Then and Now

I first offered this a long time ago, when I thought I was smart(er); or less delusional. You'll have to decide. At the time I called it:

A Leap of Faith Requires Faith

As the ballots were tabulated we learned something was more true than ever: We get the government we deserve. Unless we are lucky and in recent years no one I know has been accused of being lucky. 

Where I live, in Norwich, Connecticut, we have become a self-fulfilling prophecy accustomed to being less than successful and have chosen to accept problems that are familiar over solutions that are not.

Not just here in The Rose of New England but across the country we've lost sight of what we originally formed government to do (that which we as individuals cannot do) and the most effective and efficient means to do it. 

With the summer of our discontent behind us and anger at all things running at record-high temperatures yet again this Election season, something about baby and bath water comes to mind but is rarely uttered aloud.

Stop me when you've read this before: Local government blames Hartford and the legislative and executive branches in Hartford blame one another when they’re not blaming Washington. We’re passing the buck so quickly, we’re making change with it.

In Norwich we've stood the local revenue stream on its head, depending too much on private citizens and not enough on the commercial sector. 

Property owners say they can’t afford to stay here, but the economy makes it too expensive for them to leave, so falling behind on their mortgages and taxes, they walk away from their dreams, adding to the burden everyone who remains in Norwich must bear. There is no respite and no place to pause and catch our breath.

Tomorrow rushes in with new demands and even higher expectations and we have fewer resources than were available yesterday to create solutions that will start us in a new direction. 

It’s a basic principle of physics that a body in motion remains in motion while one at rest remains that way. And it’s a political reality that we seem to be stuck on standing still. Everyone wants a reward but is unwilling to accept any risk. 

The danger in a leap of faith (which is what trusting one another to do the right thing is), isn’t the leap—it’s the landing. So when does a missed opportunity become our last chance and how will we know if it's already happened? Look in the mirror, and then tell me what you see.
-bill kenny