Mountaindale NY After Dark

Mountaindale...Living Life Under a Microscope

2012-09-28T12:16:00.001-04:00

Most of us in this life have simple wants when it comes to where and how we live our lives...we want peaceful enjoyment of our abodes, want left alone, our business our own. Sadly, in speaking with various of my neighbors here in town, watching the ebb and flow of our small hamlet, it seems many of us feel as if our every move and action is being watched, observed and commented upon by eyes we never see as Big Brother watches and tabulates our every action as we go about our daily lives. Living under such constant surveillance at best is difficult.

This past Wednesday night several of us were talking outside the Mountaindale Inn when a Fallsburg Police Officer arrived wanting to speak to a member of staff...seems that several noise complaints had been called in by supposedly upset neighbors...odd since many of the few neighbors we have were in the bar enjoying a drink and listening to the live music. Disturbing when Ed has bent over backwards (as have his patrons) too keep noise levels down when Wednesday night Open Mic is happening. More disturbing is the FALSE NATURE of the complaints...at the time of the officer's arrival, as is often the case, several of us were monitoring the noise level with decibel reading apps we have installed on our phones...once the active and working app was shown to the officer, once it was pointed out that the sound levels were within the legal limits required after ten o'clock at night, he left not to be seen for the duration of the night.

Whoever it is that is making the noise complaints should be careful that they are not filing false complaints...the law clearly states that the decibel reading be taken in front of the property of the complaining person...odd, but I have yet to see one of the police officers show up at the property of the complaining person to take a reading to see if the noise complaint holds merit. However, several of the patrons routinely step outside after ten, our decibel meters in tow to make sure we are within the legally allowed noise limits established for our community. After while, it begins to feel like harassment...and for what purpose?

Yesterday while talking to neighbors, it seems that some in town don't like some of us parking our cars on the public street in PUBLIC PARKING SPACES. I may be wrong here, but would seem to me that the Fallsburg Police would be issuing warnings and then tickets if our residents were illegally parking on the PUBLIC streets of Mountaindale? No one owns the public streets, no private citizen has the right to tell you that you cannot park where you would like to park on public streets in public parking spaces that have no restrictions placed on them by our local governing body that I am aware of...if I am wrong on this, if a private property owner, or some citizen has a monopoly on and control of our public parking here in the hamlet, would love to know about this.

These are just two examples of living life under what feels like a microscope. I've heard stories from people who are hearing complaints that they are using too much water when they take their showers, wash their dishes and live their lives. Really? Is there a water conservation order in place that we have not been made aware of? Is my shower time is being timed, measured and graded by town of Fallsburg officials...I hope not. Others in town have been told by un-named people that their driving is inappropriate, or that they need to be a bit more careful with the language they use, or should learn to lower the modulation of their voice. Is there some secret list over in the town hall of what is and is not acceptable language and tone? Crying kids in a stroller OK, but two adults laughing over a humorous joke unacceptable...I mean there could be for all I know. After all, even though a lot of us would love to see it lifted, there is a ban on skateboarding here in the hamlet of Mountaindale. If Steve is reading this, could you tell us what we would need to do to lift that ban so that our teenagers here in the hamlet could skateboard without the fear of finding themselves running afoul of the law?

What happened to live and let live? What happened to being accommodating of others? More importantly, do we really have that many people in town who are running to the authorities about every little behavior they find distasteful in their neighbor? No one likes feeling they are living in a Gestapo State where they fear their every move is UNDER SURVEILLANCE. No one likes being told where they car or cannot park on a public street, or fearing someone is going to call in false complaints about abandoned cars. Is it possible for people to learn to embrace tolerance here in our community? Inquiring Minds want to know.

Mitt Romney and His Cronies Self Absorbed Arrogance Allowed Secret Recordings Too Happen

2012-09-18T17:06:00.002-04:00

If Those Seniors Really Knew What I Think of Them! LOL

If you watch the full video of the Mitt Romney Tapes (Romney Tape Gate), it appears conservative to state there were at least 20 well heeled (uber wealthy) rich Republicans who paid $50,000 each (minimum) to sit down and break bread with Mitt Romney. If you look at the video, you can pretty well pinpoint where the camera was placed...

