We need more solutions

A lot of the time, recognizing that there’s a problem and being able to craft a solution tend to go hand in hand.
The light won’t go on when you flip the switch, so you change the light bulb. Problem solved.
The tire has gone flat, so you open the trunk and pull out the jack and the spare (or call road service). The tire gets replaced and you go on your way.
Of course, all problems can’t be solved that simply.
A weakening economy, a clumsy tax structure, a crippling reliance on foreign imports, a war that saps the resolve of even the most dedicated, are all a bit less simplistic.
A luncheon speaker last week outlined a number of problems he sees in what has been going on in Lansing with our legislators. I was impressed by his understanding of the depth of the problems facing the state and the difficulty those problems present in crafting a solution. But that was it.
He only told me that the light was out and the tire was flat — nothing more. Most of us can figure out what the problem is. We really don’t need any help in that department. What we need from our elected leaders are solutions — or at least a choice of actions that could effect a change.
Our political leaders — and many of those who want to be — are a lot like that luncheon speaker.
They quickly rattle off the list: taxes, social security, health care, global warming, joblessness, outsourcing. They all can identify the “problem” — and often point out why they aren’t to blame and why their opponent likely is, or could be.
But it’s rare to hear talk about solutions.
I can’t really expect that the discourse will offer any clear course of action at the national level. It’s very difficult to sort the spin from the substance there.
But I think we as voters can hold our state, county and local township candidates to a higher standard.
In this election season, don’t let a candidate tell you what’s wrong without clearly spelling out how to fix it. Don’t let somebody put the rap on an opponent’s views or votes without offering an honest alternative.
If we keep electing the folks who only know how to tell us what the problems are, we’ll end up sitting around in the dark hopelessly waiting for someone to fix all those flat tires.