Del Rio News Herald

What in the world does this have to do with each of you or your family?

Well, the other day I read a book that gave me the idea that sometimes we do not succeed at what we aim to accomplish because we are ducks and are trying to succeed in Eagle School!

One might say, well the duck has to change its way of thinking in order to succeed in Eagle School, especially if Eagle School is perceived as a superior place to be or to get or to accomplish!

Not entirely so!

Many years ago when I was sharing the best years of my life with the educational system in Del Rio, I learned a very interesting concept that to this day has helped me through some difficult times in making difficult decisions.

I learned that in the 20 years I served the children with challenging or special needs that I had not taught them anything!

What I believe I did do was to motivate each and everyone to want to learn and to want to change from what was comfortable to a new and initially uncomfortable way of doing things.

I succeeded in a whole lot less children than I had hoped for to help. Why? I think that sometimes a duck will not succeed in an Eagle School?

If a person does not enjoy the challenges of change especially for the better good, then they will die and what is comfortable will deteriorate before there very eyes as well!

In the world of our public officials, however, change can bring about headaches, stomachaches, dysentery, increased drinking, alligator tears, superfluous spending of tax dollars, passing of tax increases to pay for frivolous employee wages of the employees on top while overlooking the employees at the bottom who do the real work, decreasing employee morale and antagonizing the general public!

Can the question posed with the title of this article fit this description above?

A few years ago, I looked around and I wanted to analyze who and why certain people run for public office? Who are the successful?

What should the caliber of people be who hold the future of our town in their hands? Why do we put certain personalities in office?

Should there be a training manual for the VOTERS on what is needed to be a true servant for and of the people?

After we elect a “duck” we want them to succeed in Eagle School!

We vote for who we think is the best person and then we send them to the appropriate public educational classes to help them in the particular office they will hold because they won.

The voter time and time again becomes frustrated, disappointed and disillusioned after they begin to see how the newly elected person makes decisions.

Voters believe that they will vote a good person into office and wala they will miraculously know what is best for the community!

First of all, empowering a person with authority to make decisions that entail expenditures of millions of dollars to a person who has never had the experience of handling large amounts of money especially money that belongs to the tax payer is probably treading deep water.

You can’t send a duck to Eagle School and expect them to succeed! We the voters can’t teach a public servant to want to serve; you can’t teach them to vote for the good of all; you can’t teach them to be honest; you can’t teach them to be transparent; you can’t teach them to listen to the community; you can’t teach them to clean up the streets if their own yards are disgraceful; you can’t teach them to have good morals in their private lives; you can’t teach them…!!!

I once read that if a community’s mission is to climb a tree, which would you rather do: Hire a squirrel or train a horse????

Well, this is funny, but it is true with people we put in office. If we as a community value good morals, honesty, frugality, transparency, integrity, good attitude, courageousness, truthful people, then these are the criterion in which you, the voter should put into motion!

It does not happen in a town hall meeting nor in the conference rooms of the city, county, school district, hospital etc!!!! If we want Eagles to succeed in Eagle School then we have to vote EAGLES TO EACH OF THESE PUBLIC ENTITIES.

We need to look at a person’s whole life attributes and experiences because this is the “baggage” they will bring with them when elected. Answering canned questions is not how you select Eagles. It is the best way to select DUCKS!

REMEMBER NO ONE CAN TEACH A PERSON TO BE HONEST OR TO HAVE GOOD MORAL BEHAVIORS! HONESTY AND MORALITY IS INHERENT. ….PERIOD!

Next week, I will share a story of some mice and some little people. It will be a story of some cheese where the cheese is a metaphor about life and change!

I pray that I have motivated you to think beyond the box. Our survival depends on it!!!! God Bless You, Mucho!

For comments please

e-mail me at:

dszertuche(at)hotmail.com

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Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County since 1929

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