What is happening in Palmer and surrounding areas these days?

This past year has been CRAZY. I moved from Dallas to Ellis County and have been busier than anytime in my life. It has been a year since I started the blog. Now that I'm settled, I hope to post regularly and look forward to posts from my lifelong and new friends and "family."

Weather is hot and it is only June. Even hotter is the banter about politics in Palmer. How does that get cooled down, so that everyone can be on the same page regarding goals for the future?

What is the purpose of government and citizenry? I think it should be creating the safest, most responsible, best-serviced environment IN THE WORLD for our children, teens, and adults. I happen to think this is possible, if 1) there is accurate and truthful information available to citizens and 2) if those citizens are participating in the government processes.

There are a lot of wonderful people living in the area. These are kind, generous, and hard-working Americans who want the best life for their families. Fortunately, more of them are getting involved in the political scene and offering ideas for improving the neighborhoods.

In my conversations, citizens are telling me they want law and order, which provide safety for us. They say they want everyone to be treated fairly. They tell me they want unbiased news, so they have facts, not just opinion.

They want safe streets without potholes. They want taxes to be reasonable and affordable. They want adequate (and in some cases, abundant) clean water. They want schools that provide the very best education for their children, so that those children will have every opportunity for successful careers. They have a lot of other desires.

They especially want the drug scene gone, since this is such a dangerous arena for people of all adults. As always, the drug issue is money versus health of a community. With the economy at a low ebb, drug money seems to have become more important to some people. However, there are various horrible consequences down the line. In my opinion, it is better to give up extra dollars now than to face God for the discussion about why one sold drugs and caused such personal damage to humans. I happen to believe, one way or another, we pay for our wrongs to others.

While drugs are negative, let me share with you a couple of positive activities that have happened this week.

First, a great idea was presented at the City Council meeting this past Tuesday night. This idea is for a package to be presented to new residents when they request their water meter setup. The package would contain information from the various local non-profits so that people can become aware of services and resources available. Kudos to RC for bringing this before the council. Kudos to the council members for unanimously (with one person absent) voting "YES!"

(And, by the way, City Council members are trying to find a way to avoid tearing down the historic water tower, also known as a storage tank. As always, funding is an issue and, fortunately, the possibility of grant money will be investigated.)

Second, the Palmer Lions Club held a fundraiser this past Monday. The 2nd annual bridge tournament, hosted at the beautiful, historic Blocker House, was a great success. Money raised will provide eye exams and glasses to people who can't afford them. This is especially helpful to school students. A huge thank you to all who turned out to play bridge (from various towns and cities in Ellis County), to the generous supporters, and to the Lions members who worked hard to make the event so outstanding. Congratulations on a great fundraiser!

Thank you for reading my post and I welcome your comments. This post is NOT the place to name-call and slander. I will be decided what gets posted. There are other websites online for all the poison about people in Palmer you want to share. We don't want poison. We want prosperity and positive actions. THIS post is a place to make suggestions for improving the community. The past is over. We can't change all that. We have the power to make today and the future better.

Every moment, things are getting better or worse. Thanks for joining me in striving to always make life better for everyone!