Brian Greenspun on the need to help everyone succeed

Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007 | 1:49 a.m.

A time of thanksgiving.

I don't know what it was like at your home on Thanksgiving Day, but I suspect most Las Vegans had an experience similar to my own. And that means we have so much for which to be thankful.

By that I mean we had the blessings of family around us, the bounty of good, home-cooked food and the laughter of little ones living the joys of the holiday season in much the same way we did when we were their age. Now, as parents and grandparents, we get to experience their pleasure through the wisdom of older eyes and the knowledge of aging minds. And, if we are lucky, we realize how good things really are.

I say this because all around us there are many things that are not good. Are not joyous. And are not pleasurable for little ones in their homes. We don't have to look far to find examples.

There are always children and families who don't have the benefit of turkey dinners cooked in nice homes and served to family members gathered around the table. In Las Vegas, for example, there are thousands of meals cooked and served to the homeless, those who have no place to go and those who cannot afford a bounteous meal to celebrate this holiday. But even the plight of the poor and homeless seems to pale in comparison to life elsewhere.

We know what it is like in other parts of the world where they don't celebrate Thanksgiving but could use a reason to give thanks. Instead, there are millions of people who know only hatred, bloodshed, rapes, beatings, indiscriminate bombings and wars that seemingly never stop.

Whether we focus on places such as Iraq, where war has led to feelings of hopelessness and despair, or places such as Darfur, where tribal hatred and the free world's indifference have led to rapes, beatings and killings on a genocidal scale, the fact remains that there are people on this planet whose lives are viewed as worth less than those in other parts of the world.

Admittedly, I didn't give a great deal of thought to world peace and planetary hunger while I was stuffing my face last Thursday, but a day or two later the idea of so many people suffering with no chance to have what we have in the United States hit home. And that was when I realized, yet again, how fortunate all of us are to live in the United States.

And that was when I wondered, yet again, how so many of us can begrudge the opportunity for others to have what we have.

What is it that makes so many people jealous of the next guy's success? What is it that makes so many of us feel good about doing all we can to keep the next guy down, even when his hard work and determination can make a better life for him and his family? Have we become that insecure in our own lives that we must keep the other fellow suppressed lest we think less of ourselves?

I don't care whether the squabbles emanate from Washington, D.C., or some foreign nation's capital or right here in our own back yard, but it seems to me that we spend entirely too much time worrying about what the other fellow has rather than what we need or want for our own sense of security and happiness.

But I also know that just saying it is wrong isn't going to fix what ails us. There has to be more, there has to be something that each of us is missing that needs to be found before we can be fulfilled enough to "allow" the other fellow a shot at happiness.

I am not, by the way, complaining about my life or my problems. Relatively speaking, life is so good that I would have to be the biggest ingrate and the biggest fool on the planet to even consider a complaint. But I am, because of my position in this community as a member of the press who seems to be "let in" on much of what is happening behind the closed doors of other peoples' lives, talking about the everyday waste of so much time by so many people who seemingly have not much else to do.

Did you know, for example, that there is an ongoing feud among many folks who live in Summerlin about how their homeowners association either does or doesn't work in their interests? I have tried to follow the dispute via myriad e-mails copied to my account but, alas, I have lost interest.

Although I am certain it is important to the dozen or so folks who carry on as if it were the end of the world, I am more convinced that there are tens of thousands of people who would love to live in Summerlin - or anywhere nice for that matter - just so they could enjoy life's little problems.

I make light of the Summerlin soap opera because while that is going on, the governor is threatening all kinds of economic skullduggery that is guaranteed to affect some of the most vulnerable people in our society. And why, you might ask, is he considering Draconian cuts to already skimpy budgets in the face of an economic slowdown that many experts believe will continue to slow? Because to lead this state to a smarter and saner financial operation, Gov. Jim Gibbons would have to lead us away from our almost total reliance on the uncertain fiscal footing of tourism and toward a broader-based tax structure that is sure to upset the monied few.

To put this state's financial house in order, the governor would have to call a special session of the Legislature, educate the people of Nevada about the need for all of us to invest in our state's future and risk the fact that he would have to back off of his ridiculous "no tax" pledge in order to create an economic path to success and fulfillment for almost all Nevadans.

Knowing that his advisers and his puppet-masters are content to dismantle the institutions of government in favor of the monied and fortunate few, I don't hold out much hope for such a change of heart and mind. So, I am thankful that there are some in the leadership circles who are unafraid to speak truth to power.

Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid and Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers are two names that come to mind when looking for people who will stand up to the governor's meat-ax approach to governance. Working men and women and those who seek higher education to advance themselves in society are two groups of people who depend on enlightened leadership for a helping hand in their efforts to succeed.

I am sure there are others who know they should just say no to a governor compelled by ideology, but just where they are and when they will stand up are uncertain.

What I also know is that while we are taking this weekend to reflect on our good fortune both in the workplace and in our family lives, there are people who still need a little help and we would be less than American if we didn't consider just what we can do to provide them what they need.

There was a time in this country when our neighbor's success was considered our own, for if he did well we all seemed to do well, too. Lately, it seems as if we are all in this thing for ourselves and that is a sure way to fall.

Look at the countries that are gaining on the United States. They are doing it through economic success, educational gains and social advancement to the point that many experts believe that by the middle of this century it will no longer be an American century. Maybe that is OK for some of you, but I can't see any good reason why we would relinquish our place at the top of the world's heap in favor of some place in the middle of the pack.

To maintain our position of leadership all we need do is understand what it is that got us here. A determination to do better, act better and be better than the other guy. That takes education - for everyone in this country - and economic opportunity - for everyone in this country - and a belief that what we do and how we act are important, here and abroad.

It really isn't hard, being successful. We just have to want it for ourselves and our neighbors. When we figure that out, once again, we will have the kind of country we inherited from the "Greatest Generation." And when we have that, our children will have the kind of future that my parents and their peers wished for their kids.

It is really quite simple. With good leaders we will get good results. Now that would be a Thanksgiving worthy of our everyone's thanks.

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