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Highlands Today

Playing Scandal Card Is Easy, But It Hurts People

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 25, 2009

We live in a world filled with scandal and corruption, at least that's what some people believe. And some folks make the same claims right here in Highlands County. In fact, they thrive on making such claims and insinuations. Sometimes there is a hint of truth in what they say, but mostly it's blatantly untrue. The damage, however, is real whether it's true or not, and it's up to all of us to keep the conspiracy seekers at arm's length.

Thousands of fictional literary thrillers are based on scandal and corrupt characters that will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. In real life, we come across cases such as Bernie Madoff and public officials who take bribes or do favors. However, for the most part, that's not how it is.

Locally, there's definitely a good ol' boy network to some extent, just like everywhere else in the world, but corruption and scandal is nearly non-existent. Sure, it pops up every now and then, but to hear some people talk, it's all around us.

For some folks, if someone in power tells them "no", it's a conspiracy. Or if someone has the audacity to hold a different opinion, it's because of some secret agenda. We see it in everything from the Spring Lake controversy over the golf course to Sun 'n Lake of Sebring's method of voting to anything Sheriff Susan Benton says or does. We're accused of it by the letters to the editor we print or the editorial cartoons we run. There has to be deeper meanings to all of these things, according to some people.

The vast majority of decisions made by city councils, county commissions and school boards are made because board members truly believe it's the best decision for their communities. Perhaps they're wrong, or maybe they're right, but the point is, there's nothing sinister in their decision.

This all could just be fun fodder for active imaginations, but often the end result of the whisper campaigns is that it unfairly hurts people. Nasty rumors can harm innocent people. As the old saying goes, "tell a lie long enough and it becomes truth."

The truth is the majority of the time there is no scandal, no ulterior motives, no secret agenda, etc. It's just that someone is bent out of shape because of a decision that someone made. Perhaps they have a right to be angry and disagree, but that doesn't make it anything more than an honest disagreement.

Unfortunately, the people who do this the most do not see themselves as doing damage to innocent people. So it's up to the rest of us to stop these rumors when we hear them, or at least be skeptical enough to learn the truth before passing them on.

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