Unit 1 Journal 2.-

 The narrative for this journal is something that in my opinion should concern every person that is responsible for a household in a place subject to natural disasters such as Florida.

It raises questions that are timeless and valid in any context that I can think of: Who has the responsibility for solving community problems? The answer is simple and straightforward: the elected officials bear the lion share of responsibility in the solution of community problems. Consider the case of New Jersey, victim of the Hurricane Sandy. It is the responsibility of the elected officials of the state to ensure the prompt and equitable resolution of the problems created by any storm that affects the state. 

They are called to be the necessary custodians of their constituents regardless of the size of the citizen sample. Government is supposed to look out for the governed, plain and simple; more so in the case of situations that cannot be controlled or corrected by the sole efforts of the family. Unless wealthy, no family can readily disburse the monies required to repair or replace a home devastated in a natural disaster; and it should not be so if the family, like every other homeowner family pays insurance to be covered in the event of such catastrophes...

The family role, as the base unit of society, is to nurture and protect the young so that they, in turn, do the same to their own families, and to instill in them the education that will enable them to become members of society, playing by the same rules and following the rules and regulations that make our communities livable and part of the nation that we belong to.

A caveat, however, a big part of what makes a community is the creation of communal groups that have a correspondence of values and life outlooks that foster that sense of "community". If that similarity of outlooks is not there, there will not be a community or community group worth the name...and that lack is what makes difficult the resolution of the problems that affect a community.

Similarity of outlooks and the desire for a commonly applicable solution to the community problems should be a the forefront of creation of the community groups. The outcomes should be equally applicable to all the members, so that everybody feels that they have "skin in the game". And, like any other group in history, certain roles need to be fulfilled for the smooth functioning of the group.

For example, a leader needs to be present to provide focus and direction to the group's enthusiasm and drive.

And the group should be concentrated in what is achievable given the scope, constraints and resources that they have on hand.

The formation of community groups is a necessity in these troubled times, because they are the lookouts and in a way the arbiters of the well-being of teir communities.