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Today, our political system is riddled with candidates who make promises--promises designed to get elected. Take for example President George Herbert Walker Bush and his "read my lips no new taxes" promise to voters. After he won, he broke his promise by raising taxes. In Tennessee, Republican Governor Don Sundquist promised voters he would not support an income tax. Once elected to a second term he proposed, and tried to pass, an income tax. Governor Sundquist was another politician breaking a promise, a promise made so he could win a second term. No wonder we do not trust our elected representatives--they too often make promises they cannot keep or promises they never intend to keep--not Democratic Sheriff Billy Long of Hamilton County Tennessee, he is a politician of a different color. Billy Long, throughout his campaign for sheriff, made two promises to the voters. Promise number 1-restore school resource officers into the high schools in the Hamilton County community. Promise number 2, recertify the jail. Sheriff Long, by all accounts is an honest and credible man. His honesty and credibility is bolstered by two inescapable facts--he is restoring school resource officers to the schools in Hamilton County Tennessee, and he has recertified the jail. These are two promise made, and two promises kept--this speaks loudly for the man who is Sheriff of Hamilton County. The road to getting school resource officers back into the schools and keeping the jail certified is a rough one for Sheriff Long. However, despite the numerous roadblocks Sheriff Long continues to keep the two promises he made to voters. Politicians across this country can learn from Sheriff Long's commitment to the voters of his community-sheer perseverance, the art of compromise, a little bit of intelligence, and a commitment to honesty and integrity led Sheriff Long to keep his promises. The voters can learn from Sheriff Long, when a candidate makes a promise and lives up to his or her promise--keep them... when they don't, fire them.
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