Please Pass the Preferential Treatment
Around the time of the First Thanksgiving in the seventeenth century, a person's social standing determined what he or she ate. The best food was placed next to the most important people. Instead of passing food and sampling a variety of dishes, diners simply ate what was in closest proximity.
This practice, which seems rather inequitable by today’s standards, is reminiscent of a citizen comment made at the November 20th IRB commission meeting.
The speaker aptly pointed out that IRB is a diverse community representing a variety of interests. Paraphrasing, he said that those with unlike interests shouldn’t “rain on the parades” of those not sharing the same mindset. He referred specifically to the IRB Library and mentioned that “hundreds of residents” enjoy the library, are good citizens and give of themselves and their time for the betterment of the community--while others are constantly trying to close the doors. The speaker positioned the library volunteers and others who give freely of their time to community activities as folks who deserve MORE than those who don’t.
To intimate that anyone in IRB deserves more than anyone else based on their proclivity or ability to volunteer is preposterous. If that were the case, wouldn’t felons doing “community service” be entitled to more than those without criminal records?
IRB is very fortunate to have a community with so many residents giving of themselves and their time to make IRB a great place to live, work and play. But the day these folks are entitled to more than those who can’t or won’t volunteer is a sad day in IRB. When that happens, maybe we should consider asking volunteers to pay MORE taxes than the non-volunteering residents. Wouldn’t that be fair, since they would be consuming and enjoying “more” of the services the town has to offer?
The services a community provides to its residents aren’t something earned by “good deed” contributions. They are a right NOT a privilege...even in IRB. It's a right that all of us are entitiled to the minute we lick the stamps on our tax bills.
Many IRBers have to work for a living, but does that mean that they deserve less than their trust-fund breathing counterparts? The construction worker on First Street should have the same benefits as the retired executive on Harbor Drive…whether or not he or she donates one split second of service to the community.
The speaker at least put a loose number on the library folks; he referred to them as “several hundred.” Information received from past public records requests has not successfully been able to quantify this group.
Let’s see a couple hundred (200) in a community of what...3,000+ voters? Hmmm. There are more boaters in this community than Friends of the Library yet there is no city-sponsored group for our marine folks. No city Boat Board handpicked by the commission. No city subsidy and no full-time boat captain. Hmmm.
Around the time of the First Thanksgiving in the seventeenth century, a person's social standing determined what he or she ate. The best food was placed next to the most important people. Instead of passing food and sampling a variety of dishes, diners simply ate what was in closest proximity.
This practice, which seems rather inequitable by today’s standards, is reminiscent of a citizen comment made at the November 20th IRB commission meeting.
The speaker aptly pointed out that IRB is a diverse community representing a variety of interests. Paraphrasing, he said that those with unlike interests shouldn’t “rain on the parades” of those not sharing the same mindset. He referred specifically to the IRB Library and mentioned that “hundreds of residents” enjoy the library, are good citizens and give of themselves and their time for the betterment of the community--while others are constantly trying to close the doors. The speaker positioned the library volunteers and others who give freely of their time to community activities as folks who deserve MORE than those who don’t.
To intimate that anyone in IRB deserves more than anyone else based on their proclivity or ability to volunteer is preposterous. If that were the case, wouldn’t felons doing “community service” be entitled to more than those without criminal records?
IRB is very fortunate to have a community with so many residents giving of themselves and their time to make IRB a great place to live, work and play. But the day these folks are entitled to more than those who can’t or won’t volunteer is a sad day in IRB. When that happens, maybe we should consider asking volunteers to pay MORE taxes than the non-volunteering residents. Wouldn’t that be fair, since they would be consuming and enjoying “more” of the services the town has to offer?
The services a community provides to its residents aren’t something earned by “good deed” contributions. They are a right NOT a privilege...even in IRB. It's a right that all of us are entitiled to the minute we lick the stamps on our tax bills.
Many IRBers have to work for a living, but does that mean that they deserve less than their trust-fund breathing counterparts? The construction worker on First Street should have the same benefits as the retired executive on Harbor Drive…whether or not he or she donates one split second of service to the community.
The speaker at least put a loose number on the library folks; he referred to them as “several hundred.” Information received from past public records requests has not successfully been able to quantify this group.
Let’s see a couple hundred (200) in a community of what...3,000+ voters? Hmmm. There are more boaters in this community than Friends of the Library yet there is no city-sponsored group for our marine folks. No city Boat Board handpicked by the commission. No city subsidy and no full-time boat captain. Hmmm.
Does politics govern which interests are represented in IRB? Maybe it’s time for the boaters to throw their weight behind boat-loving commissioner/mayoral candidates, so they, too, can have their agendas advanced at the city's expense.
Nancy Obarski
Beach Trail/IRB
Nancy Obarski
Beach Trail/IRB
2 comments:
Some of us are MORE equal than others.
Dare I comment? I agree that volunteers deserve no more than their non-volunteering counterparts when it comes to city funds. But #1, Not all volunteers have a trust fund or are retired. Some actually volunteer anyway. I appreciate that they do. 2# The city supports a variety of things such as playgrounds, sea oats, tennis courts, docks, beach accesses, a museum, decorations, etc. Our community is made up of a variety of people who have a variety of likes, interests and hobbies. Some like to play tennis, some walk our reclaimed beach, some go to the library, the parks, etc..... Why is the library such an issue with you? And why are you so disparging regarding the volunteers? Most are just trying to be helpful!
Post a Comment