DO YOU COUNT?

Some years ago a Preble resident came to a Town Board meeting and complained bitterly about something. The board listened attentively and made notes. After the man left one of the board members turned to another board member and asked. "Does he vote?" The other board member said, "No" and that was the last of that. The carefully taken notes were discarded and nothing was done about the man's complaint. He didn't vote and because of that he didn't count in the eyes of the board. You may not think that voting is important until you have a problem. If you don't vote then you won't count either. The choice is yours, you can help determine who your leaders will be or you can stay home and let others determine that for you. But if you stay home then you can't complain about what happens. Oh they'll listen to your complaint, but after you leave nothing will be done. It's your call.

PROJECT GUTENBERG -- Free Books On-Line

PROJECT GUTENBERG -- Free Books On-Line: "Project Gutenberg is the Internet's oldest producer of FREE electronic books. (eBooks or eTexts). Project Gutenberg is the brainchild of Michael Hart, who in 1971 decided that it would be a really good idea if lots of famous and important texts were freely available to everyone in the world."

Wired News: Windows: More Flawed Than Ever

Wired News: Windows: More Flawed Than Ever: "Microsoft warned consumers Wednesday about four critical new flaws in its popular Windows software"

Time to buy a Mac?

U.S. still top spender on health care

U.S. still top spender on health care : "The United States continues to far outspend other developed nations on health care"

Ann Coulter: With half his brain tied behind his back

Ann Coulter: With half his brain tied behind his back

A good article for those who like Rush.

The Smoking Gun: Archive

The Smoking Gun: Archive: "Meet Steve Bartman"

There is a lot of ways to become famous, to do something simple that changes your live forever, that makes you known the world over. One way I can't recommend is Steve Bartman's catch of that fly ball the other night. Now he'll have to change his name and move... Poor guy.

MASSIVE REZONE PLAN and other interesting stuff!

It was revealed at the Town Board meeting on Monday (Oct. 13th) that both Tully and Preble are thinking of rezoneing all the prime ag land along 281 to light industrial. Back in August Francis Foley Jr (Kate Edinger's brother) asked Betty Pitman to rezone his land. Then Keith Hawkins (of gravel mining fame) asked for the same thing. As this 140 acres is just to the north of the Barden Homes project they thought it would be a good idea. Pitman signed and sent their requests along to the Cortland County Planning board. They rejected them because there was no plan for what would be done with the property. By the way this is prime farmland and we have been told how important prime farmland is to Preble and that we, non-farmers, should butt out. Funny how now it is just fine to turn this prime farmland into an industrial park. I guess the farmers couldn't hear their previous complaints about us what with the noise that counting all that money was making and all.

Betty also confirmed that the procedure she used for this case was not the normally used procedure. Usually a request for a rezone would come before the town board first and then sent on down to county. I asked her why she didn't do it the normal way and she could not or would not explain it. Now why not, one might ask. If it came before the town board first then we would all know about it. But that can't be the reason, can it?

Actually this makes complete sense if you look at a map of the area. Few homes along there and with Salisbury on the South and Aldi on the north it is logical that eventually it will all be industrial. Another positive aspect is that while it is almost impossible to stop farmers from nitrate pollution there are laws that pretend to stop industrial pollution. Of course now that the water is shot all along 281 anyway, it makes little difference if industry pollutes it more. Little difference except for those south of that area and that is… let's see… who would that be… hmm… Oh that's right! It's the entire hamlet of Preble. Son of a gun. Guess they never heard the old saying about not spitting into the wind huh?

But as Kate Edinger reminded me at the meeting, it has been the counties number one plan all along to have Preble put it a municipal well that would get clean water to the hamlet. The well would likely be located at the southern tip of Song Lake where it is still pure (now) and then run it down to the town. No idea who would pay for this. Maybe if the town charged a $100 per cow tax that could pay for it… naw, that will never happen. Guess they could borrow the million or two it would cost and then just tack it on our property taxes. Oh well, no rush, it'll be a few more years before the entire towns water is no good and then they can worry about it. Are you starting to wish you had gone to the caucus after all? Probably not huh?

In any case they plan to have the whole rezone, water protection and other stuff done by the end of the year so the new town board can deal with it just after they get in. Wonder why the rush? Just an aside: If you look at the Flying J site up north you will see that it is off 81 by a mile or two or just about where the Foley/Hawkins land is in relation to it. That would shift half of the traffic to the Tully exit and turn 281 from a quiet drive to something quite different. The trucks would be rumbling by Rick Shaffer's office all day and night. Just speculating about this of course. Truck Stops were prohibited in the Aquifer Protection District plan that was submitted to the town a few months ago. If they take that prohibition out of the final APD plan you will know that a truck stop is what they really want.

Oh, and another thing. At the town board meeting I promised Don Armstrong (town attorney) that I would be giving him a present soon. The present is a very extensive story about Don that I'm sure you'll all enjoy. Don likely won't but what can I do? It's his story, not mine. Expect to see that in a week or so. Along that line I have other interesting stuff that has been accumulating. I will definitely be getting it all out in the next three weeks before the election.

In other more mundane news from the town board meeting:

There will be a Halloween party at the fire hall on the 25th. - John Steger reported that the sales tax distribution has been resolved. "Back to square one after starting the whole mess." The legislators are mad at the town supervisors and mayors who complained about it. - The Planning Board will meet on the 23rd at 7:30. - The county is going to drill a deeper well near the trailer park to search for good water. - Julie Ray, assessor, gets a $500 a year raise. - There will be a budget workshop on the 22nd at 7:30 if you want to see where all your money is going. - The meeting adjourned at 8:45 making it one of the shortest in a long time. Oh Joy.

DOUBLE DIPPER

dou-ble dip-per n

a individual who steals the nomination from a rightful candidate at a different party's caucus for the purpose of guaranteeing election to office. Usually done by someone who could not win otherwise.

Examples of Double Dippers: Peter Knapp and Dave Morse

BEWARE OF THE CIRCLING HYENAS

In the late 80's I was working on what would one day be my home in Preble when I herniated a disc in my lower back. The pain was extreme. I would sit in my chair in the living room and eventually after several aspirins I could get comfortable. But I was so afraid of the pain coming back that I would not move from the chair until it was absolutely necessary. Before I moved I would spend several minutes planning each step I would have to take to do whatever it was I had to get up to do. I drank as little as possible to avoid going to the bathroom. When I went to the physical therapist I would wait in my car in the parking lot until someone close to the door left. Sometimes I waited for 20 - 30 minutes. One day I was heading out to the garage and after I opened the door, I turned back around to pick something up and when I turned back the door had partially closed and it startled me. I woke up some time later on the floor. The pain was so extreme that I fainted. After 4 months of this the pain started to subside and now it is completely gone but I have to be careful. I don't know what I would have done if the pain persisted but if I had the pain killers available to me that Rush had I would have gladly taken them and perhaps I too would be addicted to them today. It is easy to criticize a situation from afar and there are those who will. I will not be one of them. You see, I have walked in Rush's shoes and I know what real pain is like. I understand and I wish him well. Now he faces the ordeal of withdrawal from the pills and the pain of life without them. All the money in the world will not make that better. I wish him well.