Life Is What Happens While You're Busy Making Other Plans

My last post received a somewhat defensive comment from the peeps at antihamptons.com, which slightly disappoints me. It's disappointing because my critique was not directed at them but at those who are apparently too busy with their Karate-Prayer-Circles-In-Soccer-Fields to attend one of the many meetings by local civic groups when it comes to the subject of village incorporation.

(By the way, on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being "your alarm clock doesn't go off in the morning" and 10 being "worldwide flooding to kill all of humanity", exactly how angry will an anthropomorphic supernatural entity get if you skip a Monday night prayer meeting? My more religious readers might want to chime in on that one.)

I get that people are busy. Hell, I get busy quite often. I understand that people "work two jobs, have small children, monday night prayer circles, karate classes, networking meetings, are commuting from the city, going to night school, have swim practice, are in florida for the winter, spend time in the hospital etc. etc."

But you can't ask people to do more when they apparently can't. You can't claim people are too busy and then want those same people to start the "cleaning of yards; calling of cops; reporting of crimes; volunteering (at civics, schools, churches, chamber); coming up with their own clever ways of improving this community."

When are they going to do that? They're too busy flying a charter plane full of blind, homeless, lepers to Alaska to aid in the plight of the endangered caribou.

Look, as sympathetic as I may be, I can't buy the fact that out of the almost 2 years that the MBVEC has been working on incorporation (that would be about 24 Monday meetings) people could not have attended 1 meeting, or emailed the MBVEC. Or attended one of their many fundraisers and asked them questions then. Yes, there's still plenty of apathy going around. All you have to do is find the percentage of people from the Tri-hamlet that vote in elections that matter*. The low turn-out is evidence enough. And I disagree that "If a citizen needs to hear their question answered 107 times for it to sink in — so be it." There are people like that. And I've found out that if it hasn't sunk in at about the 5th time, there's really no point. People will believe or not want to believe certain things despite contrary evidence. Look at 9/11 Truthers and Birthers as an example!

I'm with Mrs. Getchell on the fact that the MBVEC website does not have much information. It's sorely lacking. But when you take into account that most of the people that attend the meetings, and are involved in all of this, were around during the Lincoln administration you get why there isn't much work being put into the site. They're not the types to peruse local sites in particular, or the internet as a whole. I'm sure we both lament the fact that there aren't more people visiting local sites.

I also think that if you find it your duty to post the questions your readers have you should find it your duty to ask them. I'm pretty sure Paul Breschard or anyone with the MBVEC would be available for a sit-down, email, or phone interview to address the questions if you present yourself as the voice of the hesitant or concerned. And I would hope the same is extended for any organization who opposes incorporation. Which brings me to DissolveTheVillage.org.

I've contacted Henry Terry, who's for the elimination of Patchogue Village, and asked him some questions. In particular for a list of what he claims are the "37 New York communities (that) have decided that an incorporated village is not an efficient form of government and have chosen to dissolve them." To me, 37 seems like an awfully large number and I suspect some of them dissolved because of annexation, and not merely dissatisfaction. And that 37 only represents about 6% of the villages ever created in NYS. That means that about 94% are pleased enough with what a village has done for them. I await an answer, though I won't be surprised to not get one. The whois registry states the site was created 2 years ago and it seems not much has been accomplished with the movement.

Look, if there were a stronger alternative that would be working to fix the ills of the community I would be all for it and against the village because there are opportunities for corruption. But as it stands, there just isn't anything. Asking if people can't just form community watch groups or hound their legislators presupposes that those things haven't been tried. They have. It's been, for the most part, ineffective.






*Check out the results of last Tuesday's elections. In Brookhaven District 6 consists of Mastic, Mastic Beach, Shirley (parts of), Smith Point, Moriches, Center Moriches, East Moriches, Eastport, Manorville, East Yaphank (parts of), Calverton, Ridge (parts of), Brookhaven Hamlet (parts of). Guess how many people voted? 12,000. There are probably about twice as many registered voters. Less than half showed up. The majority of those who voted were outside of the Tri-Hamlet. In Suffolk County District 3 there are approximately 43,000 registered voters. Guess how many voted? Slightly less than 10,000.