Elections have consequences.  They always have, and they always will.  Too many of us sit home on election day and do not let our voice be heard.  The reasons are many, and for each individual who decides not to participate in the political process, I believe those reasons to be valid.   I don't always agree with them, and I definitely would no chose to sit out an election, but the basis of our rights is that we all have them, and we all have the right to exercise them, or not, as we see fit, as long as those rights do not interfere with the rights of others. But please consider voting.  Regardless of the candidates you chose, the greatest support you can give is to support the political process.

For years, I have been saying publicly, whenever I have the chance, that the citizens of our town need to sit down together, and have a meaningful conversation about the kind of town we want to be. We can be a passive town that doesn't invest in our future, constantly strives to do the least we could do, and survive in the present, with no eye toward the future.  Or, we can be an active town, that engages and  invests in activities and initiatives that will help us overcome our current slump, and move toward a brighter future.   I am often ridiculed, by friend and foe alike, for embracing change and a willingness to try different strategies, even those that may not have worked in the past. But those who are eager for change are often ridiculed for threatening the status quo in a world governed by inertia. I think there are just as many folks who want change than who don't.  The difference is that folks who want change are not in charge.  Elections have consequences.

Here's the thing. The natural world always tends toward chaos.  Things degrade naturally, and fall apart.  You will never see an instance in which something puts itself back together, or makes itself more organized without putting some energy into it.  That bit of energy is called activation energy.  Things don't change without it. Activation energy can be thought of as an incentive for change. Investment is like activation energy.  It helps build up, or improve, a town, or a business, or an organization, by adding a little bit of incentive for change.  Without it, nothing will change.

To get back to the idea that elections have consequences, simply put, our town cannot improve unless we invest in it.  And the longer we wait, the more we will have to invest in it in order to see that improvement.  The three things that families and businesses look for when they are thinking about relocating are good schools, good libraries, and good recreational opportunities.  These are the very things that those that oppose my line of thinking consistently under fund. And it makes no sense.  How can our town officials ever think that families or businesses will seek to move here and put their investments into our town, if our own citizens are unwilling to do so?

Costs increase for a variety of reasons and very seldom decrease. So all things being equal, our taxes will continue to increase as a reflection of those cost increases.  So we, as a community, can  decide to pay the lowest possible amount in taxes and probably get no real improvements.  Or, we can chose to pay a little bit more, and invest in creating the improvements we need.  That initial investment, if used correctly, can stimulate families and businesses to move into our town, ultimately lowering our taxes.  The only way our taxes will be lowered is if our town improves and we increase our tax base.

In game theory, there are two kinds of games: finite and infinite.  In a finite game, you play to win.  In an infinite game, you play to keep the game going.  I think the problem with many of our politicians is they are playing a finite game.  They want to win.  Lower taxes.  No improvements.  No changes.  No unnecessary funding. But government is an infinite game.  There is no winning and losing.  There is only governing.  The object of governing is not for one side to win or lose, but for the town to continue to be a vibrant town that is attractive to our residents.

So, I am encouraging you all to vote for the candidates that will most likely use infinite game strategies if elected.  My selections are in the long graphic in the center of this post. We need to be thrifty when possible, but we need investments in the town, and we definitely need to change our circumstances.  The candidates who are playing to win in an infinite game, will do no good for the town in the log run.  Our taxes may go down temporarily, or most likely stay the same, but the services and quality of life in this community will continue to decrease.  We need to start thinking about getting this town out of the rut it has been in for such a long time.  We need to start playing the infinite game where the goal is to maintain a thriving community.

Think about it.  What kind of town do you want Farmington to be?

Stan Freeda
Farmington Resident, Taxpayer, and Voter

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For more information about our town elections, visit these sites on the web.
Puddledock Press Town Elections page
Farmington Democrats information on Town Elections
Town of Farmington Election and Voter Information



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