Everything in life is a compromise. There is going to be a measurable population in Rowlett that would prefer to keep Rowlett much as it is today, and in fact would probably like to turn the clock back 20 years, or so. I understand their position, and I kinda respect it. I like charm. Traffic and noise detracts somewhat from charm. Growth and prosperity most often brings traffic and noise..........but it doesn't have to be that way. Rowlett is beautifully positioned to have both charm and success. It took some luck, and frankly, some hard work of some long past individuals. However, the opportunity finally seems to have arrived. Rowlett hasn't had such a good "break" since the first cotton gin.
First, let's talk about the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. What a great place for business growth!! D/FW is one of the top markets in the United States for almost anything you want to do. This economic energy includes all of North Central Texas. This is where the jobs are. Jobs are why you are here. Of course, that broad based economic vigor includes Rowlett. Whether you like it, or not, Rowlett is part of a vigorous economic climate. Because you need a job, and the jobs are here, is why DFW is destined to grow. As such, Rowlett is going to grow, too. Some growth is inevitable. It would require no special ointment applied by Rowlett "officialdom." Some Rowlett growth is caused simply by Dallas "spillover." For any of "officialdom" to take credit for this type of growth is at least disingenuous; certainly a lie.
We don't need leaders like that. What Rowlett is beautifully positioned to do is take advantage of a poker hand that has been dealt. It has been a good hand. It's kinda late in the game, but this hand was enough to win the whole evening. Our five cards dealt to us this time were:
1. Robertson Park
2. DART
3. George Bush Toll Way
4. Lake Ray Hubbard
5. Shallow water
We keep four cards and throw away one. We throw away Shallow water and get another called "small craft and waterfront parks." Think kayaks, canoes, Paddle boats, small shallow draft, dagger board sailboats, and john boats. Well, probably ought to add bass boats. To add to the small craft image, throw some Spanish Moss into the tree limbs. Buy a whole box car full of the stuff.
Now, you want the best card players you can find to play your hand. From this p0int forward, its how you play the hand that's been dealt.
I've taken a little bit of a circuitous route to get you to the point I want to make. That point is that we desperately need good leaders to play that hand. We need leaders that understand the game and know how to play it. These leaders WILL NOT be the prettiest players in town. They WILL NOT be the glad handers, they WILL NOT lead the parades. They WILL NOT impose grandiose images of themselves. They will be in the back of the parade, or the end of the dais, or in the audience of the self congratulatory special events. They're not much into giving speeches or getting in the front of someone else's parade, and leading it down the street. They will be thinking about the hand that is dealt.......not themselves. They will have the courage to speak their mind. But, most importantly, they will vote based on knowledge, not politics. That's a tall order.
The good guys won't try to con you. The bad guys will. It will not be the "pretty" candidates that are the best card players. It will be the "ugly" candidates, some might think, that will study the situation and negotiate to place Rowlett in the best possible position to improve it's lot. It's imperative that voters learn to tell the difference. This is our chance to catapult Rowlett to the front. You must select your next leaders very wisely.
Now, everybody knows who the "Ugly American" is, don't you? It the greedy businessman doing business out of the USA. It's the American tourist that has a floppy flowery shirt with two cameras around his neck, with a pork pie hat on. This "Ugly American" is also very obnoxious in foreign restaurants. We all know who they are......right? Greedy, rich, insensitive morons, right?
Well, you're wrong. You're probably in the 90% of the
American public that is wrong. Most Americans are wrong about the "Ugly American" because at one time you were "in" and a "sophisticate" when you read certain books. A lot of people said they read the book.......but didn't. They created the wrong image because they concocted an image based on the title of the book. It proved to be wrong. The image was created by ignorance. I read the book.
When I was in college, the Viet Nam war was a very prominent thought of mine. I was focused on the country of Viet Nam and the political situation. I knew I was going to have to serve in the military, and I was okay with that. However, I was smart enough to know that something was desperately wrong over there. I could not see how the USA suffered so many disappointments.
I read a book. The name of the book was "The Ugly American." It profoundly changed my opinion of politicians. I also saw the movie. The movie was terrible and did not even remotely tell the story of the book. If you saw the movie, you wasted your money. However, the book was extraordinary. What I learned was who the "ugly American" really was. In fact, if one was brain dead, there was still a chapter named "the ugly American" that told the reader exactly who he was. If the ignorant had just read that one chapter, they would have known who the "ugly American" was. The errant social parties continued with everyone discussing the books of the day.......and building the wrong image.
It was the "pretty American" that was losing Viet Nam with their lousy political decisions and profound ignorance. The "Ugly American" was the only American in the book that was worth a damn. Google "The Ugly American."
Folks, below is the "ugly American."
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Homer Atkins
Homer Atkins, the "ugly American" of the book's title, is ugly in physical appearance, not in character. A tough, blunt-spoken man, he is a highly successful retired engineer who is worth $3 million. The U.S. government consults him about building dams and military roads in Southeast Asia, but he insists that what is really needed are things that the local people can manufacture and use for themselves. His advice is ignored, but Ambassador MacWhite is impressed by him and invites him to Sarkhan. In that country, Atkins, in collaboration with a Sarkhanese man named Jeepo, invents a water pump that proves to be an immense labor-saving device for the local people. Atkins sets himself up in business with Jeepo and twelve local workers, and his enterprise is a big success.
Dr. Hans Barre
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Be assured, it's not the pretty Rowlett politician that is going to get things done to catapult Rowlett into the life style that is possible. It will be the hard working politician that thinks about Rowlett more than they think of themselves. We need a Homer Atkins, and any like him. It is your job to find them and get them to run for office, then it becomes your job to elect them.
Some might say what we need are the "ugly politicians."