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They can be made better or they can get worse depending on the people we collectively elect
to make the next round of decisions.
Now none of these problems are insoluble or beyond the capacity of mankind to deal with.
When I was your age, (don’t you just love hearing that phrase so often) we had big problems
too. Really big ones. We had war raging in Asia. Bands of terrorists were kidnapping
and murdering government officials in Europe and the Middle East. In America we had institutionalized
cruel discrimination based on race, gender, and *** orientation. Centuries of industrial
pollution had fouled our air and water. There were street protests and demonstrations and
campus takeovers that turned into riots. You know, I think they said the earth was cooling
and the glaciers were on their way back, but I should check my notes on that one.
Our political discourse is extremely ugly today but it wasn’t much prettier back then.
Things changed, however, because people cared enough to change the way they thought about
themselves and the society they lived in. It was unrelenting political pressure that
brought an end to the war in Vietnam. It took the same sort of pressure to start to end
discrimination and to begin to care about the environment. Not everyone changed. Not
all of the problems have been resolved. Forty years later some people still hold those biases,
still cling to those attitudes. But enough people changed so that our government changed
the laws and enacted the policies that made it harder for discrimination to occur or for
pollution to continue unabated.
All of this debate occurred on a large scale with our federal government in Washington
D.C. All of the issues I mentioned earlier will be dealt with on that scale as well and
your only input will be in who you select to represent you in the halls of government.
Choose wisely on an informed basis. Too many people either don’t participate out of apathy
or jump into a debate on information taken from one source or from a thirty second sound
bite. You carry around in your pocket the ability to access more sources of information
than we could dream of even ten years ago. Use them; check out all sides of an argument
before you decide. Don’t allow yourselves to be drawn into the extremes on either end.
America needs to stop shouting and start listening. There is a lot riding on what happens. If
you don’t take part you really have no right to complain about the outcome. This concludes
my lecture from Government 101.
That
was sort of the big picture. Let me zoom in a little to talk about a smaller scale. Here
on the campus of NMU we are nearly in the center of my Senate District. In the 38th
District there are thirteen counties made up of one hundred twenty two townships, twenty
two cities, sixteen villages and fifty one school districts. Every one of those political
sub-divisions relies on citizens to run them. Sometimes it seems as though half of the people
in my district are serving on some sort of governing board, either elect or appointed.
These are mainly unpaid, thankless positions. Why would anyone want to serve in this capacity?
Why would someone set themselves up for criticism and complaint? Because they care about their communities. They want
to be part of making things better. For if no one cared, things would fall apart in a
hurry. You will find that community spirit in most parts of the country but it is particularly
strong here in the U.P.
That is the point I would like to leave you with; community activism. Ok, I know it sounds
a little hokey, sort of like a Jimmy Stewart movie.
You are trying to get your lives going, finding jobs and starting families. The last thing
you are probably thinking about is running for city council or serving on the library
board. But there will come a time when you look around your community and see things
that need doing or could be done better.
When you get settled over the next few years take a look around at what your community
needs to make it better. You’ll be surprised at how much you can help. You’ll be surprised
at how much satisfaction you can get. There are any number of boards and commissions that
need people to serve. Your kids will need safe streets, good parks and well run schools.
If you won’t help to provide these things, you will cede those decisions to people who
may not care as much as you. Who knows you just might like it. Who knows you just might
wind up on a long strange trip yourself.Like many of you, the Upper Peninsula has been
my home nearly all of my life and I love it here. It is one of the most beautiful places
in the country, not just in Michigan. I hope that all of you have enjoyed your time here.
I know some of you would like to stick around and we are working on an economy that someday
soon we hope will keep you here. But wherever you go as you seek your way in the world I
hope you look back at your time here in Marquette with fondness and a desire to come back often.
Parents, I know you are feeling that same sense of pride mixed with relief that I felt
as my children completed their degrees. Congratulations to you. Graduates, you are mere minutes away
from that goal you set a few years ago. You have accomplished much yet you still have
much to do. Congratulations and my very best wishes on every success in the future. To
everyone, thank you so much for allowing me to share this special day with you. Class
of 2010 the world is yours, go get it.