Consider when a spouse feels unheard in their marriage. When one partner constantly dismisses or ignores the concerns of the other, it creates a sense of isolation and frustration. Over time, this lack of communication erodes the foundation of trust and intimacy, leading to a breakdown in the relationship.

Way back in the 1890s, Vilfredo Pareto, a passionate gardener and Italian economist, noticed a small percentage of the pea plants in his garden seemed to produce the majority of the peas. He counted the peas, and in fact, 80% of the peas he produced came from just 20% of his pea plants.

In the past, he has stood up to those who deal in the lawlessness and violence that have wreaked havoc on our community. He’s preached in parking lots and street corners where he believed there was drug dealing. He’s spoken out against thug culture and the destruction it has had in our neighborhoods.

The single largest employer on the planet, Walmart, has made the decision to abandon four of its locations in Chicago, where crime rates have continued to spike, as the city moves from a radical, leftist administration under Mayor Lori Lightfoot to another, farleftist administration under Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.

Now, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy is a man who does not much concern himself with throwing out “red meat,” so to speak, to stir his more conservative constituents.

I mean, folks are so busy focusing on how everything “appears” to others, whether it’s their career, their family, etc., that the substance of who they actually are, who they are choosing to be, how they actually live out their lives, etc. bears little resemblance to what it all “appears” to be.

There are too many of us, in communities across the state, who accept the notion that politics is the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary (if you consider it a profession, in the traditional sense, or is it public service by public servants – that is a different discussion altogether, though).

Wouldn’t the same happen to our city council or state legislature in government, depending on whom our government becomes associated with? Candidates with integrity and a “can-do” spirit would necessarily produce a transparent and effective government.