Don’t forget to flush, America

In 1829, Isaiah Rogers, wowed the country with his unique and into the future Tremont Hotel in Boston. It was the first hotel to have indoor plumbing and became the first of many. It didn’t really catch on in a lot of homes and people thought it out of their scope to have something that seemed so “foolish” when you could simply walk out the back door and go 30 feet to the family outhouse.

It is widely known that before electricity, people took baths once a week, usually Saturday nights so everyone would be fresh for Sunday morning church. The family used the same bathwater. By the end of the 1930s, more and more farm families started to use indoor bathrooms and running water for baths and washing dishes and clothes.

It took 101 years. A century came between the modern conveniences of an in-home bath with running water and flush toilets. Privacy. No trudging out to the family “two-holer” through a foot of snow and then sitting in subzero temperatures.

Part of the reason for the lack of change was waiting on electricity. The other part was the majority of people who had every excuse in the book for “poo-pooing” the stool. The cost would be prohibitive, the taxes would most likely go up, there would be too much maintenance, “my father and his father never had this new-fangled extravagance, and if it was good enough for them, then it’s good enough for me.”

That’s the thing about change.

To live in communities where nothing changes and there is no progress is similar to an enclosed pond with no outlet. Stagnation takes place. At some point in a town’s history you can simply look at the buildings and know what period of time they decided to stop and take a break from all the improvements. Or perhaps there was a council that couldn’t be creative enough to move forward. Or perhaps they just got tired.

Somewhere along the line Bladen County began to see the vision that was set before them and their life was creating a legacy for their children. As you watch people jogging our trails, swimming in the pools, biking the paths, you have to thank a former city government who fought against great odds to make it all happen.

Today our county speaks for itself. It is a sought-after place to live and to grow a family. It’s one of the most desirable spots to retire, it has everything you’d need for athletics, movies, theater and so much more.

Although some might like to question some of the things the councils may be moving on, but rest assured, they are taking care of your children and your grandchildren. If we pay a few dollars more in taxes, figure it as an investment in the future and your children.

Speaking of taxes, our leaders have found excess in some of the investments that . In the specifics of USAID.

Our tax money that has gone to fund such things as $50 million to fund condoms in Gaza, $1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia’s workplaces, $37 million to the World Health Organization, $16 million in funding for institutional contractors in gender development offices.

I don’t know about you, but I am with the majority on this one. I do not want my taxes funding these things or this organization.

USA TODAY’s Nicole Russell said, “Trump and Musk should gut USAID.”

She went on to say that “Gutting the U.S. Agency for International Development sounds cruel, but President Trump needs to stop government waste.”

This is what the voters in the last election asked for and it is strange that when we are hurting here in America – and still in Western North Carolina that we would want to continue frivolous spending. The meme I saw this week that was really hitting the nail on the head was, “Let me get this straight. You are mad at the man that found the wasted billions, but not mad at the people that wasted it? Something amiss here.”

Progress is pushing forward for us here in America. Like it or not. There is coming a tightening of the belt, a microscope on the injustice and a pencil to the numbers. I believe that we will be a stronger country and able to help our neighbors when we shore up our own position.

Remember the rule of thumb in an air disaster. When the masks drop, put on your own first so you will have the consciousness and strength to help others.

Let’s retool America. Let’s make our country strong and incredible again.

Just as I close the door to the water closet, and as the weather outside is sometimes frightful, I have to thank someone who pushed for indoor plumbing in the midst of all the adversity.