Its the weekend ...

Yesterday I received a "not for publication" e-mail.  I usually get two or three of those a week.  I honored the request, always have. 

It actually was a nice one.  It provided me with a bit of a pick me up. I appreciated the comments. I really did.  Truth be told, I wouldn't have posted it anyway.  As bad as you think I handle criticism, I am a pick-up game right fielder when it comes to compliments.

I just want to note, as I have occasionally in the past, that this blogging exercise is really a mental catharsis for me. It is.  Perhaps some things are best left unsaid, but for me it is in a large part a way of letting off some steam, usually in a more civil manner than perhaps I find capable at other times.  

There also could be just a bit of "creative license" involved when I continue to harp on not getting it.  Truth be told, I usually get most of it. Still there is a point or two at least that escapes my bizarre reality, but hey it is what it is. If everyone's reality was the same, no Da Vinci, Monet, Dali, and ... well you get it.

While I harbor no illusions of any of my works ever be sitting in a museum or becoming literary masterpieces, if I have one bit of egotistical design in doing this blog it is perhaps just maybe, after reading something, you might think about some point or issue in a different way, really think.  

I am not looking to make you change your mind. How mind boggling dull would that be if we all agreed all the time.

But hey ... if I can get you to come over from the dark side, more the better.

Think through the opposite point of view.  Still don't agree, more power to you.  Sincerely. At least try and understand the opposite point of view.  

As my anonymous correspondent pointed out yesterday, if not wisdom perhaps patience comes with age, I think it in fact does. Believe it or not I have a whole lot more patience for some things now than I ever did.  

The few instances where the reverse is true, well call that anxiety, because being a stickler for time, I have just seen and keep seeing time running out in a great many ways on too many issues.  I keep hearing about what we have to do, and the clock ticking and nothing getting done.  Nothing is new on that front on that front.  

Patience for everything? Not sure I will make it long enough for that though.

Moving on ...

Several times recently when blogging I have asked people about changes in government structure.  Some have made suggestions, some have offered complaints.

One thing I would not change relative to the quaint New England way of doing things, and that is town meeting.  We can argue about open vs. representative, employees voting on their own raises, fickle crowds, and the host of other things that people seem to dislike.

I for one actually believe the concept of Town Meeting does work. It should remain. Nothing more need be said, but it will be.

There may reach a point in time where the concept becomes outdated. Not sure even I have the imagination to envision that time would or should come.

There is little in our government structure that is older than the concept of town meeting.  There is nothing in that structure that works better in my opinion.  It is the ultimate in the concept of checks and balance.

The collective wisdom of the body over the years cannot be argued with.  Sure you may feel that there have been some decisions that were made which were wrong decisions.   Yet point to me a change that would result in a better decision making body?

The main gripe that seems to be the common thread is the "conflict of interest" with employees.  It is actually a gripe that I do get, but don't agree with.  Sorry but if the "stacking" argument is your biggest fear well first run for town meeting and try and grab that seat.  Get involved.  If you you have done that, well work to get other like minded individuals involved.  Do your own stacking.

Secondly, if there should be a "conflict" rule, well fine, except make sure it is applied on all votes.  Wouldn't that be a hoot?  Heck, we would end up blocking out days for meetings.  While such an inconvenience should never be a reason in and off itself not to do something, the implications of the same should be looked at as to just how many people end up voting on matters which another may view as a "conflict".  which but for the law that there is no conflict, would be a conflict.

The long and the short of it is the law states town meeting members have no conflict when voting at town meeting.  If the requirement was people could only run for reasons other than specific issues, well we would end up with either the most impartial body in history or an empty room.

I know, very pat arguments and nothing deep on the concept.

Having sat through more meetings than I care to recall, I have seen Town Meeting actually not do what it is accused of doing, and more often than not.  I have seen it vote against raises, increasing the town share of health insurance premiums, turn down other "self-interest" requests.

Does it at times fall for the Motherhood and apple pie arguments, in my opinion sure it does.  Yet it falls prey to those arguments less often than numerous boards and committees. I mean very less often.

Me, I love Town Meeting.  I don't always agree with the outcome on votes, yet I always do my best to accept those votes.

Okay enough on that.  I am sure you are not in a mood for a long dissertation on the benefits of Town Meeting.  Whatever flaws may exist, for a community of our size it is as good as it gets, and in my opinion that is very good.

We can all be tinkers when trying to work on that particular utensil.  Let's just try to be really good ones (yes tinkers, although thinkers would be appropriate to).  When we hammer out the dents in our favorite stirring spoon, the goal should never be the simple elimination of the dents. We want to make sure we still end up with a spoon instead of a new spatula.

Anyway ...

But you all knew that anyway, right?

Enough for today.

Be safe.