Why invest?

This came to a head for me when I read political advertisements for Tony O’Brien and Rick Kelly. Mr. O’Brien’s advertisement promoted public investments and implied that his opponent would do nothing. It also implied that Mr. Kelly thought public investments were a gamble. Lo and behold, I turned the page and there was a Rick Kelly advertisement. Mr. Kelly’s advertisement didn’t say he would do nothing but said he would “…actively seek businesses for relocation to Fluvanna County rather than spend your money and hope they’ll come.”
Well I prefer Mr. Kelly’s approach. As an example, an investment to provide more water to the Zion Crossroads area is a gamble. All investments are. Would you rather invest your money with Mr. O’Brien or your IRA (or maybe use it to pay your bills)? Wouldn’t you like our government leaders to persuade businesses to invest in Fluvanna County rather than take your money, invest if for you, and hope it turns out to be a good investment?