ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” article. It is an editorial by the editor
“I don’t trust gummint. I trust the people.” — Then President George W. Bush
Many observers have tried to help us understand why so many United State citizens do not trust the government they elect — a phenomenon that seems to get worse as time marches on.
At the federal level, it’s because government officials have lied to us or refused to let us know what’s really going on. I speak of the explanation of the Kennedy assassination, the infamous Watergate affair, the spin on the release of the hostages on the same day as President Reagan’s inauguration, the Vietnam Conflict, the Iran-Contra affair, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the invasion of Iraq, and the list could get quite lengthy. It’s like Dorr Township Trustee John Tuinstra, when I asked him why he always brought a mask to meetings during the pandemic, but never put it on, he replied, “I don’t have to tell you.”
Closer to home, there is a list of incidents and developments that live on without adequate or believable explanations:
- The reason for the firing of City Manager Chris Yonker.
- The reason for the firing of Wayland Police Chief Dan Miller.
- The reason for Chamber of Commerce Director Denise Behm’s sudden departure from her new job at the Gun Lake Casino after less than a week.
- The reason for Tim McLean’s sudden resignation well before he originally was scheduled to leave.
- The retirement of Wayland Schools Superintendent Eivor Swan and resignations of the lieutenants in her administration.
- The sudden resignation of Dorr Township Treasurer Myrna Marr three years ago.
- Most recently, the firing of City Treasurer Cheri Parrish this week after all those glowing reports about her work from auditors.
Of course, government officials will insist they cannot publicly discuss personnel matters, under potential threats of lawsuits. So the result is that the public is left in the dark, making it understandable we unwashed masses might come to believe they are hiding something.
As I have reported in this space before, the best handling of that situation I’ve ever seen came from former Henika Library Director Lynn Mandaville. She told me with great candor the Library Board wanted a director who had better understanding of technology, particularly the Internet. She no longer was the right fit after 29 years and was forced to step down.
I wish more public officials were as forthcoming with explanations and information, better responses than, “She left to spend more time with her family.” These inadequate explanations stem mostly from the customary “dance, dance, dance” around the questions, signifying nothing of value.
All of this leaves a frustrated public that feels left out of the loop and perhaps lied to with coverups of something embarrassing or even wrongdoing.
That’s why there continues to be suspicion and lack of trust for our elected officials.
“In a totalitarian society, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” — George Orwell
Cheri Parish was the city treasurer, not the city clerk. The clerk and manager need to make an exit as well.
Thanks for continuing to bring this unending issue to light. Due to the corruptibility and selfish nature of most of humanity it will likely never end, let alone subside to any level that people will be accepting of.
I remember as a child witnessing the Iran contra situation, then as a teen the preposterous drawn out circus that was the Clinton-Lewinsky “affair” that culminated with WJC stating “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is”. These events, and the opinions and warnings of my elders showed me that government is corrupt by nature. It often seems that when ever a “big controversy” is being placed front and center, something else more important is going on in the background.
The so-called “citizens united” (interesting how things are often named completely the opposite of what they actually are) ruling sealed the deal in taking power away from the common citizenry. Since then our political system has been entirely consumed by the corporate dollar of influence. Even before this, most in positions of power had shown by action rather than word, that the power of the lobbyist dollar is more powerful than any voice of the people. Aside from these factors, and now with the ability to influence citizens with powerful, curated, and targeted social media manipulation you actually have folks defending, embracing, and encouraging corruption.
It is worth mentioning that the former democratic speaker of the house is obviously using her access to privileged information for what is in effect insider trading. It is no wonder that trust is essentially non-existent with this atmosphere.
Regarding local entities, it seems that most involved are also influenced financially in obvious conflicts of personal interest against the good of the communities they are supposedly serving. If not directly for their own gain, there is usually a friend or relative close by that is benefiting significantly. I can’t remember the specifics, you recently reported on a local official retiring. His statement was something along the lines of “I have seen no corruption”. I could not help but laugh, this reminded me of when a child runs into the room and blurts out of nowhere “it wasn’t me” or “I didn’t do it” without any known context or knowledge of any wrongdoing. Perhaps he was entirely honest, it sure did not read that way considering the environment.
What can be done then? I think what you do is an essential aspect of basic awareness of things locally. Local media is obviously becoming more rare in most communities, allowing the capacity of curated algorithms to supersede actual information and knowledge. I believe everyday folks owe it to themselves to do the hard work of attempting to really listen to both sides of a situation, and seek out information that challenges what makes them feel comfortable. Fight the confirmation bias tendencies, and actually think things out for themselves. The people still technically have the power to vote, but they also need to take the power of their own capacity in hand and remove the chains from their minds.