Some Thoughts on Consolidation
Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:58 pm
I am posting this as a new topic rather than on one of the several threads for two reasons:
1. I do not want this post to be seen as a reply to any other specific post either in agreement
or rebuttal.
2. Some of the existing threads are quite lengthy, and I don't want to get lost in the crowd.
People have been searching for facts. I call these facts, you can call them anything you want.
Broadly speaking:
St. James twp. Tends to lean to the left politically, and is a more urban township.
Peaine twp. tends to lean to the right politically, and is more rural.
The two townships are polar opposites. The needs and concerns of the residents are different.
I believe St. James elected Hillary "Queen of the North", while Peaine helped "The Donald" on his way.
The concentration of the population in St James requires rules that might not be appropriate for Peaine. The leaf burning ban is a tiny example. That the many jointly operated services continue to function is proof to me that two dissimilar townships can cooperate on things when necessary without having to compromise on their basic beliefs.That's the end of my "facts". In my opinion, based on my first marriage, if opposites attract, and then consolidate, the result is not a smooth running efficient entity.
The mention of "personal gain" contrasted against "the good of the community" in some of the posts brings up another point I would like to make: I have one vote, as do you (if you are registered on the island), and when I vote I will have one overriding thought in mind: My Own Personal Gain. Here is why: I am 100% of my household, 1/30 of my church, and 1/300 of Peaine twp. If I prosper, my household prospers, and from that, 1/30 of my church prospers, and 1/300 of Peaine prospers. There will be those who do not prosper at any given time for various reasons, and only if I have prospered beyond my own needs, can I be of help to them. In other words, if I am to be a worthwhile contributor to this community, my existence must be PROFITABLE. I emphasize that word because it is in such disrepute today. The community can only prosper if a majority of its members prosper, and since I know more than anyone else does about what I need to prosper, I will vote for those needs. I strongly urge you to do the same because I want you to prosper also, since you and I may have to work together to help someone else. And you know more about what you need than anyone else does. We do not need to unite two dissimilar political entities, we need to unite as individuals. What must be remembered is, I Am The Community. You Are The Community. What is good for You and Me is what is good for the community. This is not selfishness. This is reality. Every "I" in this paragraph is also a "You"
One more thing.
The larger the government grows, the less appropriate for the individual are the decisions it makes, and the less important each individual becomes. In each township each vote is about 1/300 of the whole. Each vote then is quite important. If we consolidate, each vote is 1/600. So each vote has lost half of it's power, and with it half of it's importance. And the half of the power of your vote that you have given away will go to someone who tends to disagree with you. You can tell me that every vote is important, and I will tell you that no matter how you voted we would still have King Donald. But not long ago I believe there was a tie in St James and and it was decided by a coin toss? How important would one more vote have been?
I am a property owner in Peaine twp. and I will not be voting for consolidation.
Bill Detwiler
PS My heart goes out to you who pay more taxes than I and can not vote. That is not as it should be. If memory serves, that's why we fought England back in '76.
1. I do not want this post to be seen as a reply to any other specific post either in agreement
or rebuttal.
2. Some of the existing threads are quite lengthy, and I don't want to get lost in the crowd.
People have been searching for facts. I call these facts, you can call them anything you want.
Broadly speaking:
St. James twp. Tends to lean to the left politically, and is a more urban township.
Peaine twp. tends to lean to the right politically, and is more rural.
The two townships are polar opposites. The needs and concerns of the residents are different.
I believe St. James elected Hillary "Queen of the North", while Peaine helped "The Donald" on his way.
The concentration of the population in St James requires rules that might not be appropriate for Peaine. The leaf burning ban is a tiny example. That the many jointly operated services continue to function is proof to me that two dissimilar townships can cooperate on things when necessary without having to compromise on their basic beliefs.That's the end of my "facts". In my opinion, based on my first marriage, if opposites attract, and then consolidate, the result is not a smooth running efficient entity.
The mention of "personal gain" contrasted against "the good of the community" in some of the posts brings up another point I would like to make: I have one vote, as do you (if you are registered on the island), and when I vote I will have one overriding thought in mind: My Own Personal Gain. Here is why: I am 100% of my household, 1/30 of my church, and 1/300 of Peaine twp. If I prosper, my household prospers, and from that, 1/30 of my church prospers, and 1/300 of Peaine prospers. There will be those who do not prosper at any given time for various reasons, and only if I have prospered beyond my own needs, can I be of help to them. In other words, if I am to be a worthwhile contributor to this community, my existence must be PROFITABLE. I emphasize that word because it is in such disrepute today. The community can only prosper if a majority of its members prosper, and since I know more than anyone else does about what I need to prosper, I will vote for those needs. I strongly urge you to do the same because I want you to prosper also, since you and I may have to work together to help someone else. And you know more about what you need than anyone else does. We do not need to unite two dissimilar political entities, we need to unite as individuals. What must be remembered is, I Am The Community. You Are The Community. What is good for You and Me is what is good for the community. This is not selfishness. This is reality. Every "I" in this paragraph is also a "You"
One more thing.
The larger the government grows, the less appropriate for the individual are the decisions it makes, and the less important each individual becomes. In each township each vote is about 1/300 of the whole. Each vote then is quite important. If we consolidate, each vote is 1/600. So each vote has lost half of it's power, and with it half of it's importance. And the half of the power of your vote that you have given away will go to someone who tends to disagree with you. You can tell me that every vote is important, and I will tell you that no matter how you voted we would still have King Donald. But not long ago I believe there was a tie in St James and and it was decided by a coin toss? How important would one more vote have been?
I am a property owner in Peaine twp. and I will not be voting for consolidation.
Bill Detwiler
PS My heart goes out to you who pay more taxes than I and can not vote. That is not as it should be. If memory serves, that's why we fought England back in '76.