Naysayers: act or pack your bags

Here's a quote from "publiceye", a frequent poster on urbanstl.com, in reply to a comment made about not being able to get anything done in this town:

"I would argue that (1) plenty gets done in this town, and (2) nay-sayers are more responsible for inertia than people who actually do things."

I completely agree with this sentiment. Amen to that! In my limited endeavors, I've never experienced roadblocks from the city; so to those out there who like to complain about St. Louis and the insurmountable roadblocks keeping you from getting things done, or advancing your agenda I ask you to cite some specifics. How did you go about your pursuit, and how were you shot down.

You think it's hard to get things done in St. Louis? Try your luck in Chicago or New York or San Francisco and if you do any better. Best of luck.

Another comment from an anonymous poster from a blog entry I did awhile back:

"People that bitch about anything, anybody or anyplace without having tried whole-heartedly to improve or understand whatever they're bitching about are boring and unfortunate."

I agree. Bitching and moaning is exhausting to listen to. I have 3 kids under 8 years old...I am exposed to my fair share of whining. It's not fun to listen to. I want to make it stop; or in some cases, I want to teach them how to make it stop on their own...find a solution, get to the heart of the matter and fix it yourself.

I am not saying that verbal dissent doesn't have a place. I agree with the sentiment that dissent is the highest form of patriotism. It's important to disagree with the rich and powerful. However, if you're gonna complain (see 3:03 minute mark of this video), and want to be taken seriously, you have to also lay out your backup plan, your alternative solution. What are you going to do to turn the tides.

St. Louis is a very fixable place. There's a lot of open ground and cheap buildings to fix up. Get your butt out there and own one of them. Make it your perfect place, make it special, fix it up. Bring it back to life and you may find that bitching and moaning about this town is harder to do once you accomplish something.