This week has been a tough one for many in Georgia. Tuesday saw snow and ice cover most of metropolitan Atlanta, closing businesses, schools, and roads across the region. While the emergencies and inconveniences are tragic and preventable, this storm and the response showed us that we should not depend on the government to provide a plan or solution for us. It is our personal responsibility to prepare, plan, and execute solutions that are best for ourselves and our families.
With the large percentage of our paychecks devoted to taxes at various levels of government, and their promises to serve in all of the roles they wish to provide, it can very tempting to hand over the duties of our safety and comfort. Because of this dependence on the government for our emergency needs, we saw a situation where they were simply overwhelmed. Roads were flooded with cars attempting to travel toward our homes and families. Police and fire services only responded to the most dire of situations. Schools ended up having our children stranded on buses without access to food, restrooms, or medication for hours.
I believe this is the lesson we needed, to learn we can not simply rely on these decision-makers who seek to increase their power and reach, but rather to ensure our own decisions about our safety and security are the ones to follow.
The silver lining to all of this were the people who were opening their homes, pantries, and businesses to help those in need. People helping people in the absence of government intervention. Whether it was the teachers and principals staying behind to provide a safe place for the children trapped at school, local businesses staying open to provide shelter to those caught in circumstances beyond their control, or local restaurants and individuals giving away food to stranded motorists, we saw the best in our fellow Georgians. We gave witness to people willing to help their fellow man with no personal gain to be had, while the government played the “blame game,” promising that next time they will do better. If history has shown us anything, they never do.
