Global is Local
Dear Nieces and Nephews,
It seems that your poor old Auntie cannot open the
newspaper or listen to the news without being informed of a terrible tragedy.
Recently there was NICE, where innocent people were run down by a maniac, followed by the mass shootings
of Police officers in Dallas and now, Baton Rouge. Black lives matter, Blue
lives matter. Guess what? We ALL matter!
Our condolences to those who were
immediately affected by these tragedies and their families!
Why does it seem that there is a spate of violence in not
only the US but the rest of the world? What is causing all the unrest? What causes
someone to have a mind and heart so full of hate or to be such a sociopath,
that they can blindside people and murder them?
While the answer is not a simple one, Auntie does know this:
No matter where you are in the world, if your local mayor cannot manage to have
your sidewalks (footpaths) and roadways repaired, when your village has no
electricity and the local minister keeps promising but does not come through,
when you lack running water or even a reliable water supply and your children
are hungry, you get angry.
And this is one of many reasons for unrest.
When you feel that you are not properly represented in and
by your government, you get angry. When you see Sheiks and Wall Street tycoons “surviving”
on only billions of dollars a year,
you become infuriated! And no, your Auntie is not a Socialist, she does believe
that a strong and vibrant middle class, (not the swollen poor class and the
bloated rich forming a barbell shape on a graph) is vital to a good economy and
society. And it starts on the local level. So while your dear Auntie engages in
extensive discourse about the state of Orange County and it's leadership, keep in mind
that responsibility starts locally and we need to ensure that we are properly represented.
And luckily, we are able to be “vocal” about the ills in our County Government.
Some people are not able to speak up.
IF some citizens in New York had started the vigilance required in a
Democratic Republic, on a local level, we may not have had the likes of Skelos
and Silver in State government; we may not see a County Executive (Steve Neuhaus) that seems
hell-bent on turning Orange County into a concrete, neon Candy-land.
Did anyone in County Government ask anyone in Rockland
County, Haverstraw, specifically, WHY the residents were so opposed to Legoland?
Did anyone ask Merlin Entertainment why, if they were so committed to Orange
County, did they (Merlin) do their dance in Virginia (for the 3rd or 4th
time since 1994?) almost simultaneously to the Goshen application? Waiting to see the tax breaks and
grants presented, perhaps? (BTW-NY gave more dollars for a “seasonal” park than
Virginia did for a year-round Legoland. WHY? Also, Merlin rejected the Stafford Va. because of traffic issues!!!)
And a THIRTY YEAR TAX ABATEMENT??? Who had ever done that
in the State of New York? In the US?
In Orange County, we had a County Executive (Eddie Diana)
who proclaimed that the County Nursing home, Valley View, would cost upwards of
$30 million a year! And Steve Neuhaus wanted to remove Valley View from the county's responsibility so strongly, that he formed an LLC for the purposes of "Selling or Leasing" Valley View.But look at it now:
So, dear Nieces and Nephews, do you think YOU are being properly
represented in Orange County?
Auntie wants to know.
posted by Auntie Alibi @ 7:32 AM
7 Comments
7 Comments:
Well said Auntie! The local weekly, Orange County Post Sentinel is one bad newspaper. I wish a Bloomberg would buy it and put it to good use for the people.Hope to hear from you soon !
Legoland is an absurdity. Why is the Town of Goshen bending over backward for it (and the other absurdity, Amy's Kitchen) while it ignores the needs and concerns of the businesses already here, including the multi generational farmers that already employ dozens upon dozens of seasonal and year round employees?
I dread the traffic problems that Legoland will cause and Amy's Kitchen will not buy any local produce (that's a disturbing myth that is being peddled) and both operations will use water that isn't available and the same work force we already employ.
Very disturbing indeed. Thank you for mentioning it Auntie!
Well said Chris, it is as if our elected leaders are a bunch of gullible dopes or something more nefarious.
The Goshen Village police are ruthless. Ticketron central. Do they ever solve a big case? Judges in various states have stated the the police are not there to balance the village account.
What big case? like the missing Mama Lego from the local radio station this week?
police departments as revenue generating machines is not unusual especially in tourist areas. With Legoland the PD an the village are expecting to capitialize on that because as we all know, before the legoland visitor drive into the direct access to Legoland, they will detour into the Village of Goshen to have a look around and spend money. But wait! doesn't that contradict what they are saying about traffic? That they will keep the traffic off of local streets? Which is it Legolanders? Talking out of both sides of your mouths?
Your question dear Auntie is very hard to answer since I have so many knives in my back. There seems to be no positive aspects that I can see in this administration where I and my family are represented at all. It seems our local politicians seem to be functioning without a mind of their own. Who are these elected officials that are dictating the ruination of our rivers, lakes, streams, farmlands. Who are they to bombast us with businesses purporting to bring in jobs in exchange for major PILOT programs in which we will get WHAT!!! Amy's Kitchen will hire their religious followers. The other new businesses (all of which need water too) have yet to be up and running and offer how many jobs in exchange for how many millions. Just look at what happened to those 60K little fishes. The company went bankrupt in two years. The IDA did a good job vetting that company and the bank is left feeding the fishes, or are they? We will soon be trapped in more ways than one with no way out. Our politicians do not care for the people who pay their salaries, it is all about that vote from a certain area, the rights of a certain area, the water for a certain area, and if LEGO comes/or doesn't, a certain area will. So pick your poison. And Valley View, what a coup. But it will never stop them even though it is all out there in black and white for everyone to read that it was all just bad management, and the millions spent by OAS is all over now since their contract was terminated. Well guess what... it was my tax dollar and I want a re-do. Let's all have another meeting at 11 am when most taxpayers are working, let's hear another proposition that has already been approved AFTER we found out about it. But most of all let's all just pack up and move since this is not our county anymore anyway. Oh, I have to go.. someone is knocking on my door.
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