Eight Long Years
East Hampton
November 10, 2008
To the Editor,
Let’s look at the bright side: Where would we be without George Bush? Because of George Bush the electorate has finally been bolted out of its stupor. We can blame everybody but ourselves, but there is barely an American alive who did not in some way help contribute to our current disaster, by either purchasing homes they couldn’t afford, speculating in the stock market or real estate rather than saving money, overspending with credit cards and amassing debt, building, buying, driving gas-guzzling cars, by not participating in a meaningful health coverage conversation, by letting the government erode our civil rights and ecological protections, or by allowing an expensive, unprovoked, meaningless war to continue on for all these years, and create a feeling of ill will across the globe without significant protest. Yes, George W. Bush was the main architect of this sorry state of affairs, but while he held office for the past eight long years, what were we doing?
We were glued to the Internet and to our televisions. We bought newspapers and magazines. But this is not the United States of the Media; we are not just readers and bloggers and watchers. We are quality-obsessed when it comes to material things. We return purchases and haggle about coupons at the supermarket and send food back in a restaurant. We fight with credit card companies, airlines. We file lawsuits like crazy, but we gave our government a free pass. As long as the money was flowing, we put up with the worst American government in modern times.
If there has been a prevailing feeling in this country these past eight years, it wasn’t one of personal accountability. We became defined by our passivity, our reluctance to translate our frustration and anger into action, to hold elected officials accountable, the ones we voted for as well as the other party’s. We let ourselves believe that we were insignificant bystanders. Until now.
Awakened from eight long years of complicity, we do not wish to be played the fool and cowed into submissiveness any longer. We want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Transparency, accountability, and results, these are the new buzzwords.
The presidency of George Bush resulted in the election of Barack Obama. And that may be the one thing worth thanking him for.
WENDY JACOBSON
Journey Home
East Hampton
November 5, 2008
Dear Editor:
Brick by lowly brick, our house begins to be built again.
Last night, I began my journey home.
Thank you, President Obama.
MAGGIE KOTUK
Election Is Marred
East Hampton
November 9, 2008
Dear Mr. Rattray,
Americans can and should be proud of the great, national democratic achievement in electing Barack Obama as our president. This truly remarkable event provides such an opportunity for change and hope, it’s a wonder to be part of this era in history.
And yet, the election is marred by other disturbing electoral events: statewide propositions and initiatives in California, Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas, each denying civil rights of citizens, were passed in these states.
How could a nation capable of eliminating the fractious notion that race has an effect on a person’s ability to govern — a nation that has finally accepted Martin Luther King’s brilliant challenge to judge a man by his character and not the color of his skin — allow sexual orientation to play such a nefarious role in denying life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to gays and lesbians by denying them the right to marry or adopt children?
How can a nation that is experiencing a severe economic downturn, loss of jobs, homes, and wealth countenance the expenditure of $75 million on this campaign in California alone? When children go hungry, people are homeless, and families lack health care, it defies belief that money like this could be squandered on the evil, meanspirited, and ignorant smears of fellow citizens.
It’s taken over 230 hard-fought years for all citizens to be fully recognized as electable leaders. It’s been said that a society’s greatness is measured by how it treats all its citizens, not just a few of the chosen. With our giant leap forward in electing our first African-American president, let us not take a huge step backward by marginalizing any segment of our population.
Don’t let this emerging, ugly precedent get a foothold. Stand up for all Americans’ rights. We’re all in this together.
Sincerely,
MARGARET de ROULEAUX
At Its Finest
East Hampton
November 10, 2008
To the Editor,
Last Tuesday, a historic election took place in this country. Whether you voted for him or not, no one can deny Barack Obama’s accomplishment and his victory. Already, members of Congress from both parties are preparing to work with an Obama administration to address the problems facing this nation. President Bush has had a transition team ready for some time to ensure a smooth transfer of power.
This is the American system of government at its finest. It is a stable and proven form that has withstood the trials of time and is a testament to the vision of the founding fathers. In January, we will see the peaceful transfer of leadership for the most powerful office in the world.
On that day, Barack Obama will be president to all Americans — those who voted for him, those who did not, and those who chose not to vote at all. We should all hope for the best, for no one should want or wish to see any president fail, as this is not in the best interests of the country.
