It turns out, that despite the selectmen's best efforts to negotiate the deal the the Wampanoags without giving the people a chance to speak, the people of Middleboro will finally have their voice heard. According to town counsel, the deal can not be signed with out Town Meeting approval.
In reflecting on this whole situation, I think what bothers me most about having the casino come to town is not even the casino it self. It was the power hungry people who somehow got it in their heads that it was ok to negotiate a deal that no matter how you look at it, will affect each and every member of this town, without hearing what the town thought. It was the fact that they sold the land to the Wampanoags, knowing full well what the intentions of the tribe were, and did it without consulting the town.
The real bottom line? It pisses me off when people in charge take advantage of their so called power. How can you consider yourself a representative of the people, and then go ahead and make major decisions without the townspeople's consent?
Yes, I still have some serious reservations (no pun intended) regarding whether Middleboro is the right place for a casino. I still have concerns regarding how, with a multi-million dollar resort in town, the rural country character of the community will be preserved. I also recognize that change is inevitable. There can't be economic growth with out change.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Another Insightful Emily Moment
"Mom, is this attitude problem I have had lately part of my growing up?"
My answer for those who may be curious, was that yes, it is to a degree (hormones are a wonderful thing aren't they?) but that she also should be able to exert some control over it, as she matures.
It;s good though that she at least recognizes that she has an attitude. Knowing is half the battle, right?
My answer for those who may be curious, was that yes, it is to a degree (hormones are a wonderful thing aren't they?) but that she also should be able to exert some control over it, as she matures.
It;s good though that she at least recognizes that she has an attitude. Knowing is half the battle, right?
I Believe...
...in grassroots democracy. Everyone deserves a say in the decisions that will affect their lives.
...in social justice and equal opportunity. Everyone should have the rights to benefit equally from society's resources and the environment.
...that same sex marriage should be legal. The choice is personal, and should not be decided by any one else.
...in the right to choose. Similar to same sex marriage, the choice to have an abortion or not should be decided by the people involved (the mother and the father)and no one else.
...federally funded stem cell research. The possibilities with stem cell research seem endless, and to not fund this type of research, that could potentially save millions of lives seems wrong.
...a free market economy. The only people making rules about how businesses are run and how things are priced should be the people who own the business in question.
...unions. I have been a "member" of one for my entire life and honestly, can't say anything bad about them. I feel for those who lose work because a union company gets the job, but that's about it.
...that if the federal government has the power to hold the schools accountable for certain standards, then the federal government should adequately fund the Department Of Education. Individual states and towns should follow suit. What I really believe though, is that the federal government should but the heck out of the whole thing all together. That doesn't seem to be a likely scenario though, so they should at least back up their rules and regulations with the money to enforce them.
...individual rights should be maximized, with little to no government involvement.
The quiz I posted the other day inspired me to write this. After careful consideration of how I really felt, I have decided that the quiz results seem invalid. It certainly appears by this belief statement that I am in favor of much "less government" than a socialist society would have. Any kind of a centralized government setting seems inherently wrong, on many levels.
Some of these beliefs seem to contradict each other a bit (for example the free market economy and the pro union beliefs). Sometimes, things just aren't black and white, I guess.
Based on this belief statement, I would say that my choice to register as an independent (unaffiliated or whatever it is called now) was a good one. I don't think I can honestly define myself as being a member of one party or another. When it comes to voting, I have always voted for whoever I liked any way, not ever taking in to consideration which party they associated themselves with. My line of thinking has always been, if I like what you stand for, you get my vote. It's a fairly simple thing, it seems.
The question though, still remains, what am I? Republican? Democrat? Libertarian? Green Party? Socialist? Capitalist? Anything else?
What do you think?
...in social justice and equal opportunity. Everyone should have the rights to benefit equally from society's resources and the environment.
...that same sex marriage should be legal. The choice is personal, and should not be decided by any one else.
...in the right to choose. Similar to same sex marriage, the choice to have an abortion or not should be decided by the people involved (the mother and the father)and no one else.
...federally funded stem cell research. The possibilities with stem cell research seem endless, and to not fund this type of research, that could potentially save millions of lives seems wrong.
...a free market economy. The only people making rules about how businesses are run and how things are priced should be the people who own the business in question.
...unions. I have been a "member" of one for my entire life and honestly, can't say anything bad about them. I feel for those who lose work because a union company gets the job, but that's about it.
...that if the federal government has the power to hold the schools accountable for certain standards, then the federal government should adequately fund the Department Of Education. Individual states and towns should follow suit. What I really believe though, is that the federal government should but the heck out of the whole thing all together. That doesn't seem to be a likely scenario though, so they should at least back up their rules and regulations with the money to enforce them.
...individual rights should be maximized, with little to no government involvement.
