What would happen if the U.S., Texas and our cities went broke? How did the United State of America survive the Great Depression? Have we become too dependent on government? What happened to serving mankind, and I don't mean by the government giving them a handout?
Let me know if you think I'm a cynic. I've been in the Chamber of Commerce biz for 30 years! I've been honored to know some wonderful Godly giving people, who care about their community and are selfless givers. I think those folks are now few and far between, they are aging and dying. They learned about building community from their parents. They knew what it was like to scrimp and save. They understand taking care of their fellow man out of THEIR OWN pocket. They built our communities. Bankers, businessmen and the like pooled resources subdivided plots of land, named towns, recruited business and industry, built hospitals, hotels and churches. They did what was best for the good of their community, not to achieve personal gain. Hummmm...doesn't the Bible tell us to love one another, give to our church, take care of widows and orphans, etc. How quickly we forget that we are promised gain if we do what is right.
I'm also a Rotarian, an amazing organization. Service Above Self is our motto. We also are supposed to live by the 4-Way Test: Of the things you think see and do, first...is it the Truth, second...is it Fair to all concerned, third...is it Beneficial to all concerned, and forth....will it build Good Will and Better Friendship? That's a tough test, but a wonderful goal. Rotary puts politics aside worldwide and cares for humanity. Bill Gates is a Rotarian. He has pledged $355 million if Rotary can match $200 million to eradicate polio. Bill & Melinda Gates are examples of Service Above Self. Their giving has helped throughout the U.S. They have even provided education challenge grants in the Rio Grande Valley. Rotarians...we are getting old! Are we training and raising a new generation of selfless Rotarians? My dad was in the Lions Club, another amazing service organization, are they growing and nurturing new Lions?
Chambers of Commerce have been around for centuries. They were established as trade organizations that allowed businesses to network, communicate and build their businesses and community. Today things are changing. Technology is a wonderful thing....but....
We, Chambers, created mechanisms such as economic development taxes that allowed our communities to compete and bring new jobs to the community. A great idea!
We have a hotel occupancy tax that comes back to our communities. It's mandated intent is to be a self generating tax, spend it on promotion, rent more hotel rooms.
These are the taxes I am most familiar with, there are many more. But, these are local options. Our citizens agreed to assess the taxes for the betterment of our communities.
Okay...here the comes the cynic. Taxes make us lazy. Why should we serve our community if we can throw money at someone to sway their decision? We no longer have business teams that meet with potential new business. Now we have businesses research our communities online and know more about us than many of us know about ourselves. Then they decide if they are interested in asking for assistance to locate in our community. This is not a bad thing, but it changes the spirit of our community, the basic foundation of the way we 'have always done it'.
Many of the large industries and especially the 'big box' stores have corporate policies that don't encourage involvement in the local chamber of commerce. Yes, they probably have a foundation that gives money nationwide to worthwhile projects and IF you have a 501 (c3) Foundation, you can tap in to their money. They don't encourage their management and employees to get involved in the community. This is a basic foundation of a chamber of commerce, volunteers....good corporate citizens.
We now have a generation of young businesses and business owners and executives that have not been trained in service above self. It is almost another form of welfare! We have several generations of impoverished Americans who depend on welfare, it is a lifestyle they have been taught because we elect individuals whe perpetuate a broken system. We have lost the will to work, to thrive, to help each other individually. We have lost that will as individuals and as businesses. Someone will always pay for what we need or want. We no longer work for it. It is always someone else's responsibility.
My father was a mechanic, my mother a secretary, both with high school educations. Daddy learned his trade in the Army Air Corp in WWII. My grandparents were farmers. We had no money, but we were rich. Sometime Daddy got a steak, we had hamburger or venison. Oh, and we were not allowed to talk at the table! We played outside, me with my Barbie, Ken and Midge in mud houses I built; my brothers and their neighborhood gang tormenting us little girls with slingshots and Chinaberries! Cell phones? We had cans and string, worked pretty darn good! Santa came every year, he left us each one gift each under the tree. We were ushered to a back room Christmas Eve, while my dad threw rocks on the roof...reindeer hooves! I started sewing as a pre-teen, made my own clothes. I didn't know what designer jeans were until I got married. My father took us hunting, he raised and raced homing pidgeons and we took care of them. We always had some project in the garage that we all were allowed to work on. My brothers built a boat, learned how to work on cars, took pictures, developed and printed their pictures in our darkroom, or talked to the world on their ham radio, all in our magical garage. The garage that Daddy built. My siblings and I are educated, we paid our way through college and my brother joined the military to achieve his dream of medical school and being a heart surgeon. When I was in college, my roomate and I discussed food stamps, we qualified. We couldn't do it. We worked multiple jobs and went to school. It was one of the best times of my life! Now we have been blessed and have paid for our children's college education, their rent, their gas, their medical.....we want the best for our kids. Just what are we teaching?
It seems I'm rambling, but I have a point or two! We need to get off our lazy butts and start serving our communities. If you don't like what is happening run for a political office. We need to stop giving our kids everything their little hearts desire. Chambers of commerce, service clubs...we better re-invent ourselves FAST! We will be history if we don't. We need to quit depending on handouts in whatever form they come. We need to inspire and grow new young selfless leaders that want to improve their community. These leaders may have to take some hard stands, make statements, demand changes, get involved in government. Technology, social networks are great, use them, communicate! But don't forget the handshake, it happens in person.
I'm as guilty as the next person. Do you think we can change? Who wants that challenge?