This does not mean people should hang on his every word or follow in blind faith that everything he will do is right for the nation. Every American has the right to question their leaders and the choices they make. We need more questions asked. We need to hold our government, from the town board to the office of president and our Congressional leaders responsible when they fail the people.
We can never forget the hard work and sacrifice our forefathers had to make to lay the foundations of the country we enjoy today. They were not afraid to question taxation without representation, to stand up to tyranny and do what they thought was right. We as a nation stand upon the shoulders of giants, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. We also have an obligation to ensure their works survive for future generations of Americans to enjoy and have the same opportunities we have had.
As Americans, we may not always agree, but we live in a country where we have that freedom, where all have choice and opportunity to forge a life that is best for us. That is the American success story; that is the original American dream.
MICHAEL D. BOUKER
Turn Toward Peace
East Hampton
November 9, 2008
To the Editor:
Perhaps the most devastating legacy of the Bush neocon policy, despite the economic meltdown, will be the concept of permanent or perpetual war. War as a viable and desirable alternate for conflict resolution in the international and domestic arenas. An idea that assumes that world peace is an abstract, idiotic concept and that all efforts in that direction are pointless and counterproductive.
Permanent wars like the war on drugs and the war on terror are amorphous, undefined concepts with no real parameters, reachable goals, or time frames. The United States and the West serve as role models for the rest of the world who seek to emulate their political, economic, and military achievements. If the recognized world leaders perpetuate war, the sale of arms, refuse to accept international authority, and disengage from nonintervention treaties, why should other countries not behave the same way? If the U.S. sells nuclear arms to India, why shouldn’t Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran have the same access?
The United Nations, an idea to create world peace and end wars, was the brainchild of the West. Yet the most vociferous opponent of the U.N. is the U.S. We double-standard virtually everything that allows us to determine who are the good guys and the bad guys. We establish levels of behavior for every other nation but not for ourselves. Our sense of hegemony, rightness, and hubris allows us to judge without being judged. Consequently, countries like Iran, Venezuela, China, and Russia see no reason to function in the political arena in a way that we find acceptable. Since there is no active standard for behavior, they do as they want because they emulate us.
The dilemma for Barack Obama is that his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is a big Iraq war supporter and irrationally pro-Israel. Mr. Obama also is missing the Afghanistan and the terror war boats. While he may not support the neocon pre-emptive strike concept, there is no evidence that he diverges from standard American militarism policy. There is a need to impress upon him that the endless terror and violence in Africa is an emulation of the West’s behavior.
We are in a period where the chance of a major conflict between world powers is highly unlikely. Without the cold war threat or the fear of fascism, the world is in a position to pacify rather than militarize. We can destroy all nuclear weapons, downgrade high-tech weaponry, and scale down our bloated defense budget.
If the U.S. and the West take the lead, the rest of the world might follow along. If we took all the money spent on arms and defense and used it for development, we could resolve our financial crisis in a heartbeat. We could create economic growth on a level that the world has never experienced. Instead of killing each other we could be trading goods and services.
Mr. Obama could take the lead in this endeavor. End the U.S. involvement in permanent war and set a new standard for permanent peace. Our economic dysfunction is so serious that he could rationalize enormous defense budget cuts on the grounds of reviving the economy. He could take the $39 billion we spend to maintain our nuclear arsenal and use it for alternative energy programs. He could terminate Iraq and Afghanistan and use the $156 billion we spend every year for domestic programs. He could take $35 billion from the useless war on drugs and use it for Medicare. That’s $230 billion plus another $270 billion from defense that would give us $5 trillion over the next 10 years.
No new debt, no new taxes. Simply a turn toward peace.
NEIL HAUSIG
Emphasis on Rebuilding
East Hampton
November 5, 2008
Dear Dave,
As the hateful, demoralizing, deadly attempts to obstruct change and divide the country finally recede into history, and the American voter resoundingly rejects them and elects Barack Obama, we can now look forward with a new emphasis on rebuilding this country.
Now the real job starts: the restoration of the credibility of America and the presidency in the world, rebuilding of our financial markets with oversight, balancing of the budget, the end of the war in Iraq, and a coolheaded, intelligent, bipartisan approach to all of America’s problems.
