Those who disagree are "Cave People"

Every year I am given the chance to talk with the Nashua-Plainfield government students about the financial health of our community, local financial history and future opportunities for our students in the Nashua-Plainfield area.

It is a great opportunity for me to hear what our young people think about our community and what they would like to see from our community. We talk about the positives and the negatives. In this lecture we also talk about “Cave People” and how this type of person will always be involved in their lives.

They will be involved in their city, in their jobs, and in their schools. “Cave People” are “Citizens Against Virtually Everything.” We all know one. When these “Cave People” speak, it is usually very loud and often.

It is a lot easier for them to say “no” to everything than to try and do something. To say “no” takes no effort, takes no initiative, takes no commitment.

It is very simple, if you don’t forge ahead, you will go backward. It will not stay the same.

In the previous edition, there was an editorial regarding the proposed Nashua-Plainfield school building changes. In this editorial, it was stated that we have gotten by in the past with what we have so why do we need to change. (I am interjecting commentary here because it is my blog and I want you to see the original statement that Mr. McMichael is referring to. I am going to give Mr. McMichael the opportunity to express his opinion I believe that freedom of speech and opinion is the very bedrock of our great nation and without it we are doomed. Here is the original quote. Having grown up doing my best to live within my means and doing the best I could with what I have it is my firm belief that for the most part the majority of the “recommendations” from the committee are luxury wants and not really needs. The primary one dealing with Athletic Curriculum / Community Wellness / Performing Arts. The main questions in regards to this are, “Why, for so many years with more students where the current facilities adequate?” and “Why, now with declining enrollment do we need more gym space and a performing arts center.” I guess “Cave People” question what those in the know have decided is best for everyone else) it was stated that we have gotten by in the past with what we have so why do we need change. Things do not stay the same. Education needs are different now then they were 25 years ago. Twenty-five years ago we didn’t have computers in the schools. Government regulations on teachers, budgets , and buildings are ever changing and we have to evolve as well to stay within their guidelines.

People tend to get caught up in the specifics and not look at the big picture. The big picture is community! Our school is the heart and soul of our community and whether you want to believe it or not, extracurricular activities are a big part of community. (So some things don’t change? Who will tell us what changes and what doesn’t and when it happens?) You attend a football game or basketball game and you gather with your friends and neighbors. You get that hometown feel. You know what I’m talking about. You go to a game, you hear the cheers of the crowd, the singing of the national anthem, the band, the students all coming together.

It is a sense of family, a sense of belonging. That is what living in a small community is about and that’s why I live here. I want that quality of life for myself, my children, and my grandchildren.

This Nashua-Plainfield school building project makes sense for the future of our school and our community.

I choose not to be a “Cave Person.” Will it cost? Sure, everything costs, but the real cost comes with doing nothing.

Glenn McMichael, Nashua

Okay that’s one of the letters to the editor published in the January 27^th, 2011 issue of the Nashua Reporter. Where to begin?

Let’s begin at the end. I never advocated doing nothing in fact if you look at my blog post with my original letter to the editor I suggested we look into renting gym space. Now there’s some change. Guess it’s not the right change.

Mr. McMichael wrote the, “…building project makes sense for the future of our school and community” Okay where is the statistical evidence that shows that school districts with declining enrollments were able to halt that trend or even reverse it as well as bring in new business because the school took on a major building project? Somebody point to the statistics that this is the case and I’ll cease to be a “Cave Person”.

Now Mr. McMichael also wrote, “Our school is the heart and soul of our community and whether you want to believe it or not, extracurricular activities are a big part of community. You attend a football game or basketball game and you gather with your friends and neighbors.” What about State History day presentations? Well there’s no National Anthem, and no cheering, no ball involved, doesn’t take a lot of muscle, no pep-rally for them either. Maybe we need to seriously look at cutting athletic programs. So that’s change so if you are against cutting athletic programs when money is tight are you a “Cave Person” or are “Cave People” just people that disagree with Mr. McMichael? Maybe we should just elect him as our dear leader so that he can lead us properly and tell us when we are being “Cave People”.

Mr. McMichael brings up the computer as an analogy. I was out of high school by the time computers where available in class but the school I attended did have a computer lab prior to that which I used (It was the old kind that you had to dial the phone then plug the receiver into a modem". It was an extra curricular activity but we actually wrote programs for the computers. The school spends thousands of dollars on tech every year and my children can’t even use the built in Macro’s in word to generate a table of contents page after having “computer” classes. Seems to me that the school could get by with late model Pentium I machines because all they use them in class for is glorified typewriters. So you will excuse me if I’m skeptical about the wise use of my tax dollars in the name of "progress".

Which brings us to the beginning of Mr. McMichael’s editorial letter. I’m called a “Cave Person” and a “Citizen against virtually everything” as near as I can tell simply because I disagree with Mr. McMichael. Mr. McMichael’s opinion, and that is what it is an opinion, is that spending hundreds of thousands or even millions of tax payers money is warranted and will bring students, families and businesses to the community. My opinion is that it won’t. Basically it’s a gamble and personally I feel that if Mr. McMichael wants to take that gamble why doesn’t he do it with his own money and other private investments. Create a private investment firm build the facilities and then allow the school to lease them. If his gamble is correct he stands to make a good deal of money. If his gamble is wrong we the tax payers are out nothing. Unless of course we have to bail him out but that is another editorial.