By Leesville Mayor Rick Allen

Humanitarian crisis is a term that our government uses very loosely when it comes to other countries. But when we look at our own country it seems our own people don’t fit into that category. We will quickly send 800 million to the Ukrainian leaders but fall short when it comes to the Veterans that defended our Country. We will invest in food, clean water, education and childcare in other countries but will over look a single parent that needs childcare assistance so they can be a productive member of society and work their way to a stable normal life. I have to believe that if we were to invest in our own people that life and opportunity would be much more abundant for many of them. The majority of us want a better life than we had for our children and we are willing to work hard to get it.

All this is biblical as well:  Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. My little simple interpretation of this is if your lazy you will be poor but if you aren’t scared to work you can be rich. At the end of the school year I had the pleasure of speaking to a second grade class from Faith Training. And you know how kids can be they have high respect for the Mayor of their City and they assume that the Mayor is paid lots of money ($13,000 per year in the City of Leesville.) So the first question was “are you rich?” It made me think “am I?” What is the definition of rich? Is it good health? Is it how much stuff you have? Is it money? Is it family? It almost sounds like bragging but yes I have to say that I’m rich, thanks be to God.

There’s one more scripture I was hesitant to post it goes like this. “If a man doesn’t work nor shall he eat.”

I’m thankful I get to work everyday and provide for my family and I pray God opens the right doors for you that you might be prosperous and have the peace of being rich; whatever your definition of rich may be.