Middle Township is in a quandary over errant, misplaced shopping carts. Parts of Ocean City are flooded when it rains, and affected voters are fit to be tied. In Wildwood Crest, the prospect of a dog park has divided the borough against barks and growls. Stone Harbor plans a new police building, but some there aren’t a bit happy with it, but then, they are getting a new library.
Lower Township and North Wildwood ceded municipal control to Republicans for lack of Democrats. What else does “No Petition Field” mean?
In Upper Township, a Grand Canyon-like divide exists regarding the B.L. England generating plant’s proposed switch to natural gas. Woodbine’s borough solons can’t seem to get face time with the school board and taxes there are likely to rise.
Wildwood announced Tim McGraw will croon country tunes on the sand before an ocean of faces July 4. Out in “Cooler by a Mile” Avalon, the hot curse of Japanese black pine trees fate has invoked consternation among conservationists who puzzle whether clear-cutting is necessary on the dunes.
Sea Isle City thought it nailed down the F.A.R. (It means floor area ratio, but even college professors can’t figure it out) flap, only to have it blow up again like a cheap roof job.
Cape May’s in a dilemma over beach slope (let the Army worry about it?) and what to do about its police department’s top man.
Tiny West Wildwood, which fancies itself to be a modern-day Mayberry, also seems ill at ease, like the Hatfields and McCoys.
Dennis Township would appear an oasis of serenity, were it not for the ATV Spout Offs that continue to flow like floodwater.
Cape May Point, the state’s southern tip, continues to regale in its tree and vegetation ordinance, striking a fitful balance between man and nature. West Cape May, which clings to agricultural roots even though they’re fast fading, is looking forward to its strawberry festival in Wilbraham Park June 4. Yes, it’s also where the Lima Bean Festival will be held later in the year, beans willing.
Amid all that, there beats a somber drum. This information garnered not from a politician or pundit in a dandy suit, but a humble plumber. Yes, a man whose days are spent crawling around leaky pipes and clogged drains recently delivered a bit of intelligence from the homes where he’s worked.
He offered those were homes of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. What he found scary was virtually every one of them told him the same thing: Something’s wrong in this country, and it needs fixing. Not a philosopher, he acknowledged almost to a person, those for whom he’s repaired hot water tanks and out-of-commission toilets believe something dreadfully wrong, and it must be fixed if we are to hand off this land to a fresh-faced generation. It is as if the train of state has derailed, and we’re searching for an engineer who can put things back on track.
I believe the man is onto something. He said his home was surrounded on three sides by those existing in government-funded free housing. One chap from there had the audacity to crawl through his rear window and stole stuff. You’d be irate too.
“If he was healthy enough to go through my back window, he’s good enough to find a job,” quoted the plumber. There’s the byte. Loafing has been made easy; work is loathed like poison ivy. The guy crawling through the muck to make a buck pays taxes so the oaf next door gets a free ride. That’s wrong, and it needs to be fixed.
Until that outlook changes, (fat chance) along with a few other societal fine-tunings, continued chaos will be the order of the day.
A Facebook friend opined in a recent post that he wonders about the future and where his grandchildren will be in years to come, given the sad state of the nation and world. A similar thought crossed my mind as I sat on the back step with my 2-year-old granddaughter.
I looked into her eyes, and she stared back as if I had all the answers. That’s how little children are, trusting and hopeful. I choked back tears thinking what it will be like for her and my two other grandchildren. This is not the world I envisioned for their future.
I’d love to know the answer, as would you, dear reader. Who has that answer? Who?