Americans reached out for new leadership and a new manager of its affairs, domestic and foreign, and they got a great one.
The bleating and hand-wringing and fearmongering by some were, in fact, like spitting into the wind and only strengthened the “Yes, we cans.”
The “empty suit” they decried and derided is now the president-elect and as eloquent and capable a phenomenon as anyone has ever seen. Now we will no longer have to be subjected to the negative, repetitive replays of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright or the constant snide references to Bill Ayres or Anthony Rezko or Prof. Rashid Khalidi. And those 85 percent of Jews who voted for Mr. Obama will be proved correct in having ignored the stupid verbosity aimed at dissuading them. Israel will continue to be supported. The Palestinians will and should have a fair hearing into their claims.
Now we can tend to the wounds caused by eight years of political and social disaster, regain our lost freedoms, restore balance and justice to our government, and work to reverse the cockeyed course of George Bush and Dick Cheney’s politics uber alles and constant threats of pre-emptive war.
I believe history will vindicate the extraordinary rise of this young leader and regale the choice made in electing him president.
But, I guess, the sniping and irrationality of the opposition on the right will continue with the ignoramus Sean Hannity, the liar and fat boy Rush Limbaugh, the jerky and moronic Michael Savage, and the felonious jerk Gordon Liddy all continuing to spew their hatred. While none of them matters anymore, they and the dupes who write letters to this newspaper will no doubt continue to do so. We know we can never totally eradicate them, but we will continue to prove them wrong.
The right-wing, conservative bed-wetters have temporarily snuck away to take their meds now that they have lost. And, because of the way they fought, they deserve only our contempt. But they’ll be back.
In the meantime, hope has won, and we will move ahead to an America greater than ever. Mission accomplished — for real this time.
RICHARD HIGER
A Blessing
East Hampton
November 10, 2008
Dear David,
When Barack Obama graduated at the top of his class from Harvard Law School, he could have gone to any top law firm on Wall Street and made hundreds of thousands of dollars. Instead, he elected to return to his hometown and do good works for his community for very little compensation. This choice epitomizes the man Barack Obama — indeed, I understand that “Barack” means “blessing.”
Indeed, he is a blessing to the United States in this time of deep trouble for our country. We are blessed to have Barack Obama as our president, not only to solve our domestic catastrophe, but to solve our multitude of international problems as well.
As the first African-American president, we have demonstrated to the nonwhite people around the world that the United States is not prejudiced and that America is truly a democratic society.
Under Barack Obama, the world now welcomes America as a partner to solve the world’s problems (as an illustration of the world’s enthusiasm, television showed pictures of many people around the world who were demonstrating and celebrating Obama’s victory as president).
Barack Obama has shown himself to be a superbly capable commander in chief who will, if possible, solve the multitude of our nation’s problems. Indeed, we are truly blessed to have Barack as our president.
Sincerely,
S. GEORGE GIANIS
Same Untruths
East Hampton
November 10, 2008
Dear David,
Fifty-seven-million-plus Americans who voted for John McCain and Sarah Palin, 47 percent of the total voters in this election, present strong evidence that the vituperations in a recent “Guestwords” column are just more of the same untruths of the left of lefts. Self-delusion seems to be their greatest strength; their war is ongoing.
He concludes that now the Vietnam War is over, simply because Barack Obama was elected, yet he and others continue to use it as a foil against America. His reference to Cambodia and Laos as a secret war is a half-truth. These countries should be referred to as occupied countries — occupied by North Vietnam, which controlled large border areas they used to move their troops and equipment into South Vietnam and had bases from which they attacked us.
Another is mentioning the Gulf of Tonkin resolution passed by Congress and not telling that it was based on a made-up charge by President Lyndon Johnson that one of our destroyers was attacked by North Vietnamese gunboats. He used this as an excuse to send in 500,000 more United States troops.
We suffered 47,424 deaths and 153,303 wounded, not counting our allies’ losses. Yet President Richard Nixon is vilified and Lyndon Johnson gets a pass! The South Vietnamese voted against being governed by the north, as well as by the Vietcong, by their refusal to rally to their cause in the Tet offensive. In fact, the Vietcong were destroyed as a fighting force, and the North Vietnamese suffered almost the same fate. Their dead were 45,000 in a few weeks of fighting, thousands of civilians, and some 630,000 were left homeless. They lost. Their salvation was on the streets of Europe and America and in the press.
