‘Tis that time of year. Commencement speakers are in full bloom. They exhort the grads to march out and conquer the world. If you can dream it, you can do it, they tell the kids.

Do you remember anything your commencement speakers said? Do you remember who spoke? I’m with you. Worse, I don’t even remember what I had to say at the many graduations where I spoke.

Not totally true. These days, my remarks are so brief that I can actually recall what I’ve said. And that is: Go forth and fall on your face.

Of course, the bluntness is meant to get the grads’ attention. Further, I suggest they remember only two words from the address. More on them later.

The basic message is that failure is good. They should hope to fail at many things. Because the most valuable things we learn come from failures of some sort.

You learned to walk because you failed at it a thousand times. Every time you tumbled, your brain and body learned something. You learned to handle knives with care, after you failed and sliced your fingers. You learned to walk down stairs, after running nearly broke your neck.

We learn from successes, yes. But we learn more from our failures. Failure teaches us to never try that again. Or to do it differently. It teaches us to work harder. Or to try another approach. Or to keep our noses and fingers out of those situations.

One of my favorite stories is of a famous man who built a huge insurance enterprise in Chicago. He loved to listen to updates from his top people. Often they reported problems. Or losses. Or failures. His reaction was always “Good, good! We won’t make that mistake again.” He knew that every failure contained valuable lessons. He delighted in those lessons.

I love the company of successful entrepreneurs. They all know failure. Many suffer bankruptcies. They are plagued with disappointments. Competitors outsmart them, customers desert them, promising products flop, investors pull out, friends cheat them, customers don’t pay. 

Most successful entrepreneurs have a simple attitude. You cannot build a house without banging your fingers. And it is the banging of your fingers that teaches you how to succeed.

So go forth and fail. That is what I suggest to those kids with beaming faces. Those yearning to hear this guy finish. So they can get on with the photos with mom and dad, get out of the garb, and get on with the parties. You have so much to learn, I suggest. So go forth and fail! So long as you learn from your failures.

I ask the grads to remember but two words: Fear not.

Our fears bedevil us. They are the wet blankets that smother our dreams. Lots of wise people have warned us: All we have to fear is fear itself. Those who conquer fear conquer all. And all that.

Well, they are right. Caution, yes. Judgment, yes. Tread with care, yes. But fear? No. Confront your fears. Kick ‘em in the teeth when you can. Keep them from keeping you from having a go.

The more you loosen the grip of fear, the more adventures you will enjoy. And the more flops on your schnoz you will experience. The more flops, the more you will learn.

Study the great leaders — the most successful among us in every field. Look into their eyes. You won’t find fear in them.

Fear not. Go for it.

From Tom…as in Morgan.

Tom Morgan writes about political, financial and other subjects from his home near Oneonta. Several upstate radio stations carry his daily commentary, Tom Morgan’s Money Talk. Contact him at tomasinmorgan.com

Ethics probes continue in the State capitol, this time with federal prosecutor Preet Bharara investigating the Buffalo Billion, the governor’s pet economic-development project, and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman investigating the SUNY Polytechnic Institute development project. Two of the governor’s close aides, Joe Percocco and Todd Howe, are involved in the scandals. Bharara is targeting what he believes is a bid-rigging scheme and instances of improper lobbying. Even Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is raising questions about the governor’s big spending projects.

Despite serious questions surrounding the Buffalo Billion project, the Public Authorities Control Board (PACB), which is stacked with Gov. Cuomo’s appointees, still rubberstamped $485.5 million for the project. My Assembly Republican Conference and I suggested the vote be delayed while the Buffalo Billion project is under investigation. This is, after all, nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money.

Let’s call a spade a spade: the governor’s “economic development” programs are “member-item spending.” He finances these programs within the state budget as large pots of money, but retains control over the fine details of their distribution. I think there is merit in investing in our economic future, but the governor’s programs seem to be little more than ways for him and his team to reward friends.

In light of the Buffalo Billion and SUNY Polytechnic, reporters are now looking into some of the larger redevelopment projects, like the rebuild of LaGuardia Airport in Queens, which also shows evidence of contracts awarded to large Cuomo donors. This bid rigging has allowed the governor to amass a sizeable campaign account.

Then there is START-UP NY, a tax-shelter program created by the governor. The zoned tax shelters were meant to generate job growth, but according to a 2014 report, only 75 jobs were created. We are still unsure of how the program is working, as Empire State Development missed its April 1 report deadline this year.

Our state, under the governor’s leadership, has delved deeper into crony capitalism, where pay-to-play and other questionable actions have dominated economic-development projects and state spending. Neck-deep in the midst of these developing scandals, the governor is now scrambling for campaign-finance reforms, including closing the LLC loophole. I’ve been urging the state to adopt real ethics reforms, including campaign-finance reform and stripping pensions from corrupt public officials, but the governor remains silent on these proposals, as well as the larger issue of state spending with little to no accountability.

I sponsor legislation that requires better oversight and more disclosure on conflicts of interest in state spending. The Truth in Spending Bill (A.9525) requires discretionary and legislative earmark spending to be thoroughly and publicly reported, with all parties, including legislators and recipients, signing disclosure statements. Additionally, I sponsor the Public Officers Accountability Act, which addresses many campaign-finance-related issues.

These matters of pay-to-play are classic Albany corruption, which needs to end now. New Yorkers want and deserve much better from their government.

Marc W. Butler (R,C,I–Newport) is a New York State Assemblyman for the 118th District, which encompasses parts of Oneida, Herkimer, and St. Lawrence counties, as well as all of Hamilton and Fulton counties. Contact him at butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us