OPINION
By Alyson McCullough
07-06-22 Hilliard
As a “millennial” I am supposed to be on the streets marching and protesting for every right and empowerment. Is this true of every thirty to forty year old in America? Absolutely not. I grew up under the Rush Limbaugh doctrine on AM 690 in my grandpa’s garage helping him sort through thousands of random tools, nuts, and bolts. After retiring from the military, he taught shop at the Westside Skill Center in Jacksonville, Florida. He also taught me and all of his grandchildren to be actively engaged in our local, state, and national politics. Far too often in a world of instant media access – a false narrative is painted as convincing truth.
I wanted to give you the reader of truth a positive insight to the true Millennial class in Nassau County. We go to work, we take our kids to the ballpark, and we vote. The consensus for lack of political engagement? After talking to more than one hundred registered voters from age 30-40 in Nassau County, the reason that they have never expanded their horizon to run for office or engage in political movements.…. Establishment. More than ever the division of a two party system has created a distance from the polls. Establishment wasn’t a reference to a Rhino or a Donkey put to pasture, it was ALL of it. Millennials want progress, peace, and a place. They feel the Republican party, Democrat party, and the voting process have all lost their integrity. As I came home and mulled over this data and these kitchen table conversations a fire was lit. A fire for advocacy. A call to action. A request to the establishment: We the People are tired of it. Across the Nation I pray that people are humbly brought back to their roots, that lobbyists and special interests no longer have a place at the table but truck drivers and nurses are compelled to lead.
Culture has purposefully created a socially distracted society. It is more imperative than ever to look back on where we have come from and where we are headed. That we reach across party lines. Unfortunately, our nation’s appreciation for our founding ideas have slipped over time. This isn’t a new phenomenon; President Reagan warned us of it in his farewell address: “We’ve got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom — freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise — and freedom is special and rare.”
Fellow patriots, history enthusiasts, TIk Tok dancers, the old and the young let this be my words of advice, take them for what you paid for them. If we do not act now, we will cease to exist in freedom. If our “politicians” aren’t talking about the constitution and rights of the people – then they are just that “politicians” not representation. There is more to a candidate than funding. Remember we won freedom in the western civilization on a common vision not a blank check.
Alyson McCullough is a wife, mother, taxpayer and educator who lives in Hilliard. She is a candidate for Nassau County Commissioner in District 4.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
