By BILLY MURPHY
Contributing Writer

Throughout history monsters have reared their ugly heads in many different forms, but none have been as repulsive as local government gone bad. We, the people, though, have created this monster. And though we blame government, it is because of our own apathy that this creature exists. Can Frankenstein be blamed for his own freakishness?

If you have been keeping up with our local battles lately, one would say we might have a government gone awry in Peachtree City. Suddenly our Mayor Bob Lenox is being painted as a Stalin-esque sort of tyrant leader. I say, he has lived in a vacuum too long. He has done an amazing job in Peachtree City, where you will find more people on an average night go through the doors of Y-Knot Sports Bar than will go through city council meetings in a year.

Our world these days, local or otherwise, is like one big Disney World and apathy is Mickey Mouse. Indifference is Donald Duck. And Goofy? Well, he is just some stupid dog. But it is obvious we have some major problems with getting involved with the inner machinations of the ruling body that governs us. How is it everyone can be so ambitious about making money yet so detached when it comes to how we are governed?

If I was a stand-up comic I would be saying lines like, “Democracy? Let's try DemocraZY!”

The problem we face today is, we have created this Frankenstein and we can't get him out of our kitchen. Sure, we are in the dining room complaining about him. We go into the living room and call our mom and complain. But that green jerk is eating us out of house and home and we don't know what to do. It's too late to fret over the fact we set the electrodes to his neck and gave him life. We have to do something about the son of gun.

Our frustrations today arise from the fact that nothing gets done. Red tape in government is about as long as a pro athlete's stretch limo. They have meetings to discuss meetings, committees to form subcommittees and generally move at a pace that would make Andy Griffith grow impatient.

The recent squabbles we have been having are nothing new in government, but I do see a renewed interest for the common man to be heard. We can almost thank Jesse Ventura for that one. He has been one lone incident of people taking back government and giving it to a commoner rather than a professional politician.

There is a saying my coach used to apply to team fights, “When you're winning, it's called team spirit; when you're losing, it's called dissension.” Let's all get with the program and see our recent battles as team spirit. Let's not be too quick to divide our ranks and take to arms. We have a good thing going here in Peachtree City and a lot of good people taking us there, even if they are currently at odds.

I would just hate to see our local government become just some political cartoon like that of the city of Atlanta. We need to see our current situation like they say when the stock market semi-crashes — as a “correction.” And whether personal or governmental, all of us need a little correcting now and then.

[Visit Billy Murphy on the Internet at http://billymurphy.homepage.com.]

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