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Fall 2006 A Hole in My Shoe October 2006 A HOLE! There’s a HOLE in the sole of my left sneaker! Well, it is not exactly a hole – it is more like a transversal gash about two inches long, the kind you have in an old tire when you have exhausted its useful life.
I first noticed it when I was walking across a lawn going door-to-door on the campaign trail. It was one of those early morning dews, cold and really, really wet. I finished crossing the lawn to go knock at the door, basically hopping along on my right leg. Needless to say, they did not answer their door after they watched my antics through the kitchen window. Well…I left a flyer anyway, but I am not quite sure they will consider voting for me.
All that to say, it is hard work being a candidate. When we meet at our periodic democratic meetings, there is as much time devoted to debating our aches and pains as there is putting together a political strategy. I think I will propose trying to get a group discount with my favorite chiropractor, Bill; boy, he’s going to be busy! Just like everything else, there is strength in numbers.
I do mourn the loss of my sneakers. We were having a pretty good relationship. I put them on; they brought me where I wanted to go in comfort and ease. Come to think of it, I wonder if I could use them as a campaign deduction. Hmm, I will have to inquire about this. I have not thrown them away either, as I do advocate for all of us being more frugal. I am actually considering the judicial placement of duct tape at the crucial leaking point. (Duct tape should be made the official cure-all of the state of Vermont. If elected, I may see if other legislators are receptive to that idea.)
As you can tell by now, I may be suffering from a mild case of election (sneaker) burn-out. From what I hear, it is pretty common this far into the campaign season. But my resolve is strong, and I still have only about 5,000 of you left to meet. Sure, I could have sent my brochure to you in the mail, but I opted for going to see you face-to-face. I now know it was the right thing to do. I hope my new sneakers will make it until November 7th.
Michel Consejo, Sheldon
Franklin-5 Candidate for Representative
Sheldon & Swanton
Affordability is Up to Us
October 2006 We can’t look at affordability (which I would define as the ability to live your own life where you want, how you want, and being able to provide yourself and your family with a standard of living that matches your fundamental needs) without thinking that each of us has a big role in restoring it.
Looking at government, state or federal, and hoping that somehow they have the cure and recipe to maintain our quality of life is somewhat short-sighted. They are the ones that provide us with general direction, long-term goals, and possible solutions. But just as much as we are ultimately in control of our everyday lives, we are in control of the values as well.
Each of us has a standard, a minimum that we deem absolutely necessary for our well-being. Asking legislators to regulate this is an impossible task. For some of us, a $250,000 house is an achievable task, yet for some of us to buy a house half that price is still an impossible mission. Or maybe we just can’t buy a house at all.
So what is the answer? Again, it resides in us. If we can define our expectations on a more realistic basis, we can then explore realistic ways to achieve our goals. Do we really need two cars? Do we really need a house with two empty bedrooms? Do we need boats, motorcycles, and here we go...the list goes on and on. For some the answer is yes, for some it is no. All those examples are to say that in my view, there is no sustainable way of reaching affordability without tying it to personal sacrifices and choices.
Back in 1994, when my small business took a turn for the worse, I had to make changes. I went from three employees to two, then eventually, had to work it alone for four years. I had to cut down expenses in places I did not want to cut, but survival dictates decisions. The ability to see what’s coming next helps decide what we do today. You do not own, operate, and sustain a small business without being able to adapt to situations, including the ones that are out of your immediate control.
Just last year, my business partner and I had to deal with the loss of Workman’s Compensation for both of us, and the fact that we really could not afford to pay the premium. Four months ago, I had to stop using my full-size pickup truck, and purchased a used diesel car that gives me forty-five miles per gallon. Next month, I will have to deal with losing my health insurance altogether. I am not trying to make you feel sorry for me. This is just reality, the same we all face every day.
Sooner rather than later, we will have to take steps to adjust to standards that looked so un-American even twenty years ago. We will have to learn to conserve energy, fix rather than replace, reuse rather than discard and look at ourselves first, rather than our government, for immediate solutions. We are turning a new page, just as we have to live with the fact that we are not as secure and safe in our own country as we used to be. We will have to once again turn to ourselves and our community to help deal with the harsh economic environment we are in. We have done it before, we can do it again, but we need to be united and look past our own selfish differences. In other words, we just need to remember our Vermont phrase – Freedom and Unity.
