Who do they answer to?

Those kids. I’ll tell you. Out of the mouths of babes.

You know, when I was in high school, I was not particularly interested in politics. Sure, I knew who was who. We learned it at home and we learned it in Social Studies class during Current Events. But, I did not much follow the hot topics of the day.

I was certain I would register to vote as soon as I was able. That also was suggested by my parental influences. But I was not very cognizant of issues.

This past weekend we saw a bunch, and I mean a BUNCH, of kids marching all around the world. They were expecting 500,000 in Washington DC, and there were more than 800 protests in locations around the globe. People marching together to advocate a change. To get better laws. To find a way to keep guns out of their lives.

I sure worry about those kids. I certainly do not blame those kids. They are getting shot during Science class and in Phys Ed. Their friends are dying by bullet.

I have grandkids, although I don’t get to see the younger ones very often. Even still, I can see them sitting at their desks, working on their lessons, going about their days, learning and talking and laughing. Eleven. Eight. I can not imagine why, anyone with a child, would advocate for more guns. Especially in schools. I don’t understand.

I pray every night that my grandkids never face the barrel of a gun, anywhere. But especially in their schools. Surprisingly, there seems to be a whole lot of politicians, saying that they are praying too. But their actions and their agendas, and their votes, say very different words.

Yes, they say in the news, “We are praying for the friends and families of the victims.” Hmmm. I sure would love to sit in on one of those prayers, and see just how it goes. I can only imagine.

I don’t have anything against prayer. In fact, I do it frequently. But there are a couple of old sayings about that, I think. The Lord helps those who help themselves. And. Actions speak louder than words.

I am not sure how or what those politicians are praying about. Or maybe the question is, “WHO” are they praying to? But one thing is for sure. They are acting much differently than I would.

There is another phrase about finding solutions. You can’t fix something, until you admit it is broken. You can’t solve a problem, until you acknowledge something is wrong.

Oh those kids. Seventy three teens have been shot, to death, by gun since the Parkland High School Massacre. Dead. Not by knife. Not by bomb. They have been killed by guns. I’d say something is broken. Something’s wrong.

Below are the top 10 career recipients of N.R.A. funding – through donations or spending to benefit the candidate – among both current House and Senate members:
SENATE
John McCain AZ. $7,740,521
Richard Burr NC. $6,986,620
Roy Blunt MO. $4,551,146
Thom Tillis. NC. $4,418,012
Cory Gardener CO. $3,879,064
Marco Rubio. FL. $3,879,064
Joni Ernst IA. $3,124,273
Rob Portman OH. $3,061,941
Todd Young IN. $2,896,732
Bill Cassidy LA. $2,861,047

HOUSE
French Hill AK. $1,089,477
Ken Buck CO. $800,544
David Young IA. $707,662
Mike Simpson ID. $385,731
Greg Gianforte MT. $344,630
Don Young AK. $245,720
Lloyd Smucker PA. $221,736
Bruce Poliquin ME. $201,398
Pete Sessions TX. $158,111
Barbara Comstock VA. $137,232

All of these representatives are Republican. The highest ranked Democrat in the House is Sanford Bishop, who ranks 41st in career donations from the N.R.A.

Among the top 100 House recipients, 95 are Republican. In the Senate, the top two Democrats are Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who rank 52nd and 53rd — behind every Republican but Dan Sullivan of Alaska.

This includes money the N.R.A. spends on behalf of candidates, in addition to money it gives directly to candidates.

SOURCE: Center for Responsive Politics

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“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
― Albert Einstein

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“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
― George Bernard Shaw

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“Failure is a bend in the road, not the end of the road. Learn from failure and keep moving forward.”
― Roy T. Bennett

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