The Story of Politics continues...The Tri-City Area, and the question of whether change is coming, or not...

A recent anonymous comment on my previous post got me thinking. As far as the question of citizen involvement in the Tri-City area, the anonymous commentator mentioned there are still quite a few people unwilling to get involved because of retaliation. Namely from what he/she called the Tri-Cities main employer, the Pharr San Juan Alamo School District. Well, are we still at that stage when we as a community will only go so far in our demands for better government?

As a lifelong resident of the Valley, and the Tri-City area, I would be foolish to think otherwise. But that should not mean I should lose all hope for a better future, in spite of the consequences. For those out of Valley readers of RGV Politics, the Tri-City area consists of the cities of Pharr, San Juan, and Alamo. Now back to the question of where citizens stand.

As far as I know, there are two community watchdog groups in the Tri-City area. The SanJuanistas who keep an eye on San Juan politics, and Grupo PODER who keep a watchful eye on PSJA ISD policy. From what I gather, though as I am not a member of either group (though there is a link to the SanJuanistas from RGV Politics), the numbers in these groups are not such that they can make a sustained impact on what goes on. They've both shared their victories, but no matter how hard they've tried to make a lasting impact, it's only a matter of time before the way things used to get done makes a quick recovery. My feeling on this is because, as the anonymous commentator mentioned, many people who want to get involved, who know what's wrong, who know what needs to get fixed, and how to fix it, are afraid.

That's understandable. But the problem lies in never finding out how great our community can become without factions, without nepotism. Imagine a community where a citizens right to protest, or question policy does not fall on deaf ears. Imagine a community where these same people are not treated as naysayers, or troublemakers by those factions who continue to rely on history, and tradition to get their way, year in and year out. For that matter, imagine a community with no factions at all. Simply a community that elects certain individuals to get the job done. To do what they're supposed to do, and look out for the community as a whole, not just what we've been used to as the status quo for so long.

Something to think about, and something to question what we really want out of our community. Are there enough of us to demand positive change without fearing retribution? Or have things become so engrained in our communities spirit that to even try to change something would be at once considered foolish, and useless.