How many people running for any office actually deserve to be elected?
How many actually deserving candidates actually should be elected?
Well the simple answer to both is pretty obvious too. Depends on who you voted for doesn't it?
You may not get the gist of the subtleties between the two questions. I am not going to try and explain the warped thought process behind the two questions. The simple fact is, has been and always will be whoever gets the most votes wins.
Yes, I know sometimes there is some difficulty in counting those votes and figuring it out, but eventually the dust does settle.
You may feel a winner isn't deserving, which is what people on the losing side often feel. There are 535 people employed in Washington right now, many of whom we each may be wondering not so much about whether they deserve to be there, but what did we do to deserve them being there.
Anyway ...
In today's bit of cryptic rant, and in the dumber than dumb category, it seems a whole lot of people are trying to claim top dog spot. More often than not it is the winners digging for that dubious bone.
When you mete out your own rope, there are three things you can do with it. Again the first should be obvious, and that is hang yourself with it. The second seems often forgotten, yet often done and that is you measure out enough rope to let someone else hang you with it. The third alternative, the apparently most forgotten one, is you measure not once, but twice to make sure you use just enough to get the job done.
You might think an extra inch or two doesn't matter, but it often is the difference between reaching the ground or dangling. With the right measure being left dangling high and dry is at times preferable than dipping into the water to be get swept away.
Is it better to be a day late or a dollar or two short?
You tell me because often I am faced with both problems.
Anyway, good luck figuring that one out.
On another front...
The Standard Times runs a piece today about the parking problem on Sundays at the High School between the Pop Warner football and the Farmer's Market. Not sure this is or should be a chicken or the egg argument as someone suggested to me, but the solution is pretty easy really, at least in my on track mind.
Might take a bit of work for a few weeks.
Absolutely no reason a town sponsored activity should not take precedent. The Farmer's Market is Town sponsored through the sustainability committee. At least it was. Someone can update us on that if they KNOW.
Give the market exclusive use of the portion of the lot until opening time. A couple of saw horses and signs, and vehicle placards which I would add should be paid for by the sustainability committee should work to deter all but the most blatant offenders.
As for those, well have a patrol car come down and write a few tickets. Keep an additional number of spaces designated for customers, and yes unfortunately someone will have to monitor those spots. along with the announcements to visit the market, maybe an announcement can be made about not parking in designated farmer's market spots, and the fact that cars will be ticketed.
The Market promotes one of those concepts everyone seems to feel in agreement about, local farming. Do all the vendors come from Fairhaven, no. But it does help keep small local enterprises afloat. I have never been accused of being a zealot on the environmental front. But it does seem to me if we are willing to shell out big bucks for land preservation and agricultural restrictions on farmland, shouldn't we take the extra step and a small one at that to actually encourage agriculture?
Pop Warner is also worthy activity, fire extinguishers and the hours of ridiculous play by play commentary over the P.A system aside. I always wondered where play by play announcers for network football went when they got cut loose. Now I know. Anyway ...
Co-existence is possible between Sunday football and the farmers market and it does mean inconvenience for organizers and patrons of the two activities. But let's face it, if you don't provide parking for the vendors and customers at the market, near the market, there will be no market.
Just some thoughts.
Enough for today.
Be safe.
Yes, The market is sponsored by the Sustainability Committee and run by volunteers. It seems foolish that this has to be an issue at all. We appreciate the support of the community and want to continue to provide this next year. It is too bad when folks cannot park near the market to shop. Sometimes there is no spot at all, even the handicap spots are taken all day by football fans. It really shouldn't be an issue and we hope that it gets resolved before next season, because we are not going to police the parking each Sunday next year. We do want to work together and be good neighbors. Thanks for your support John!
ReplyDeleteThe "football fans" need to play at the football field. The high school is the only place with an adequate facility. Instead of pushing "another" group out, why not relocate to Hastings where you would be a better fit! More parking, more room.People going to farmers market know where they are going. Perfect!
DeleteThe "football fans" need? When did it become the town's obligation to meet the needs of any private group?
DeleteInteresting word choice, the "fans".
This is a perfect example of someone wanting something 'for the children' only when it suits them. We need to all pitch in to Save Livesey Skate Park for the children, but parents who support their children in other sports can be inconvenienced. What about families with small children? Why should they have to cross streets to watch the game?
DeleteEither the high school principal has it right, and both groups just have to work it out, or she didn't want to publically side with the coordinator of either activity. Let the vendors through so they don't have to carry their goods to the market. But let the spaces be first come first serve.
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DeleteExplain to me how a private league steps up to the level or consideration of saving a skate park opened and used for the public. Just what obligation does this town have to Pop Warner? To throw stones at that skate park is mind boggling.
DeleteCrossing a street is an inconvenience? So you can watch a football game?
I am very seriously biting my tongue here because I recognize the worthiness of the program, and the fact that coexistence is possible, even if it means more parking on a street you have to cross. The answer isn't what do you expect us to do, people don't want to have to cross the street.
