Editorial May 29, 2000 Issue

A perfect time to be involved

Russ Gerber

Government officials in my community had called for a vote on whether or not to override a local tax limit law in order to fund the much-needed renovation of a school. It was a hot issue. People on both sides at town meetings spoke passionately of their needs and interests. Parents were troubled by the extremely poor condition of the school and the lack of funds to renovate it. People living on fixed incomes argued that regardless of the good intentions for the money, they were barely able to make ends meet as it was. As I entered the polling place on voting day, a woman commented on something that I, too, had noticed since the issue first surfaced: it was both unusual and encouraging to see people in our suburban community getting involved.

Too many people, caught up in a busy lifestyle it seems, have accepted the notion that individual participation even in a good endeavor is just too much to do or isn't worth the effort, or that taking on a difficult issue, as worthy as it might be, requires more energy than one can muster.

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