The intent here is not to take a stand

The intent here is not to take a stand on either project. The intent is to note a problem, and to express the hope that a lesson has been learned from the experiences.

The problem is that, too often, opposition to proposals comes too late to make any difference. That may not be the case with Rt. 211, because the Commonwealth Transportation Board has yet to make a final decision. It was surely the case with Rt. 630, since the bulldozers had already begun work before the first protests were raised.

Sometimes, it’s not the fault of the opponents. If a project was approved five years ago and someone moved to the area only four years ago, obviously they were not around to express their opinion. But there must be a cut-off of debate somewhere. If every public works project were held hostage to the whims of individual opinion indefinitely, nothing would ever get done. That, too, would be unacceptable.

The solution is timely comment by as broad a crosssection of the community as possible.

It is the responsibility of everyone to become involved in their county government. Involvement of many people is the key to making government democratic. And at the local level, people have the best chance of influencing decisions which will directly affect them.

Just because people become involved doesn’t mean that they will win every time. But expressing an opinion is the only chance to have any influence at all. No matter how competent our officials are, they aren’t mindreaders. And they can’t visit each home in their district and poll the residents about how they feel on every issue.

But people can attend meetings and let their opinions be known. Or, if public speaking is not your forte, call or write your elected officials to let them know how you feel. Whether they win or lose on individual issues, everyone is the winner when more people get involved in government.