Michel Consejo, Sheldon
Candidate for State Representative
Franklin-5, Sheldon & Swanton
Honor Our Elders
October 2006 The way we care for our elders says a lot about us. Yes, for the most part we provide them with medical care, food and shelter, but what else? The need to nurture and value their presence and their impact on our society is all too often put at the bottom of the list. We look at the value of an individual through what they can consume, buy, build, produce, their degree of importance being their position on the so-called ladder of success.
In doing so, we end up putting two segments of the population on the sidelines – young people and older people, and concentrate most of our efforts trying to please and satisfy the productive middle. The amount of knowledge, wisdom, experiences and care left behind is incredible and under-used.
We have to recognize that elders are a very important part of our society by giving them reasons and motivation to contribute in a different way to the fabric of society. We have to shelter them from the most common worries we have to deal with, recognizing that they do not have the physical strength and endurance that they used to, in order to survive. We should ease the most common burdens like paying taxes, getting medications, fixing their houses, and getting food, to a point that they can enjoy their well-deserved, so-called “Golden Years.”
Since I came to Vermont more than twenty-five years ago, some of my best friends were and still are senior citizens. They are the ones that I sat down around the table with and shared coffee and cookies. They are the ones that explained to me what Vermont used to be, why Vermonters do what they do, and how. They gave me their time and their friendship; I gave them my ears and my heart. Some of them are now gone, people like Ruth & Don Wright, Jerry Dulude, and many more. They passed as we all will but their legacies will live with me forever.
Do not think of our elders as a burden. They do not need your pity or your impatience. They deserve respect, care, support, and admiration. They deserve to hear from us, how important their contributions are to our well-being and how much we appreciate and love them. Ignoring the lessons learned from past generations is somewhat equal to reinventing the wheel. We can repeat the same mistakes over and over again, that is, until we decide to put real value on someone’s experience and knowledge.
Yes, being from a different generation means having to deal with a different set of problems. Time and changes do not stop for anybody, but the lessons and answers that came before us are there to be taken into very serious consideration. If for nothing else, it could prevent us from looking at things at the same angle, knowing that the results obtained then were or are less than adequate now.
The transfer of knowledge and common sense happens over and over again. It is not an end in and of itself, but a solid foundation to build upon. That, we shall and must cherish and value.
Michel Consejo, Sheldon
Franklin-5 Representative Candidate
Sheldon & Swanton
Just So You Know!
October 2006 Just so you know! By now, through what I have written and said, you must have painted a picture of who I am in your head. You know that I am a caring, open and reflective person. When faced with trying to find a solution to a problem, I will always choose the dialog first, rather than the fight. I would rather negotiate than force upon.
However, as most people in my inner circle will tell you, it is never a good idea to back me into a corner, try to patronize me, to bully me into submission. Don’t insult my intellect or lie to me to get on my good side. Don’t attack or harm the ones I care for and try to protect, including my state and my country. Well…you can try, I guess, but then my French-Spanish-Italian-adopted American blood will start to boil over and I can become very assertive and strong in defending my position. Injustice, abuse of power, and obvious disregard for the truth has a way of making my hair stand up on end and my voice raise. This is not an often seen side of me, but it is there. Beware of calm waters. If the wind is strong enough, it can become a perfect storm.
So in an effort to enlighten all those considering electing me to office, I want you to know this about me. I do have a backbone, and I can and will resist all attempts to put me into a box, to wait patiently in the corner for my turn to raise my hand. I will not blend in with the wallpaper. I can be feisty and colorful at times, and those whom I intend to represent can rest assured that they will not send a yes-man to the legislature. They are the ones I owe allegiance and explanations to first.
I am who I am. Good and bad, I have learned to live with it. I hope you will, too.
Michel Consejo, Sheldon
Franklin-5 Representative Candidate
Sheldon & Swanton
Thanks for the Ride
October 2006 To the Sheldon & Swanton Communities,
And so it goes…and what a ride this has been. When I first started this campaign, I had no idea how rewarding it was going to be, and how much personal growth I would achieve by going down this rocky road of politics. I started as a man with two passions: fishing and motorcycling.
