Idealism

I’m often accused of being too idealistic. I’m okay with that. I haven’t encountered anyone yet that disagrees that achieving some of the things I suggest isn’t worthwhile. They just don’t believe these things can be achieved anymore.

Let’s be clear. I don’t operate with my head in the sand. I’m crystal clear on the realities of certain situations. Does that mean that the “idealistic” goals are unachievable? I don’t believe so. Usually anything worth accomplishing has some obstacles in the way of achieving it. Most of us take our freedoms in this country for granted, for example. But the reality is we gained them through extreme sacrifices and exceptional effort and desire. To realize anything that seems insurmountable, it requires the same type of fortitude, determination, and sacrifice. I know…fancy talk again, right? The fact is if you don’t first believe, then you’ve already begun to lose the battle for whatever you’re fighting for. I’m a believer.

The Reason Why

I’ve encountered a few people that seem a bit bewildered by my entry into the political arena. They have a hard time understanding why I’d subject myself to the possibility (likelihood?) of unsubstantiated negative personal attacks. Politicians, in general, are not held in the highest regard. So why would I be interested in what they view as a “game?”

I have to admit that I asked myself the same question early on before committing to getting more involved.

The answer though, is pretty simple. As I stated in another recent post, I don’t accept the apparent futility of trying to achieve what appears to be an unachievable goal. Perseverance yields results. I can attest to that personally. More importantly, it’s not a “game,” even if the politicians treat it as one. That’s part of the problem. I’m not a politician. I’m not getting involved to “play the game.”

I have an objective that I believe the vast amount of town residents share with me. It includes relieving our tax burden, protecting our Quality of Life, and ensuring that proper Comprehensive Planning gets done.

So I guess the answer is I’m not getting involved to “play the game,” but more to end the game. {I know the thought “It can’t be done,” just crossed your mind so see my post Tell Me I Can’t before proceeding.} It’s important I try (at least to me and I hope to you.) I need to be able to look myself in the mirror each day and know I tried to do something about what I perceived to be wrong. Do I believe the current politicians are evil? Of course not. I do believe they have lost touch though with what the residents really need.

I’ve been “involved” for a number of years now. All from the perimeter, never as an elected official. Some things got done, other things didn’t. It’s the things that didn’t get done that compel me to take the next logical step to trying to make sure they do get done.

Tell Me I Can't

I love it when someone tells me “it can’t be done.” The argument usually goes a little something like people have tried before to do it and didn’t succeed so you’re wasting your time. It doesn’t seem to matter if they desire the change or not. They just are resigned to the fact that it can’t ever change. Never. Ever.

I’ve been told exactly that several times in recent memory. The first instance is when I started to try to get the residents of Masullo Estates involved to obtain long-overdue road reconstruction and drainage relief for the neighborhood. Every single person I encountered said it would never happen. I was wasting my time. Did I know how many times they had already tried and failed? This was a decades old problem that no one was ever going to address. Never. Ever. Thankfully, enough people were willing to go along with my foolhardy notion that this time might be different. They didn’t believe me but they were willing to stand with me. John Mertz was among them. He may have been the only other person to actually believe we could do it. He certainly was as committed as I was. It took nearly 5 years, but we persevered and emerged with an approved project.

During that period, I also mounted an effort that most everyone thought was sheer lunacy. I opposed Wal-Mart and their plans to build a new super center in an inappropriate location. No one believed that the behemoth that was Wal-Mart could possibly be thwarted…but we prevailed there too…despite the declarations that it simply couldn’t be done. Strangely enough, John Mertz was an advocate with me on that victory too.

I’ve been told that to run an independent campaign against the major parties, with limited resources, and without mud-slinging was also a pipe dream, no matter how noble. We’ll find out soon enough if I can prevail on that count.

Lately, I’m hearing a similar sentiment when I talk about my 0% tax pledge. There is no doubt in my mind that it’s the right message and is attainable. Still, I occasionally run into the person that says, “It can’t be done.” When I ask them why they think that the reply is something like, “because taxes always go up – it’s just the way it is and you’ll never be able to change that.” Incredible isn’t it? They just reluctantly throw up their hands and say oh well, that’s the way it is so I guess I have to accept it. I don’t accept it.

I had the great privilege of watching my oldest daughter obtain her MBA from Union College this weekend. I can’t describe in words how proud of her I am. She worked hard. I bring this up because the commencement speaker struck a theme of perseverance I could personally relate to. Interestingly, his remarks contained a secret I learned myself long ago and perhaps is the reason for my own successes. Failure is a key component of success. Every time you fail, you actually get one step closer to your desired goal, because you learn something. You learn what doesn’t work. It sounds cliché, but it is the absolute truth. It’s all about perseverance. You don’t have to accept the status quo simply because it is. You can change it.

So please… tell me I can’t. It’s the biggest motivating force there is. The more I hear it, the more confident I become that I’ll eventually reach the goal. I won’t ever stop persevering. Never. Ever.