The Paris accords stipulated that the people of South Vietnam must decide by vote as to uniting with the north. We also promised our support of South Vietnam so it could survive. Congress later refused funding and that caused the collapse of our ally, as well as the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians as part of the north’s re-education programs.
The jury is now out as to judging Mr. Obama’s performance as our president. Will the adage “Birds of a feather flock together” prove true regarding his questionable past associations? Will his hearing come back after 20 years of not hearing messages of hate from certain close associates of his? Stay tuned in with those 57-plus million who voted against him, plus many more who voted for him with their fingers crossed.
EARLE S. RYNSTON
Join Together
East Hampton
November 4, 2008
Dear Editor:
After reading the letter to the editor last week from Donald Lehman, “Speed Kills,” I decided it was important to explain an incident that happened the week before.
I was at my home in East Hampton, waiting for a furniture delivery. My friend, Barbara Madden from Southold, decided to stop by and help me coordinate the furniture. We had an hour to spare before the delivery and decided to go to the East Hampton landfill to get rid of some garbage.
As we approached the entrance of the landfill on Springs-Fireplace Road, we noticed a seagull with a plastic bag wrapped around its leg, which prevented it from being able to fly. Being the animal lovers we are, Barbara immediately pulled over and I jumped out along with another gentleman, who stopped, to try and help this unfortunate bird.
I stood in the middle of the road stopping traffic. An unobservant driver sped past me and sent the seagull flying 15 feet into the air. In horror, we started screaming, “No, no, no.” I picked my little friend up very gently and carried it to the side of road, crying with Barbara as the bird was gasping for air.
Within minutes, two ladies, Nancy and Leslie from East Hampton, stopped to assist us, along with many others. As we tried to warm and calm the seagull down, the woman that hit the bird approached us. “I never saw it,” she said.
I replied, “How could you not see me and this other gentleman standing in the middle of the road, when everybody else stopped?”
She replied, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see it.”
Trying to hold onto the anger we felt toward her, Barbara said, “That could have been a child,” as the woman sheepishly walked away.
The gentleman ran to the dump to get a box and another person grabbed a towel. We placed it in a box and wrapped it in the towel. Nancy and Leslie offered to take it to Jonathan Turetsky of the Veterinary Clinic of East Hampton.
Being the generous people they are, Nancy and Leslie made a contribution to Dr. Turetsky for helping this little bird out. I thanked them profusely and everyone else that stopped to assist us and Nancy made a very profound statement: “When I pulled up to help, one car had an Obama sticker on it and the other car had a McCain sticker. See, we are all in this together and we all have to join together for the betterment of our country.”
How’s that for bipartisanship?
Now for the happy ending — the bird survived with a little damage to its foot and the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons in Hampton Bays took it in under their care.
Bless all the wonderful people that came together that day. Yes, there are a lot of good, caring people out there. Thank you all for helping in your own special way.
GAIL CANGRO
Lead Poisoning
East Hampton
November 7, 2008
To the Editor:
A caution to pregnant women and young children: Avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets.
North Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets and are also ordering food pantries to discard donated venison. People eating contaminated venison are at high risk from lead poisoning, which can cause confusion, learning problems, and convulsions, and in severe cases can lead to brain damage and death. A physician found lead in samples of donated deer meat after he conducted tests using a CT scanner.
A separate study by Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources previously found that fragments from lead bullets spread as far as 18 inches away from the wound.
SUSAN KEHOE
‘Mrs. Pollock’
Springs
November 10, 2008
Dear David,
On Halloween morning I took my fifth graders over to the Pollock-Krasner House for a tour and a viewing of Lee Krasner’s work. Just a few days after her centenary — she was born on Oct. 27, 1908 — the students were told all about “Mrs. Pollock” by Ruby Jackson.
We stood outside in the sun next to the marsh where “Jackson dug for clams with his toes” and Lee “planted her vegetable garden right here on this spot.”
