By Will Collins

It may seem like I’m more than a little upset, but I’m okay with that. It may appear more like a personal rant than a conservative post, but I believe everyone in our city can learn some things and find some intended value in this article.

After all, we each want what is best for our community, right?

Over the past several months, I’ve been hearing of bicycles and other items of property being stolen from people’s yards. I live in a quiet, peaceful area of Winchester and have trust in everyone residing around me, as I’m sure many of you do.

The problem lies in the individuals who may drive through our neighborhoods looking for easy things to take.

Several kids on my street have walked outside on particular mornings only to find their bicycles stolen. I will use the word stolen in its full context; it’s not missing, misplaced or even taken, they were stolen.

My own daughter has been a victim of this crime three times in the past six months. Three times she’s come into our house to tell me her prized possession was stolen.

Many would say we need to do a better job of locking up her bicycle each night to prevent such things from happening. While I would certainly agree with this to some extent, I’m not going to place the blame on a 10 year old for someone else’s pathetic act of crime.

In fact, the other night, she put her bicycle behind our house and under the deck. The following morning, we quickly found that still wasn’t good enough.

Some would place blame on our police forces, saying they don’t do enough to prevent such crimes. I would hope people realize our men in uniform can’t be everywhere at every minute, day and night.

Obviously, I wish they would catch these individuals and a stop could be made, but there are other crimes that may take precedence over bicycle theft, especially since we as individuals can do more for our own cause.

In today’s society, we try in every way possible to place blame anywhere we can rather than where it truly belongs.

Even in situations like these, we find excuses for the thieves rather than holding them accountable for such low-class deeds.

It’s government’s fault. It’s their parent’s fault. It’s their doctor’s fault for prescribing them drugs. It’s their employer’s fault for eliminating their job for whatever reason. Sound familiar?

Now, I use the word “we” as a collective society of people. But from a conservative standpoint, the “we” does not align with this type of thinking.

For we know the individual or groups committing the crimes made the poor choice in doing so and are the ones to blame and should be held accountable.

In life, we usually have two choices: the right one or the wrong one. Mistakes are made, but the right choice is still present and available.

Currently, drug abuse is rampant all throughout the state. People in Mount Sterling and Richmond talk about how bad it is in Winchester while residents of Winchester talk about the narcotic problems in our surrounding cities.

I’m here to tell you though, they are everywhere.

I’m not necessarily saying the recent crimes are all drug-related, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if a majority of them were.

I truly do have concerns for those addicted to drugs and want nothing more than to see them find the help they need, but I also fall short in having compassion for thieves and other instances of crime regardless of the motive.

No, I’m not saying everyone battling drug addiction participates in other crimes, but I am saying a lot of crime is related to illegal drugs. The first step is admission, right?

I understand some individuals become addicted while only doing what was right in the first place, such as medical purposes, while others simply make the wrong choice and stick with it because it’s what they want to do.

While I’m sure addiction is a powerful disease to control, the mind still has the ability to choose help through its own power.

I’m in no way a medical professional nor do I have any training in drug counseling and I will never claim the contrary.

However, I am a determined person who wants everyone to reach their highest potential in life and be the best they can be. If you have an addiction and want to get help, reach out to me. I’ll be more than happy in assisting you in finding treatment and it will be between you, me and the medical field.

Take the time to make a choice and make it the right one. I witness the pain from so many people as they have loved ones falling by way of addiction. Their tears are not simply from sorrow, they are tears made from love. You can get well for them, but more importantly, do it for you.

As Author John Grisham stated, “Don’t compromise yourself, you’re all that you have.”

Political enthusiast Will Collins is a lifelong resident of Kentucky and has called Winchester home forthe past 20 years. He can be reached at wrcollins70@gmail.com