The quiz I posted the other day inspired me to write this. After careful consideration of how I really felt, I have decided that the quiz results seem invalid. It certainly appears by this belief statement that I am in favor of much "less government" than a socialist society would have. Any kind of a centralized government setting seems inherently wrong, on many levels.
Some of these beliefs seem to contradict each other a bit (for example the free market economy and the pro union beliefs). Sometimes, things just aren't black and white, I guess.
Based on this belief statement, I would say that my choice to register as an independent (unaffiliated or whatever it is called now) was a good one. I don't think I can honestly define myself as being a member of one party or another. When it comes to voting, I have always voted for whoever I liked any way, not ever taking in to consideration which party they associated themselves with. My line of thinking has always been, if I like what you stand for, you get my vote. It's a fairly simple thing, it seems.
The question though, still remains, what am I? Republican? Democrat? Libertarian? Green Party? Socialist? Capitalist? Anything else?
What do you think?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Emily Discovers Her Philosophical Side
Me (thinking out loud): "How does the kitchen get so messy? I don't understand."
Emily: "There are a lot of things in life Mom, that people just don't understand."
She is so insightful sometimes at the ripe old age of 10, that it's scary.
Emily: "There are a lot of things in life Mom, that people just don't understand."
She is so insightful sometimes at the ripe old age of 10, that it's scary.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Weekend in Review
When I don't update all weekend, it usually means that we were busy. This weekend was no exception!
Friday afternoon I met John so that he could take Emily out to dinner and then to Suzanne's. Emily spent the weekend with Suzanne and the day at Six Flags New England on Saturday. Not surprisingly, she went on a roller coaster that went upside downby herself. All I can say is I am glad I wasn't there because I probably would have died watching her. On Friday night, Kelly and I went down to Warwick, RI to see the pictures Tracey had entered in to the photography open at the Warwick Arts Museum. Her pictures were amazing! After an amazing ride around Warwick which involved a big circle around town, we ended up at the Providence Place Mall and the Cheesecake Factory. It was a nice, impromptu night out with the girls, which, I think we all needed!
Saturday came and Ryun, Katherine, Julia and I went over to family friends' birthday party. The had a blow up water slide thing that the girls had fun on. Julia was a little overwhelmed with all of the big kids acting crazy on it but there were other things she could use so she was all set. Katherine somehow managed to get the wind knocked out of her. She ran over to me and said in a voice that sounded like it had no "air" in it, "I don't feel good" and promptly collapsed on the ground. It was a little scary for a minute but she managed to get up, sit in a chair and have a drink and was fine. She keeps complaining now though, when she sits really hard or does anything that involves running, that she feels like she is going to throw up...like a passing wave of nausea or something. It's a little weird I think so, I will keep an eye on it and see what happens. On Saturday night, Katherine, Julia and I went to Heather's apartment and spent the night at her place. We went to the bonfire in Hanover first which was an awesome thing to watch. Julia and Katherine were appropriately impressed.
We met Suzanne and Emily in Weymouth for breakfast and then spent the afternoon at my parents house in the pool/hot tub.
All in all, it was a great weekend!
Friday afternoon I met John so that he could take Emily out to dinner and then to Suzanne's. Emily spent the weekend with Suzanne and the day at Six Flags New England on Saturday. Not surprisingly, she went on a roller coaster that went upside downby herself. All I can say is I am glad I wasn't there because I probably would have died watching her. On Friday night, Kelly and I went down to Warwick, RI to see the pictures Tracey had entered in to the photography open at the Warwick Arts Museum. Her pictures were amazing! After an amazing ride around Warwick which involved a big circle around town, we ended up at the Providence Place Mall and the Cheesecake Factory. It was a nice, impromptu night out with the girls, which, I think we all needed!
Saturday came and Ryun, Katherine, Julia and I went over to family friends' birthday party. The had a blow up water slide thing that the girls had fun on. Julia was a little overwhelmed with all of the big kids acting crazy on it but there were other things she could use so she was all set. Katherine somehow managed to get the wind knocked out of her. She ran over to me and said in a voice that sounded like it had no "air" in it, "I don't feel good" and promptly collapsed on the ground. It was a little scary for a minute but she managed to get up, sit in a chair and have a drink and was fine. She keeps complaining now though, when she sits really hard or does anything that involves running, that she feels like she is going to throw up...like a passing wave of nausea or something. It's a little weird I think so, I will keep an eye on it and see what happens. On Saturday night, Katherine, Julia and I went to Heather's apartment and spent the night at her place. We went to the bonfire in Hanover first which was an awesome thing to watch. Julia and Katherine were appropriately impressed.
We met Suzanne and Emily in Weymouth for breakfast and then spent the afternoon at my parents house in the pool/hot tub.
All in all, it was a great weekend!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Pictures Of The Girls
A cute smile from Julia!
Julia demonstrates her "mad" face!
Julia loves to be splashed in the pool, which I think is evident in this picture!
Emily and Katherine all dressed up for Flag Day!
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