer dollars for work they aren’t doing. Corruption is a cancer. Corruption is an injustice. 2022 presents Cibola with an opportunity to be rid of it.

I leave you with the words of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: I say to you this morning That if you have never found something so dear and so precious to you That you will die for it, then you aren't fit to live You may be 38 years old as I happen to be And one day, some great opportunity stands before you And calls upon you to stand up for some great principle Some great issue, some great cause And you refuse to do it because you are afraid You refuse to do it because you want to live longer You're afraid that you will lose your job Or you're afraid that you will be criticized Or that you will lose your popularity Or you're afraid that somebody will stab you or shoot at you or bomb your house And so you refuse to take the stand Well, you may go on and live until you are 90, but you're just as dead at 38 as you would be at 90 And the sensation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit You died when you refused to stand up for right You died when you refused to stand up for truth You died when you refused to stand up for justice