The original artwork was the treat awaiting us inside. In the parlor the students crowded around a mosaic table Lee made inside the rim of an old wagon wheel. Paintings from museums and galleries hung on the walls downstairs and upstairs. The students hurriedly buzzed around, studying the colorful abstract works of art. In her former bedroom was a stunning large portrait, painted when Lee was only 20 years old — it is now owned by the Met!
The morning ended with a celebration of this important artist and former Springs community member. Helen Harrison, director of the Pollock-Krasner House, cheerily cut birthday cake decorated like one of Lee’s paintings. The children sang a rousing “Happy Birthday” and then gave some toasts. Matthew Fisher, age 10, ended the party with these words: “To Lee Krasner — a great artist in her own right. Rest in Peace!” Hear, hear.
Thanks to Lee Krasner’s vision, this unique study center attracts scholars and visitors from around the world. “Mrs. Pollock” left a grand legacy for all of us. And the show that celebrated the 100th year of her birth by filling the house with original art was the greatest treat for my students and me.
Sincerely,
Irene Tully
Library’s Board
Springs
November 9, 2008
Dear Editor,
I sat at Thursday’s East Hampton Village Trustees meeting and heard comments regarding an intended zoning code change. It was said that the one exemption from this change would be the East Hampton Library.
The East Hampton Library has a board that continues to treat its public unjustly. Unlike our neighbors in Southampton and elsewhere we are not allowed to vote to elect members of that board. That board, nevertheless, is allowed to use the Town of East Hampton’s real estate tax assessment and collection services to send it over $1,000,000 a year of our hard-earned money. You cannot choose to withhold payment, unless you want to lose your home. You cannot choose board representatives who would be responsive to your needs and opinions, either.
As a result, we have in our midst a board that flexes its muscle against us using our own funds. Instead of educating and informing, it attempts to sway our opinions and actions. It continues to attempt to make local governing bodies ineffective in the Village of East Hampton.
I ask, once again, that the library’s board members convert to a publicly elected board. This would be a vital beginning toward making the library deserving of its place in our wonderful community.
Sincerely,
HENRIKA CONNER
Fiefdoms
Raleigh, N.C.
November 5, 2008
Dear Mr. Rattray:
The stories in The Star over the past few months related to East Hampton Town’s financial situation have proved interesting reading to a nonvoting, nonresident property owner. Having been a reader of The Star from something like the mid-Mesozoic, I have received the impression that the current situation is one more in a long line of events that suggest that the day-to-day affairs of East Hampton Town should be managed by a person with professional training in municipal government operations and who should be supported by appropriately trained professional staff.
The complexity of state and federal laws and regulations related to the activities of a municipal entity by themselves seem to dictate such a reorganization of the East Hampton Town government operations. A person trained in municipal government management and operations can bring a broader perspective to management of the town’s affairs than do persons with personal fiefdoms to protect.
Very truly yours,
CHARLES W. WELBY
Mystery Group
East Hampton
November 10, 2008
Dear David,
In last week’s edition of The Star, ex-Councilwoman Deb Foster took issue with the 2009 East Hampton Town preliminary budget and offered, with the assistance of her mystery group of allegedly “competent, capable people,” an alternative budget which she claimed is both “realistic” and “prudent.”
Let’s check the facts and see how realistic and prudent Ms. Foster was in the preparation of her alternative budget. After all, most competent, capable people would agree that facts are important.
Ms. Foster proposes the removal of $70,000 from the contract-software maintenance line. This budget line reflects the costs associated with software vendor licensing, maintenance, and support. According to the head of the town’s information technology division, “failure to fund this line will result in license terminations, no support from vendors, and render the software useless.”
Additionally, Ms. Foster recommends the removal of $80,000 from the unallocated insurance line, forcing the town to be uninsured in critical areas of coverage. She also recommends the removal of $40,000 from the rent line under animal control. This small cut will leave the town with a two-month rent shortfall for boarding stray and dangerous dogs. Unless Ms. Foster plans on boarding these dogs at her residence, I suggest leaving this line untouched in the budget.
The elimination of $10,000 from the subcontract line under street lighting would leave the town unable to pay its contractual obligation to service and maintain our traffic lights. Not a very prudent decision, unless the mystery committee plans to make themselves available to direct traffic.