I wouldn't raise too many issues about your inconvenience though. Someone might just point out the inconveniences caused because you are there. We could start with the senseless inconvenience caused by the league last year to the high school students, staff & town personnel because the league couldn't or wouldn't supervise the attendees; and, yes it was 100% the leagues responsibility. You use it, you are responsible for it.
Or was that expectation too much of an inconvenience?
I find it hard to believe that the parking issue is such a big deal. Of course if someone wants something bad enough, they'll deal with the inconvenience. Look at the size of mall or arena parking lots. They're filled at one time or another. If the value of what we want is worth the inconvenience, we'll put up with it.
DeleteI brought up the skate park only because Ms. Richard has made appeals for the repair of the skate park for the kids. I don't understand why the parking issue is an issue at all when the drivers competing for spaces are only there to support a successful youth (for the kids) program.
The vandalism to the building was senseless. Vandalism is always senseless. But the dialogue after the fact sure left some wondering not 'who' was responsible, but what kind of agreement is made in advance of an event. To have to even question 'who' is responsible, makes me think not all of the i's are dotted and t's are crossed beforehand. That seems senseless too.
I too find it hard to believe it is such a big deal. Simply assign spaces to the Farmers Market and if that the leaves the Pop Warner short let it rent a stadium with parking to meet it needs.
DeleteYou took a cheap shot at the skate park, pure and simple. Now you change the tenor and try to explain it away. Knock your shocks off.
Hats off to Ms. Richard for trying to provide an assist to a town asset for PUBLIC use, and hats off for the people in the past who made the push decades ago for the building of the skate park for PUBLIC use and purpose. Don't expect me to stand up and applaud your claim or any person's claim for the right to use public facilities for private purposes.
Now you throw in the "for the kids argument" like that is suppose to take automatic precedent. This is about the bells and whistles for the program, not the kids playing the game.
Tell you what, I am still biting my tongue on this one, for the reasons previously stated. I will also tell you that from this one town resident's point of view, I am going to be be individually pretty ticked off if the Farmer's Market, a town organized event gets shoved out of its space because of the use of a public facility is being granted to a private organization that somehow seems resistant to giving up parking spaces.
Because I am still biting my tongue I am not even going to tear into the logical end to your "senseless" point.
As you said if the value of what you want is worth it ... than it should be worth it to you to be walking the extra blocks and crossing the street.
It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which group needs proximity parking more.
The family with the tote bag, stadium seats, blanket, stroller, helmet and pads??
DeleteIt's just a parking space...It's just a parking space....
"football fans" her words not mine.
DeleteHastings school is a better fit for the Farmers Market, then the lawn at the high school. Unless you consider the farmers market "historic" and has to be attached to the historical society center.(whoops) It looks out of place, serves no purpose to its surroundings and is too close to traffic for children. Move it please!
Let's see, the farmer's market is too close to traffic but the magic gates surrounding the stadium aren't? Until Pop Warner came on the scene what was the convenient forum? The town doesn't exist to make the league fans comfy.
DeleteArticulate a reason for me please, why 20 or thirty spaces cannot be devoted to the farmer's market, other than parking for "fans". Seems to me if one a "fan" supported high school game that draws interest, people can park as far away as they do to attend the game, why not for this? As for out of place, well, you say tomato, I say to-mato. I say a visible, high traffic area is the ideal place to put a farmer's market to high light a local effort to promote local agriculture.
But again I ask, please articulate a reason for me why spaces can't be set aside, other than fan convenience.
I don't see anyone 'shoving' the market out. There are two events happening at the same time. Both share the same parking spaces. The authorities responsible for lending(?) the venues don't want to allocate the spaces between the users. What's left to do?
DeleteI have no problem offering my bus seat to an elderly person in need of one, but should I not sit down because an elderly person may eventually get on the bus?
It's obvious that the market is popular, but what if the designated lot is filled with market shoppers and I want to shop? I'm going to have to park elsewhere.
In the end I guess the best decision would be to label some spaces and see what happens.
Well let's start out by noting I certainly do not hope we are lending public facilities to a private group. A point by the way that will be on my radar. We can't simply lend anything to a private group, not that that has necessarily stopped us in the past I admit.
DeleteAs to the everyone jumping up and down, keep in mind the farmer's market is run by a town committee. Not that will stop anyone from ignoring that point.
As to your bus analogy, I suppose your point may very well be valid if your right to use the bus is a matter of a right. Yet if you aren't there to give up the spot to a person when needed just what is the point to your example? Would you really be willing to leave the game to move your car if it were announced your spot was needed.
I do like the first come first serve philosophy though, I really, really do. I think it is one worth considering here.
I can't let the repeated suggestion of moving the Farmers market to Hastings go unaddressed. Hastings is the perfect location for the Farmers Market, IF you want to see it shrivel and die. A visible location is critical for a market of this type: it needs high traffic, repeated exposure, and reasonable parking for any hope of attracting customers other than the handful of committed locavores. It is far too easy to get your produce at a big box - great for South American farmers, not so much for the local economies.
