Previous sheriff’s election won (and lost) on a few votes

Early voting for the March 23 election begins Saturday, March 9, and continues through Saturday, March 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day (except Sunday, March 10). Stop by the Caddo Registrar of Voters office at 525 Marshall St. (on the corner of Marshall and Milam Streets, across from the courthouse in downtown Shreveport) or 2111 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop (the Hamilton Branch Library).

Now, maybe you are someone who ordinarily votes on Election Day, or perhaps you don’t ordinarily vote at all.

But these are not ordinary times, as you know, and we are experiencing the unprecedented.

Our challenge on March 23 is not merely to elect a new sheriff for Caddo Parish or weigh in on presidential politics but to save the soul of our democracy itself.

That’s not hyperbole. We can’t keep doing more of the same, and keep watering the weeds.

Are you ready to surrender the garden to the weeds?

How long will we accept the lack of employment opportunities and perpetually increasing crime rates in our community?

How long will we accept revolving doors at our jails and Soros-funded district attorneys who refuse to prosecute entire categories of crimes, offer too many plea deals, and shorten probation and parole terms — where everyone loses, except the criminals?

What about parents being silenced and treated like terrorists simply for having concerns about what their children are being taught in school? Or babies being killed inside their mothers’ wombs, even up to the moment of birth?

How much longer can we afford to prioritize the needs of illegal immigrants over the needs of American citizens, who are grappling with increased poverty, homelessness and unemployment themselves?

How much longer can we watch inflation erode how far a dollar goes these days, after decades of deficit and wasteful spending by politicians who seem more concerned with preserving their power (and enriching themselves) than the prosperity of the people they were elected to serve?

How much longer can we afford to send billions of dollars in aid to foreign governments with little or no accountability for its spending, while at the same time, the boot of our government, from federal to state to local, is on the necks of everyday Americans with more and more taxes, fees and regulations, leaving us less money at the end of every month?

How much longer can we allow our government to erode our freedom of religion and target the faithful by sending FBI agents to churches under the guise of preventing domestic terrorism?

How much longer can we afford for our government to whittle away our energy independence (and those good paying jobs) while increasing dependence on foreign oil from Russia and Iran and funding their wars and horrific acts of terrorism in the process?

Can we stand much more with electing officials who see supporting law enforcement as systemic racism in our communities and view the criminals as the victims? Meanwhile, the victims and their families are all but forgotten.

As the saying goes, if we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll keep getting what we’ve been getting.

That’s why it’s crucial that you vote early in the March 23 election for Donald J. Trump for President of the United States and John Nickelson for Caddo Parish Sheriff. Yes, other items are on the ballot, but these two votes will send a clear message across the country that our parish and state aren’t willing to surrender the garden to the weeds — and we won’t quit.

It’s not enough for you to go vote, though. Your one vote matters, of course — we saw that in last November’s election — but we cannot vote alone.

Bring someone, or two or three someones, with you to early vote (Saturday, March 9, through Saturday, March 16), and together, pull those weeds out by the roots — before they choke the life out of everything good in our lives.

We can do better on March 23, as a parish and a country; it’s way past time that others get this message loud and clear and understand — we’re not watering the weeds.

Louis R. Avallone is a Shreveport businessman, attorney and author of “Bright Spots, Big Country, What Makes America Great.” He is also a former aide to U.S. Representative Jim McCrery and editor of The Caddo Republican. His columns have appeared regularly in 318 Forum since 2007. Follow him on Facebook, on Twitter @louisravallone or by e-mail at louisavallone@mac.com, and on American Ground Radio at 101.7FM and 710 AM, weeknights from 6 - 7 p.m., and streaming live on keelnews.com.