The River Reporter Online - Letters to the Editor

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The River Reporter welcomes letters on all subjects from its readers. They must be signed and include the correspondent's phone number. The correspondent's name and town will appear at the bottom of each letter; titles and affiliations will not, unless the correspondent is writing on behalf of a group.

Letters are printed as they are received, or at the discretion of the editor, and without correction to grammar or spelling. It is requested they be limited to 500 words; correspondents may be asked to cut longer letters. Deadline is 1:00 p.m. on Monday.

The library tax issue is really the tip of the iceberg; other problems form the base. Issues like poor employment opportunities and a general lack of vision on the part of our leadership are two excellent examples.

We live next to the most densely populated state in the union and we abut a state with one of the highest tax rates. Yet here we are with plenty of open land, relatively low taxes, access to interstates, a labor pool and no jobs of any substance.

Recently an article ran in one of the local papers describing how our county planner, Mr. Coar, will obtain a grant to fund the cost of writing a development plan for our county. That is wonderful and I applaud his efforts, but I am wondering what we were using for a development compass previously.

Mr. Atkinson, a leading opponent to the library tax, frequently reminds us we live in a 7th class county; therefore we do not need a progressive library system. His logic escapes me, but his point raises some interesting questions. Do we want to remain a 7th class county? Can we bring in jobs that pay substantial salaries and still have the beauty and serenity that's with us now? Will we be able to develop this area and economically prosper? More to the point, do we want to?

The library tax issue illuminates these larger questions. The answers, or at least the attempt to answer, should be coming from our commissioners, but they are silent as usual.

Do we embrace development and control it, or do we reject it? Are we fearful of progress or do we welcome it? The library tax referendum is really a vote on change. The amount of library tax money each property owner pays is minuscule, relatively speaking; other issues such as an unfair election, inequities of the tax, farmers bearing the burden, have all been shown untrue and illogical.

Again, the real issue is progress and the change that it engenders. Some people fear change and simply cannot envision it. Our leaders can help alleviate that fear by articulating the benefits of controlled progress, and assisting those trying to achieve it. The library system is trying to progress. Are the commissioners helping to improve a county resource? No-in fact, two of them are working against the progress. Has anyone told these guys, this is the year 2000?

Wayne County will never progress beyond 7th class status with the commissioners we now have. The old cliché, "Its Time For a Change" has never been more true.

I have owned my home and property in Mountain Lake Camps for over 40 years. My family, like so many others, bought property here to enjoy the natural beauty and peace of the Wurtsboro Valley.

I am disturbed over the fact that a major warehouse distribution center may be built in the middle of the valley when our county has created an industrial park area on Route 17 only five miles away near Rock Hill. Why do our town leaders in Mamakating want to introduce the congestion, the noise and the pollution of a truck warehouse on the outskirts of the Village of Wurtsboro. Let us not turn Route 209 into a New Jersey Route 4!

I hope that our county leaders have the vision to promote economic development without sacrificing the dreams and the hopes of us little taxpayers who move to the country to get away from the city.

This letter is to express thanks for a beautiful Sunday concert at Lumberland Town Hall on Sunday, September 17, 2000.

The enthusiastic response from the public, who attended that concert, was a biggest reward to Frank Schwarz for the effort to keep his promise to make the Cultural Series in Town of Lumberland a rewarding success. "The Adlers" ensemble of German-Austrian music and Alpine yodeling gave us a wonderful time. The sincerity, intelligence, musical and vocal culture brought to this performance made the program absolutely enjoyable. The talents of music and singing were performed gracefully, with emotion.

The concert drew a capacity audience and the performers gave their utmost to bring that afternoon to excellent perfection. Once again, many thanks to Frank Schwarz, director of the Cultural Series, and we looking forward for similar programs in the future.

And finally a note to our town officials: Yes, you should be proud of the accomplishments, but it would be nice if the residents of our town can notice your presence at similar happenings.

My nomination for most notable quote from the recently concluded political conventions comes from the Republican convention. It is as follows:

"...and it's time to stop building jails in America and get back to the task of building our children. "

-General Colin Powell (Ret.) former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Republican National Convention, Monday, July 31st, 2000.

In 10 or 20 years' time, when we are facing possibly overwhelming threats which include global warming, drug resistant diseases, genetically modified organisms, and who knows what else, will we think of the billions of dollars being poured into the work of incarcerating people in this country as money well spent? With the number of prisoners in U.S. jails ever increasing, and with the knowledge that those incarcerated come out of jail more hardened than when they went in, and therefore more likely to return to prison, doesn't all this suggest that we need to change direction?