Furthermore, $80,000 of cuts from the snow removal line would leave the taxpayers with no salt and no drivers to plow the roads and parking lots, should the winter months provide even a moderate amount of snow and ice. Under Ms. Foster’s scenario, I suggest you wax up your cross-country skis or gas up your snowmobile, because the roads will be rendered undrivable.
Ms. Foster and crew also cut $300,000 from the contingency line. This cut would prevent the town from funding the settlement of the police contract, which is currently in binding arbitration, and leave a large hole in the budget. A suggestion like this makes me wonder which “former elected officials” are on Ms. Foster’s committee. This is the same type of underfunding which occurred in the 2004 budget and forced the town to expend its fund balance.
Ms. Foster’s budget removes an additional $135,000 from the police budget. This represents a 75-percent reduction in funds for gasoline for police vehicles and reductions in mandatory rent payments for communication equipment tower space. If the board were to take these recommendations, police vehicles would not be able to operate by April, and police communications would be compromised.
Ms. Foster’s proposed budget clearly demonstrates that she and her mystery committee do not understand the budget process. Her budget calls for broken traffic lights, snow and ice on the roads, police cars with no gas, and police officers with the inability to communicate.
I have just mentioned some of the highlights from a very unrealistic, imprudent, and dangerous alternative budget. No wonder Ms. Foster’s committee of “competent, capable people” wishes to remain anonymous.
Sincerely,
BILL McGINTEE
Supervisor
Financial Blind
Amagansett
November 9, 2008
Dear David,
Every week brings a new twist in the town’s financial saga.
Over the last week we have seen East Hampton’s proposed budget and tax increase continue to climb.
We watched former town Councilwoman Deb Foster, who spent four years helping to create the town’s financial problems, show up at a budget meeting to chastise her former colleagues and propose her own “alternative” budget. After four years of complicity on the board, who is she trying to fool?
Then, late on Thursday New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report saying Bill McGintee’s 2009 proposed budget, as revised by the town board, is still a mess and if adopted in its current form could plunge the town even deeper into the financial abyss.
Among other things, the comptroller’s report critiques items in the supervisor’s budget that would only be made worse if the Foster “alternative” was adopted. For example, the comptroller says the anticipated new revenue for parking permits is overstated at $250,000 in the supervisor’s budget and could create a shortfall. The Foster alternative, based on the article in last week’s Star (“Foster to McGintee: ‘Fish or Cut Bait’ ”), says the town should be projecting $300,000 for this new revenue. Based on the comptroller’s position, the Foster alternative could add even more to the existing multimillion deficit than the supervisor’s budget. Is this a case of the financial blind leading the financial blind?
According to The Star article last week, Ms. Foster criticized the revenue estimates in the supervisor’s budget, saying, “they were significantly less than previous years” and should be higher. According to the state comptroller, however, they are not low enough. The comptroller says the estimate of non-tax revenue should be even lower in the town’s 2009 budget and that not lowering it could create more potential problems in the town’s financial future.
This matter is very telling because it was the unrealistically high and unattained non-tax revenue estimates during Ms. Foster’s four years on the town board that greatly contributed to the financial mess the town now finds itself. It was Ms. Foster who merrily went along with the supervisor and the other board members during those four years of financial incompetence.
You couldn’t make this stuff up if it wasn’t happening before our very eyes.
Sincerely,
LEN BERNARD
Biting the Bullet
East Hampton
November 10, 2008
Dear David,
Once again, certain members of the town board appear to have disregarded their responsibilities and simply said, “Well, if they complain about cuts, we will restore most of them and increase taxes by more than 25 percent.” How about biting the bullet and setting priorities — that is what they are elected to do. They also need to come clean about their role in creating this mess. They owe that to us. It is called being truthful.
Enter Debbie Foster. Now she is a budget fixer, something she never did while she was a town board member. I remember when she cried, “not this year,” when Pat Mansir tried to give day care an extra $10,000 in the last budget. Did she know something then and keep quiet about it? When I questioned her about it, she simply said that she would personally sponsor a child in day care and bought some raffle tickets. Well, after a while she paid for the raffle tickets but probably forgot about her sponsorship promise.
This is an exceptional fall. East Hampton is still one of the most beautiful places on earth. That is one thing that town government can’t screw up.
STEPHEN GROSSMAN