Welcome to the Ravine

Living in a small city in upstate NY has its advantages.  The countryside, weather (seasons!) and proximity to just about any cultural or recreational venue is well known and certainly appreciated in these parts.  It is also a place of very, very slow progress. Excruciatingly slow! Entrenched, good ole' boys, too many friends, slow! I will use this site to muse about the good and the sad- how we take care of our basic needs in society, locally and globally. The micro and the macro.  And, sadly, the utter lack of leadership and accountability on the part of our so called leaders.

I should say I am "liberal" in thought (I am not sure how anyone can be otherwise) but mostly "conservative" in acting.  But that begs the question of what these words actually mean. I think we, as a community, should have an all encompassing, broad societal view, but be careful and smart in the implementation and conservation of resources.  That creates (apparently) nuances that some just don't have the means to handle. That is our society's fundamental problem...

Ironically, as I am writing this, the city is dredging Hallacks Ravine (the correct spelling? I have seen it spelled various ways- I am going with what looks good to me).  This is after Hurricane Irene posed potential flooding to a main street (Genesee, as many in cities upstate N.Y. name their key artery).  Having happened a few times in recent years, the politicians, who previously took the heat, are now making sure that flooding will not happen again, at least while they are in office. The solution is mind boggling.

As I watch the dredging, I can help but think of how little sense it all makes.  It will just silt in again as it did from an earlier spring dredging. My wife and I predicted the repeat of the situation as we watched in June. The problem was not solved. And worse, as I look at the work being done this afternoon, the result is most likely to destroy the natural beauty of this city's natural treasure.

And there is the rub. This is a theme in our politics these days; probably has always been that way. But this condition comes from a lack of education, no clear sense of community and the paranoid need for politicians to look good (like they are doing something) rather than truly solve problems.  Many good people work hard to make improvements, no doubt. But good leadership is missing in all too many cases. The very workers (contract, not city) who were dredging the ravine today to "solve the problem," actually left their empty coffee cups behind in the ravine, trash as it were. Who do they answer to? So who cares????

If you look for "happy talk," this won't be the place.  That kind of cheerleading leads to more of the same. A critical eye and predisposition is necessary. It is not being negative as the "leaders" would have you believe. Just the opposite. Nothing ever improves or progresses when the closed or uncritical mind is at work.

I am not a politician. I don't have the demeanor or lack of shame to play that game.  But I will speak.  If your are listening, let me know.

So welcome, please feel free to respond.  The community needs it.