Somebody Must Change

Last Thursday morning, reading the published accounts of the Norwich City Council candidates' debate, I flashed back on an expression when I was in the Air Force that wondered 'if you're so smart, why aren't you rich?'

There was a gerund as an adjectival modifier in front of 'smart' just in case anyone thought they'd wandered into a conversation at the Algonquin Round Table, though I doubt anyone actually did. Reading the stories, but more especially, the comments by those who weren't in the room, gave me cause for pause.

We're no different here than your town, I know that-we have recent arrivals, those who've settled here for work or family or both and long time residents. Everyone from enthusiastic beginners to discouraged experts. That's who came to the Slater Museum-maybe not as many as I'd have liked, but more than I've seen in one place in awhile.

It can feel to me especially when you just read the comments on one story, in this case next Tuesday's Norwich City Council election, you're surrounded by people who not only know everything, but who know everything better. Except, it's also possible sometimes they don't know what they don't know and believe stating their opinion in a loud voice automatically transforms it into fact.

I tease acquaintances that I never allow my lack of knowledge on a subject to keep me from having an opinion on it. If you didn't recognize that sentence as attempted tongue in cheek humor, please do us both a favor and find something else to read right now. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan suggested many years ago, "everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but NOT to his own facts." Please mentally add 'in my opinion' to every sentence that follows and remember, too, why this is a blog and not a news column.

I didn't agree with everything everyone said from the stage last Wednesday, some more so than others and some a LOT more so than others. That's the beauty of our system-perhaps a tad more shambolic than we'd like, maybe more prone to Incidents of Accidental Excellence than is ideal, but we do the best we can with what we have, or at least aim to and quite often succeed.

The key to democratic dialogue (small d by design) is to disagree without being disagreeable (not that I can) and we are fine until we decide that getting along by going along is more important than doing what you, the individual, see as right. Dr. Jerry Harvey called this inability by organizations to cope with agreement, The Abilene Paradox. For many of us, everywhere, it's part of public life and public service. But doing the right thing isn't always doing the popular thing-just look at American Idol (KIDDING!)

We get the government we deserve, whether we planned on it or not. It was nice to see so many people in the seats in Slater Museum, but we still had room for others and more who couldn't or wouldn't attend. Let's hope Tuesday, more than the usual suspects in the usual numbers turn out to vote. I don't know about you but I am the 23% (who do) and am running out of patience with 77% who don't care where we're going or who's driving because the hour grows late.
-bill kenny