REFLECTIONS AT FIFTY

DEAR READERS:

ON SATURDAY JUNE 18 I TURNED 50. I THINK AS A LIFE LONG RESIDENT

OF YORKTOWN, A LITTLE PERPECTIVE IS IN ORDER. WHEN I GREW UP, YORKTOWN

AND CORTLANT WERE BUGALOW COMMUNITIES. YOU WANTED TO BANK, YOU WENT

TO PEEKSKILL. YOU WANTED TO SHOP FOR FOOD OR CLOTHING OR EVEN SHOES,

YOU WENT TO PEEKSKILL. PEEKSKILL WAS THE CITY. ROUGHLY 60 PERCENT OF

YORKTOWN AND CORTLANT DISSAPEARED FOR THE WINTER, AS MOST HOMES

WERE ONLY SUMMER HOMES. THE POLICE KNEW WHO YOU WERE AND THERE

WAS A PERSONAL RELATIOSHIP BETWEEN THE LAW AND THE PEOPLE. YOU

COULD FIND YOUR LOCAL GOVT. OFFICIAL WHENEVER YOU WANTED, AS THEY

WERE MOSTLY LOCAL BUSINESS PEOPLE. YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR

A MEETING. MOST IMPORTANT, YOUR LOCAL GOVT. PRETTY MUCH STAYED

OUT OF YOUR WAY WHEN IT CAME TO YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY OR PRIVATE

BUSINESS. THEY DID NOT PRETEND TO KNOW BETTER THEN YOU, HOW YOU

SHOULD LIVE YOUR LIFE, RAISE YOUR CHILDREN, RUN YOUR BUSINESS.

THEY DID NOT PUNISH SUCCESS, NOR DID THEY LIVE TO SEPERATE YOU

FROM YOUR MONEY. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, THIS HAS CHANGED.

AS PEOPLE FROM THE N.Y.C. MOVED UP TO THE AREA, THEY BROUGHT WITH

THEM THE CITY MENTALITY OF GOVT. KNOWS BEST. AS LONG TIME RESIDENTS

HAVE EITHER MOVED AWAY OR DIED, AND WITH THEM RESISTANCE TO THIS

NANNY MENTALITY, LOCAL GOVT. HAS BECOME MORE INTRUSIVE, AND

DISREPECTIVE OF THE RIGHTS OF PRIVATE PROPERTY AND PRIVATE BUSINESS.

NOW LOCAL GOVT. BELIEVES THAT BECAUSE THEY COLLECT TAXES ON SAID

PROPERTIES AND BUSINESS, THEY ARE ALSO PARTNERS. THAT THEY WITHOUT

PUTTING UP A DIME OR TIME OF INVESTMENT, HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL

THE OWNERS OF THAT PROPERTY OR BUSINESS, WHAT TO DO FIRST. THAT

SAID OWNERS IF THEY WISH TO DO ANYTHNG, MUST COME BEFORE THEM,

THE GOVT. AND ASK EITHER PERMISSION OF GET A PERMIT, NO MATTER HOW

MENIAL THAT, WHICH THE OWNER MIGHT WNAT TO DO MIGHT BE. THE

OWNER MUST GENUFLECT BEFORE GOVT. OFFIALS OR WORSE, UNELECTED

BEAUROCRATS, BEG AND PLEAD FOR WHATEVER THEY WISH, THEN AFTER

THEY GOVT. HAS REQUIRED THEM TO GRAB THEIR ANKLES, THANK THEM

FOR ALOWWING THEM TO LIVE.

NOW IF THE GOVT. DOES NOT LIKE WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO WITH

YOUR LIFE OR PROPERTY OR BUSINESS, THEY WILL PASS A LAW, OR TAX YOU

INTO THAT WHICH THE GOVT. THINKS IS BEST. THE GOVT. DOES NOT LIKE

YOU TALKING ON THE PHONE WHEN YOU DRIVE...PASS A LAW. THE GOVT.

DOES NOT LIKE THE ADDS BEFORE A MOVIE...PASS A LAW(THIS IS NOW

BEFORE THE N.Y.C. COUNCIL AS WE SPEAK). THE GOVT. DOES NOT LIKE

SMOKING IN BARS...PASS A LAW.....THE GOVT. DOES NOT LIKE SMOKING

IN YOUR HOME...PASS A LAW(THIS IS BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY AS WE SPEAK....

RIGHT KNOW THEY ARE LIMITING IT TO COLLEGE DORMS AND PUBLIC

HOUSING, BUT IT WILL NOT STOP THERE). TO STOP DRINKING AND

DRIVING BY A FEW...PASS A LAW TO MAKE ALL CARS COME WITH A DEVICE

THAT ALL PEOPLE HAVE TO BREATH INTO BERFOE DRIVING( THIS IS ALSO

BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY). LAWS MANDATING CHILD SEAT FOR UP TO

SEVEN YEARS OLD, LAWS THAT YOU MUST WHERE HELMETS WHEN YOU

RIDE A BIKE, NO MATTER HOW OLD, SEATBELT LAWS FOR ADULTS IN

THE BACK SEAT OF CARS...ON AND ON AND ON. SCREW YOUR RIGHTS, SCREW

YOUR PRIVACY, THE GOVT. KNOWS BEST.

THIS ONLY CHANGES WHEN TOUGH DECISIONS HAVE TO BE MADE.

SEVEN YEARS OF A TRAFFIC STUDY, ALL TO AVIOD DOING SOMETHING,

BUT IT ALLOWS THE GOVT. TO CONTINUE TO TRAMPLE ON THE RIGHTS

OF PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS BY CONTINUING THIS TEMPORARY BUILDING

MORITORIUM(WHICH WILL BE CELEBRATING IT'S FOUTH YEAR OF TEMPOARY)

AFTER ALL, THERE IS AN ELECTION COMMING UP AND WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE

ANY DECISSIONS TILL AFTER NOVEMBER. YOU WANT SEWARS, YOU'VE WAITED

SEVEN YEARS, WELL YOU HAVE TO WAIT LONGER TILL WE CAN FIGURE OUT

A WAY TO DUMP IT ON PEEKSKILL, INSTEAD OF UPGRADING OUR OWN

TREATMENT PLANT.

YES, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN LOCAL GOVT. DID NOT THINK THEY WERE

YOUR MOMMY OR DADDY OR GOD. THEY PRETTY MUCH LEFT YOU ALONE,

THINKING YOU COULD WALK AND TALK AND BREATH WITHOUT OUT THEIR

INTERFEARENCE. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN LOCAL GOVT. DID NOT KICK

THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD AND MADE TOUGH DECISIONS WITHOUT HIDING

BEHIND ENDLESS TAX WASTING STUDIES. THESE TOWNS WOULD NOT HAVE

GROWN TO BE WHAT THEY ARE WITHOUT THE LEADERS WE HAD IN THE PAST

WHO BELIEVED IT WAS THE GOV'TS DUTY TO INVOLVE ITSELF ONLY WITH

THE IMPROVEMENT AND GROWTH OF THE TOWNS...AND STAY OUT OF THE

PRIVATE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE.

I AM NOW 50 YEARS OLD, AND I MISS THOSE LEADERS, AND TO TELL THE

TRUTH, I SURVIVED QUITE WELL WITHOUT THE NANNIES.

BAZZO 06/20/05