Politics is a new one. Not the kind of politics that makes you want to turn your head in disgust, not the manipulative kind, not the politicians that pretend to be concerned, not the ones that have kept away so many of us by thinking one could not make a difference. But the kind that opens your houses and your hearts, the kind that feeds the desire to be a politician through healthy debate and exchanges, the kind that comes from real people.
I am nowhere near as close as I wanted to be, to have met and talked to all of you. I often said during the past eight months that if I had only one wish, it would be to be able to meet each and every one of you. This wish is an exercise in Utopia, but I want to thank all you who gave me your trust and support, your counsel and recommendations, your hard-earned money and your time. And to all those I did not get to meet personally, I apologize and assure you it was not for lack of desire and for not trying hard enough, but more a lack of time and circumstances.
What I gained from being in the political limelight is confidence in our ability to overcome most any obstacle and situation we face. You may have no idea how strong and powerful you all are, if politicians take the time to listen to you. When you cast your votes, you will not only elect representatives and their platforms, you will also elect their character, who they are and how they relate to you and your immediate and long-term needs.
When my children or others ask me for advice, I often tell them: “Follow your heart and your guts; they will tell you what is right for you.” So I will tell you the same. Force yourself to look beyond party lines that divide us. Look for individuals that will spend their time trying to find real solutions and how to make them work. Look for people that have shown you they have your best interests as their first concern, and then follow your heart. In doing so, you will rarely go wrong.
This is my last letter as a want-to-be politician. As a whole, this has been a life-changing experience, and it was all worth it, no matter the outcome of the election. It has been an unforgettable journey and I thank you all. You made me a better person.
A special thanks to both local newspapers, and their editors and reporters, as well as the Comment Show host, for allowing me to express myself through their respective media.
Be secure and confident that we have it in us, together, to make a better Vermont.
Most Sincerely,
Michel Consejo, Sheldon
Franklin-5 Representative Candidate
Sheldon & Swanton
Open Eyes May Not See
September 2006 There is as much danger as there is value in opening someone’s eyes. Making people aware of reality that surrounds them and how their decisions affect their quality of life is to be taken very seriously. One, you have to try to gage if the person will be able to fully assimilate what you are conveying. Two, if so, does or will the information foster enough changes in behavior to justify the growing pains involved? Life is a lot easier with your eyes closed, if you only see the world according to your book and interpretation. The answers to your problems come easy.
However, if you choose to look at the other side, with real desire to understand, then things could get really complicated. No more can you believe your truth is the truth, your values are the values, your way the way. Judgment, prejudice, short-sighted vision – they disappear, and you are left with having to deal with a multifaceted equation.
Blind faith can be very dangerous, regardless of who or what we put in it. Wrapping ourselves in the blanket of righteousness and intolerance only contribute to isolate us from reality. “Question Everything” was one of Albert Einstein’s quotes. He was not talking only about mathematical problems. He was, in my view, talking about what we think and why, what we do and why, our own motivations and the way we direct our thinking.
Opening your eyes, your heart, and your mind, is indeed very dangerous as some will take advantage of it, walk all over your secret garden, and do as much damage as they can. But because a few will do this, it does not mean most would, and the value far exceeds the danger. Some will add to your knowledge, some will plant new seeds, some will water and nurture your plants, some will help heal the damage. Opening your eyes will make you vulnerable, but will also make you a better person.
So as usual, we are faced with decisions – is it worth it? Am I strong enough to deal with the responsibilities that come with it? Only you can answer this, but I can assure you that if you do, you will not be alone, and you will join a growing number who no longer can ignore what is really going on in our world and community.
To try to resolve anything, you first have to be aware of the problem, and understanding that there is more than one way to solve it is already a step in the right direction. We all are indeed capable of standing on our own two feet, without having to look for a
support to help us walk. It is in all of us, in some form or another. All we need to do to find out is to open our eyes.
Michel Consejo, Sheldon
Candidate for State Representative
Franklin- 5, Sheldon & Swanton |
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