This letter was submitted to LebTown. Read our submission policy here.
What leader would you prefer? A leader who listens to those who are professionals in their respective fields or leaders who only listen to their own voice and think they are always right? In Lebanon County, we currently do not have leaders, instead we have egos that seem to love the media attention they get from saying and doing things that are out of touch from the CDC guidelines and state mandates.
Our Lebanon County officials, three to be exact, act and speak like they know better than the medical professionals, they aim to support business owners and help “save the economy” at the expense of other people’s lives? Aren’t people the force behind the economy? What kind of fantasy world do they live in? Let me use their “biblical” principles to state the following: The bible says “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If you claim to be religious and a conservative who cares about individual rights, and who cares for “American Principals and American Patriotism,” why, then, don’t you care about other people’s health and wellbeing?
What do we need for you to respect your co-patriots and love your neighbors by simply showing that you care for them? I want to tell our local officials in Lebanon who claim to care about their community while speaking and behaving in ways that show the opposite that history will show how that instead of saving the economy, the only thing you accomplished was to show the world why we can’t afford to have incompetent leaders who only know how to follow the political agenda of a party instead of fulfilling the needs of a community.
Max Depree said, “Leaders don’t inflict pain, they share pain.” In times like the ones we are facing, many of us are facing the pain that COVID-19 has brought to all of us and yet our leaders are not listening to the voices of those who are crying out to them expressing their pain, and instead of sharing that pain, they are inflicting them with more pain. Let me give the three Lebanon County officials who are pushing their party’s agenda a couple of ideas that they could apply:
- Encourage businesses to follow CDC guidelines as they are the medical professionals who know how to handle these types of situations because none of you went through med school to know better.
- Provide a platform for your constituents where they can be heard and show respect towards them even though you may not agree with their points of view – you work for them, not vice versa. (Many people have been complaining about being blocked/banned from the legislative Facebook page of one of our Lebanon County officials)
- Don’t shame people that use masks, instead thank them for thinking about the health of others
- Ask minority groups within your community how you can serve them and please also translate your communications into Spanish as the Hispanic community is the second largest population in the county and many times, they get by without knowing what is really happening and not being able to have their concerns heard.
- Legislate please instead of using our taxes trying to get re-elected
Old politics are being erased from this culture and country and a new era is about to begin because change is coming. I believe we all can agree that we need leaders who listen to advice of professionals instead of ignoring them; we need politicians who care for the whole community and not only a segment of it. We need leaders that think about future generations and leaving a legacy of love and compassion, we need leaders who humble themselves to make others’ lives better than theirs.
Amauary Abreu is an aspiring entrepreneur and social activist who lives in Lebanon.
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