me 55, born in 58, 5th child, on the 25th, mom born in 25...it seemed like a lot,
anyway, we are now part of a "virtual neighborhood". It is a listserv of town residents. When I close my eyes I still see the houses of the neighbors of my youth,The Pfeiffers, The Stahlhuts, The Jennings', The Kuethes', Braziers, and many more...
Now with a new found outlet to speak to my neighbors I have not know for the 30 years I have lived in the neighborhood, have been wanting to connect about a few issues I find imperative. So I wrote the entry below and thought I would log it in my blog as a time marker. Hoping for change but not counting on the change being what I want. Just something better.
If I get no response, OK, I will stick with sharing feelings with my worldwide web of bloggers, friends, musicians, artists, photographers, activists, and fellow poets. If I get a response, perhaps I will finally feel I have arrived at a neighborhood. If positive, a kindred neighborhood. If negative, well, sorry, I am entitled to feel however I feel.
If something here offends you, just push the I/o button in the o direction.
mary e. gerdt,
55 trips around the sun.
God do I miss Mom at times like this...
I fully support everything Jane and Nate Palmer say...and I hope other Monkton residents will stand there too. It is unfortunate the black suited lawyers and lobbyists seem to have all the power, eh? This proposed pipeline (anybody see a map yet?), is being crammed down our throats by a Canadian conglomerate to feed a rich college town and a paper mill That Already Gets Gas!!!
They want a 2 way RACEWAY...anybody get the visual?
Meanwhile the Selectboard seems to passively yawn which leads me to believe they have blessed this.
So why do we pay all the conservation taxes and taxpayers pay to preserve land if we are just going to become, let's face it, Transmission Fields...WRONG, all Wrong!
Why not criminal charges or sanction for what looked like deceptive practices against our great and vulnerable neighbors.
It makes me sick to think the town would let them stomp people like them.
Next, have you experienced not being noticed by the town for a meeting or a application/permit that you had a right to know/be at? Let's change that.
Next, have you been the victim of a delinquent tax sale in Monkton where there are questions about the proper procedure or even, is this like other towns do it? If enough people connected who are as disgruntled as I have been, perhaps we could really change this Draconian, 6 months late, we sell your property thing.
I was told it would never change. Don't do well with never.
Next, I will be publishing all the letters I have sent the town on my blog. It can be a test of, well, what works, what doesn't. Is anyone as frustrated as I am? Or, Mary you are all wet! Ok. I am a big girl (no comments). I can take criticism. Likewise, if others feel like I do, the front porch is truly helping me feel part of a neighborhood and have hope we can connect even though you may be a couple hills over. I hope if there is common sense, ethical reform possible, I hope we can recreate the kind of town Everyone wants to be a part of. Not just the Yellers, the Bullys, the This, the That. The Pipeline people? Ran roughshod over this town. Ripe for the picking I would say. Can the Selectboard choose to engage in fights for the little people instead of looking for new zoning restrictions? Can we put a moratorium on going after people like gravel diggers? (I could have used some local gravel when my driveway washed away).and people too poor to pay taxes this year...instead of raise taxes and shorten tolerance.
i found out
