Time to get behind the rec center

Dear editor:

Well, another exciting, spirited WECRD election. I am never quite sure how the community really feels about a recreation center, however, after each election, from the beginning until the last election, the voters seem to reaffirm, by simple majorities, that they still support a recreation center.

We can all find flaws in our voting process, especially when our side doesn't win. However, we haven't found a better one. Many people have fought and died so that we can vote and because of that, I have great respect and trust in the system that we've got and believe in it, even when the vote doesn't go my way.

Our local elections are the purest kinds of elections. Plenty of passion and spirit. No negative ads or personal attacks. Who gets elected is not decided by how much money is spent, but by how well a person campaigns.

And in the end, a decision is made by a simple vote. The winning voters are relieved to know that they think like the majority of voters. The losing voters wonder why the majority doesn't think like they do.

We've all been there, on both sides of the vote. We tell ourselves that we will accept an outcome of an election because the people have spoken. We tell ourselves "The majority of voters can't ALL be wrong." We accept the outcome and hope that everything turns out for the best.

And then, we go forward.

One day, I was whining to a college professor about how hard a project was. He made a most simple statement that I steal every chance that I get. He said, "Nothing worth doing is ever easy."

I encourage the community to go forward. I encourage any support that any individual can give to build a recreation center for our community. I encourage the supporters to help get it built and the non-supporters to join in and help to see that it is done right.

If ranchers, environmentalists, multiple-use advocates and the government can get together on large issues like wilderness and wolves, I know that we can get together and agree on our own community project.

Lastly, I encourage everyone to look into the future. Don't think just about here and now. Would a well-built, well-managed recreation center make our community a better place? Am I delusional to think that we could include it with a courthouse, library and jail as the kind of things that are needed to have a better community? Maybe. But, you know what? It's a chance that I want to take. It's the kind of project that, if successful, each of us would stand up and say, "I was part of that."

There are many things to admire in this world. One of the things that I admire is the will and vision of the Mountain Home community, around the early 20th century. With way fewer people and way less money, they built facilities that made us a better community. Can you see what I see?

James E. Smith