I write in support of the reelection of Betty Nuovo to the Vermont House. She has faithfully represented the town of Middlebury and all who live here for 28 years. She is experienced, and experience always counts.
In 1690, the great philosopher John Locke published “An Essay concerning Human Understanding.” In this book, he claimed that all human knowledge and wisdom derives from one single source, from experience, and he supported this claim with an abundance of evidence. Locke lived during the heyday of the scientific revolution and he promoted the practice of experimental science, of an ongoing adventure of experiment and discovery of new knowledge that continues to this day.
But he went further. He discovered that life itself is a series of experiments and learning by experience. He taught that the more we engage in life’s problems, the more active we are, the more we will learn and gain wisdom in all sorts of practical situations, and this learning is cumulative, it builds up over time.
Betty is a good example of this. She has also served the town on its major boards and committees, drafted the town charter and chaired the planning commission. She has been a steadfast advocate of human rights and a clean environment. She has mastered the legislative process through years of experience. She knows how to listen, to conciliate, to compromise, and she has the courage when needed to stand resolute. She also knows what it takes to make a good law. One doesn’t learn these things in a day.
Please vote for Betty, it is a vote for experience, and always remember: long life brings experience, and from experience comes knowledge, and from knowledge, wisdom, and wisdom is the source of every good in life.
Victor Nuovo
Middlebury