The life force for Cortez, the pioneering spirit, we'll figure it out... It's dead now.

The life force for Cortez, the pioneering spirit, we'll figure it out...  It's dead now.

Replaced with the spirit of death. The ways we're killing ourselves are endless:

* "There is no money for this!" Translation: The government, the foundations, hasn't given us Financial handouts to do this. We won't do it! Read our lips.

* They won't allow any changes here, any growth. They won't listen to us.

* We're doing the best we can! Never having tried to see if we can do better. If anyone else is done better.

* We don't have a crystal ball!

* We've always done it this way!

* You're pointing out problems, we don't want to hear it!

* Until you tell us exactly what we have to do we can't do anything.

* Until you've lived here in Cortez all your life you don't know anything!

* They they they are the problem. We can't do anything.

*You say that we have people in need, are you trying to make us feel guilty? 

* No one will pay me to help bring this city alive, I won't do it! 

* I can't think! I won't think! I can't figure it out! Try again, for the 15th time, to explain it to me! [ translation: water it down into some meaningful platitude that requires absolutely nothing of me, that I will live the empty sound of making me feel good, will solve and change absolutely nothing, except it will burn what little time, and maybe what little resources, we have left. You know, vending machine political solutions. Just like every politician gives us. Use the formula james! Me: Not until I'm dead and in the ground.] 

* I'm old. I don't have any money. I can't do anything more.

* Shhhh! Don't say that, you might upset the powers that be! [The people of Cortez used to be the powers that be. No more.] 

*.... and on and on and on and on and on and on. An infinite supply of excuses. New ones being invented everyday.

With the life force gone replaced by the death force, yep, Cortez is dying. Walmart knows it, and kroger, and safeway. Look at their buildings, look at their parking lots. They don't invest a time in a dying city.

Walk the streets in our city, in the residential areas. Everything is crumbling.

Nobody has the courage to face it. The powers that be don't want you to face it. As the people at the bottom go into foreclosure the contractor's, are forced to move out due to lack of gainful employment, and Rising taxes, the realtors, they'll get their hands on that land, and sell it to people from the coasts and wealthy retirees. The powers that be will make it killing. What's the problem? No problem for the few in the city that already have.

In the business world it's called a cash cow. Cortez is a cash cow. For the corporations like walmart, for the powers that be here in cortez. They're going to milk it, to death. And we're going to let them. Without so much as a whimper.

I chose to be on the ballot for City Council so that I could say these things to you. I don't want to be on City Council. So I can figure out what size gravel to have on our roads? So that I can join the straightening the deck chairs on the titanic? I'm a man of honor, I'd do the best of those things if elected to council.

But if by the election there's not Signs of Life in anyone in this city? Well, my 5 years worth of time here on the streets of Cortez with our neediest (canaries in the coal mine), figuring things out here, 7 days a week, every breath, if there's no signs of life? No signs of that pioneering spirit, we'll figure it out? I don't enable people. That's abuse.

There's no hope until they hit Rock bottom, isn't that what people smugly say about those in chemical addiction? Cortez is killing itself with the addiction of, we can't! We can't figure it out! Spoon feed us!

I will not enable that. I'll use every breath, every penny, to try and help a soul hear or there come to life... and thrive, even as we go down in flames. 

But I'll stop enabling you with all my attempts to help the whole community. That would be to abuse. I don't do that.