DeleteWhile I agree with you, and while that should be obvious to most, if not all persons trying to even remotely looking at both sides here reasonably, it seems a lost point. In many ways it is a seemingly lost argument.
DeleteIt's kind of amusing that the above reasons for keeping the market in it's current location are the same reasons that were given to support the move of the Visitors' Center. That area certainly has high traffic count, exposure, and parking. Do the high traffic, repeated exposure, and limited parking in that location outweigh what's available in comparison to another location?
DeleteYou know what is is kind of amusing to me is the only reason I have heard for not allocating the parking spaces to the the market is the convenience if the fans.
DeleteI have a dimes for dollar bet that if you told the league to stay at the stadium you have to give up 30 spaces, the league would stay. The best part of that bet is I am also willing to lose the dollar.
No one complained louder than I about moving the visitor's center to where it is. That is, was and will remain based on the sole fact that any public facility should be devoted to public purposes first, and not for the benefit or to the detriment of a private entity.
I am sitting on my deck right now. There is a something going on the filed right now. I am more than happy to hear the sounds emanating from the filed right now. the cheers, the shouts, the din and the noise.
Just as I willingly have been listening to the self indulgent sounds of the league's P.A, use for nearly two seasons, but if you want to make noise about your parking needs, so be it,
Because one noise this individual is really fed up with is the is the constant grumble of entitlement from private groups.
Where did they ever manage to play midget football until they managed to get into the stadium?
I think you're right. To Pop Warner the high school field minus 30 parking spaces is probably still a better deal than they can get elsewhere. Could you remain calm enough to mediate the deal?
DeleteIt's a fine idea to have signs and announcements about the parking. Most conscientious people will comply. I don't agree with the police patrol for two reasons. First, they could be patrolling higher crime areas, rather than monitoring a Sunday activity parking situation. And second, when's the last time you saw an officer stop to write up an unauthorized car in a designated handicapped space? If that happened more often, there'd be less of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree given relative officer availability the prospect of patrols isn't likely, however couldn't resist throwing it in for dramatic effect. Maybe we need a parking/traffic control detail. The same would certainly end up paying for itself, but can you imagine the complaints on people getting tagged for violations. Heck we could make "Parking Wars". One of my favorite shows actually. I always get a kick out of watching people complain about getting tagged for knowingly doing something wrong. But I digress.
DeleteMariner Soccer manages a two-Officer detail every Saturday, perhaps Pop and the Football Fans can spring for a detail? Or if local streets are overloaded, they can hire a shuttle bus to and from one of the local plazas' mostly empty parking lots?
DeleteDoes the corn vendor near Staples participate in the farmer's market? If not, doesn't his operation take away from the Sunday market vendors? Besides, we don't hear complaints about his parking.
ReplyDeleteWhat does that have to do with the issue?
DeleteDo the Market vendors pay to participate, or can anyone set up each week?
DeleteIf they pay, then how fair is it that the corn vendor can set up his business for free in a prime location as often as he does? Would all farm vendors be allowed to set up there? Why not have the Market there?
It's just another inconsistency with the way things are done in town.
Pop Warner Football is a huge non-profit organization which operates in 42 states. It seems the group using FHS is the "Rhode Island Southern Mass. League," made up of the following teams: Barrington Eagles, Dartmouth Indians, Dighton/Rehoboth YF, East Bay Warriors, Fairhaven Blue Devils, Middletown Islanders YF, New Bedford Bears, Old Rochester YF, Portmouth Patriots, Sakonnet Schooners.
ReplyDeleteOne might think such a large and worthwhile organization would have a field or two of their own somewhere.
Someone explain again why Pop Warner should be allowed to displace Fairhaven residents trying to shop at a Town of Fairhaven sponsored Farmers Market which is being held on public property?
Shouldn't we be asking the person who gave authority for the games to take place at the high school? I don't know if the school department earns revenue by leasing the field, but does anyone think the field was leased without privileges of using the parking lot?
DeleteSend the footballers to Livesey Park .plenty of parking an other activities for the little kids. The answer by the high school principal is a cop out,they have control over the use of the playing field .She could inform the football league not to use the spaces near the market.If handicap spots are being used by illegal parkings the police should take action.
ReplyDeleteSadly the people of the town have absolutely no say in this. The elected School Committee claims no responsibility for Pop Warner. The School Department defers to the high school principal, who is an appointed employee who answers only to the previously mentioned entities. Convenient, no?
ReplyDeleteQuestions: How much does the Pop Warner League pay to use the town facility? Where does that money go? Who has the authority to spend it? Answer those and you'll get to the bottom of this.
Fire lanes an handicap spaces all over town are being used by lazy people,you think they would heed parking signs at the high school. There usual answer is let the cops ticket me.
ReplyDelete