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 coming of casinos to the Catskills will mean big money and unfortunately, big opportunities for embezzlement and fraud. Is the county prepared and committed to pursue and prosecute all those who would break the law, even county employees themselves? A way to make sure is to examine how Sullivan County handled such incidents in the recent past.

One case stands out. Three and a half years ago, the Director of Investigations, Richard Sacco, submitted his final report to Community Services Commissioner Maier based on the allegations of a lone social worker. As a result, sweeping changes were made in the handling of clients’ monies. The police were called in. Possible evidence was then turned over to District Attorney Lungen and members of the Sullivan County Legislature were made aware of the situation.

When the smoke cleared, no county employee was disciplined except the social worker who was suspended and then fired for misconduct.

Is there a red flag waving here? If the social worker’s claims of fraud, larceny, negligence and abuse within the agency were groundless, why were so many changes so quickly implemented? After the police joined the investigation, why was the DA brought in? What role did the Sullivan County Legislature play in the proceedings?

Efforts to obtain the 2/99 report through the Freedom of Information Act and other legal avenues have failed. The county government has since constructed a stone wall around it.

Why? As no county employee had been disciplined, why should the report remain hidden? The last thing the county needs is the slightest suspicion that fraud and negligence could have been committed by employees and then covered up. If the Enron and Worldcom disasters have shown, those who refuse to acknowledge and investigate warning signs of possible wrongdoing later pay a fearful price.

Sullivan County cannot afford to jeopardize its economic future by ignoring any possibility of corruption at the heart of its government. Full disclosure of the 2/99 report will show that the Sullivan County government has nothing to hide from its citizens. Anything short of that could imply just the opposite.

Congratulations to the Narrowsburg Fire Department on its successful 100th Anniversary Celebration events. From the dinner at Woodloch Pines and stamp cancellation in May, to the field day this past weekend, the department successfully reintroduced the community spirit and camaraderie for which Narrowsburg Fire Department has long been known. (Not to mention the fabulous chicken barbecue.)

It is heartening to see the many younger members of the department and the active roles that they hold within the department.

Our lives and the safety of our homes depend on the dedication and long hours of training and equipment upkeep that these folks expend on our behalf.

Thanks, also, to the Narrowsburg Chamber of Commerce for shouldering the responsibility of the Friday events. These community fairs are important to the future of our community and we are blessed that there are dedicated individuals that help our communities thrive.

Personal reflections, “Armageddon—The Decisive Battle Between Good and Evil.”

What the hell is going on with the human race! How did this hateful, demented, raging frenzy and societal disorder invade our way of life and sneak up on us? What have we permitted to be born? There are so many different answers and explanations, but they are all meaningless because hindsight is of no consequence and clearly, at the present moment, useless.

How could we be so unaware, unsuspecting, so unprepared? Where were you—our leaders? You were entrusted with hopes, dreams, enormous power, vast and unlimited sums of money, unequaled military strength and multitudes to perform assigned tasks; you were given all the tools that are needed to protect this great nation and you screwed up! You really did! No excuses!

There is a distinct presence among our leaders of a disturbing tendency toward self-importance and an eye to further one’s own selfish interests. There is also unneeded and uncalled for inter-agency conflicts and troubling, contentious disputes.

There is too much greed, dissent, ego, lust for power and arrogance; too little integrity, caring and honesty.

I’m an octogenarian. I’ve been around the block, smelled the roses and suffered the many and varied consequences and complexities that life bestows. Sadly, I find myself in a world of uncontrollable madness and hate, bigotry and greed. With all our great talents, accomplishments and creative achievements we are being overwhelmed by a grievous deterioration of civil and conciliatory manners and deportment.

This misfortune has touched us all. Hopefully it will not contaminate us all because these vials of wrath are rapidly becoming contagious universal afflictions. It is now revealed in many varying ways and forms and you must stop it! Firmly, quickly, wisely and with telling effect.

Forget the rhetoric and all the “Toro Poo-Poo”; no more excuses, double-talk, self-acquittal and whitewash... just do “watchagoddado” and do it right!

You are as fearful as we are that some day, somehow, one of those raving lunatics, some uncontrollable idiot is going to get hold of that gigantic “end-all” of weapons and push down on that red button!

The oil overlords are not to be permitted to make us march to their maniacal drumbeat. The obsessed, intolerant and deranged religious fanatics must be opposed and blocked in their intents and actions. We have been witness to the abandonment of moral, ethical and worthy qualities and procedures that are now taking place in our international community.

You know who the bad guys are. Deal with them in firm, solid, unflinching directness and without further delay; enough is enough. Don’t tell us about what happened before you assumed authority and responsibility. The ball is now in your court; deal with it efficiently and effectively. You wanted the job, okay, you got the job... now do it; do it fast and do it right. I do not want my grandchildren or their children to suffer and live a life of apprehension, uncertainty and the constant presence of danger; none of us do.

Oh, and by the way... those of you who hold office, elected or appointed, are mandated and expected to represent all the people, not certain “people” or those special interest groups that you seem to favor... got it?

This summer marks our 125th Anniversary of serving children from New York City. In 1877, Reverend Willard Parsons, a minister of a small, rural parish in Sherman, Pennsylvania, asked members of his congregation to provide country vacations as volunteer host families for New York City’s neediest children. This was the beginning of The Fresh Air Fund.

Today, the fund continues its tradition of caring and provides children with a much-needed respite from the inner-city streets. Thousands of youngsters enjoy summer vacations with volunteer hosts or attend one of five fund camps in upstate New York. The simplicity of our program is its strength.

As we celebrate this momentous occasion, it is time to reflect on how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same. The fund began with a small group of youngsters heading for the country and went on to benefit over 1.7 million needy children.

As the summer quickly approaches and children begin to board buses headed for summer fun, we would like to thank our heroes, the local families, who demonstrate their compassion and concern for the well being of others by their commitment to disadvantaged youngsters from New York City. Caring members of your community open their homes and share the everyday joys of summer visits. Other local volunteers, many of whom are also hosts, give by serving on Friendly Town Committees, planning summer activities, raising funds for special events, publicizing the program and interviewing prospective host families.

The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency, that provides free summer vacations to disadvantaged New York City children. For more information on how you can help to continue this wonderful tradition of volunteering, call 800/367-0003.