So, lets think about a few things. 20 people is a conservative number for this fund raising event, but we will stick with that, and state that the dinner bill was one million dollars. It is also obvious that the patrons received very good service from those who waited on them...you know, hard working lower and middle class wait staff and kitchen help. Good service should get a 20 percent tip...we all know that did not happen, the staff did not split a $200,000 tip. In fact, would be surprised if the entire wait staff shared a tip of $1500-$2000 for their work. Fact is, if they had been properly tipped, there is a chance that video shot at the event might not have seen the light of day.

The person hosting the event, Mitt Romney and his staff never gave a thought to those working the event, saw and see them as nothing more than a part of the great uncleaned masses, saw them as WAIT STAFF and nothing more...perhaps if they had seen them as people, perhaps if they had not taken them for granted, perhaps if they had given any thought at all to this staff, a camera would not have been positioned in the staff area recording Mitt's talk. Perhaps if these self absorbed, self serving arrogant folks had really thought about it all, they would have had tighter security in the kitchen serving area, would have swept the place just before the event started, would have put the kitchen/wait staff through security screening...but the fact is, these UBER RICH folks don't see these people, do not see average people who they have deemed are beneath them at all.

Mitt Romney's words are damaging enough...the fact that someone so easily video taped this private fund raising event from start to finish speaks volumes about the stupidity of himself and his staff. Sorry, but a presidential candidate should have people around him that make sure such things don't happen.

Mitt Romney got secretly taped because he does live in a bubble, Mitt Romney got taped because he is out of touch with average every day Americans. Mitt Romney was taped because he and his staff were and are too stupid to realize that those people waiting on him and his friends are more than likely a part of that 47 percent he so disdains. Mitt Romney got taped because he does not see most people at all because we are not in his social class, are in his mind not worth being noticed, let alone acknowledged.

For Future Growth, Sullivan County CANNOT AFFORD A Property Tax Increase For 2013

2012-09-18T11:49:00.000-04:00

County Commissioners are looking at approving what could be a DOUBLE DIGIT property tax increase for 2013...lets be honest, property owners cannot afford any increase in their property taxes, and the county cannot expect much growth in our county when property taxes are already so out of line...such high property taxes DISCOURAGE NEW BUSINESS, rather than attract it.

As example, look at some of the properties for sale in our county, and the estimated property taxes (this includes all property taxes including school taxes), and it becomes crystal clear that one of the anchors holding back economic renewal in our county are the taxes on real estate...when one is looking at having to put more in the escrow account to pay property taxes than they are paying on their mortgage each month, something has to change.

There is a property for sale in Mountaindale that can be purchased for $45,000...the owners are wanting to be done with it. If one puts down 20 percent and finances the remaining $36,000 with a traditional 30 year mortgage, your monthly payment would be $171.87. However, the estimated taxes (before the county raises them) for this property come out to $3300 per year. That would require the home purchaser to put $275 per month into escrow to cover property taxes on the home...hello Houston we have a problem. Who wants to buy a home where they have to pay more per month in property taxes than they are paying on their mortgage? No wonder so many people walk away from their properties, let them go up for auction to pay off their property taxes.

Property values in our county have plummeted, yet try to get a reduction in your tax rates, and most of the time the County Auditor is going to laugh at you...why? If a home was once worth A and is now worth B in an arms length sale and that value of B is now lower than A, seems only logical that our citizens should see their property taxes lowered rather than raised doesn't it?

No one likes cutting services, or losing some of their perks, but maybe it is time that the County Commissioners here in Sullivan County find ways to TIGHTEN THEIR BELTS, rather than raising property taxes that are already out of line.

How about an across the board cut of say 10 percent? How about figuring out ways for the county offices to use less electricity...trust me, go through the budget and you would be surprised at how much the county ways to keep the proverbial lights on. Perhaps they need to ask county employees to pay a bigger share of their health care costs, or ask police officers and others to pay for their own uniforms, rather than handing out generous clothing allowances that we the tax payers pay for...no one pays the tab on the clothing we need to go to work. Maybe it is time for some PAY CUTS...studies show that those on the government payroll earn on average 40 percent more than their private sector counterparts doing the same work.

Raising property taxes is NOT GOOD for the county's property owners, and in the long run not good for the future growth of our county. In this economy our elected officials should be looking for ways to cut costs, rather than looking to already financially strapped households to take yet another hit on their family budgets.