WHAT'S GOIN' ON II

     It seems that there are people here in the Village who cannot read nor hear right. Yesterday, a question was asked on David Israel's blog about dumpster diving. The first answer was ridiculous - encourage raccoons so that dumpster divers would be scared away. Brilliant! 'Nuff said about that stupidity.
     David Israel's supposed answer was to suggest that everyone get a shredder so as to protect against ID theft. That happens to be correct, but the dumpster diving here is for the metal that is discarded, which the divers pick up for resale. In all the time I have seen divers, I have seen them going for the metal, liking a piece of furniture that was discarded or worst of all, looking for discarded food. That one break my heart. But never have I seen anyone opening up bags of garbage, spreading them out to look for papers or throwing these bags into cars and trunks. So, as usual, not answered to the point. Quelle surprise!
Now we go on to the rest of what is happening here in the Village. So, thousands of dollars spent and boasted about and our vaunted camera system at the gate BROKE DOWN and nobody noticed except for Clarence who seems to pay close attention to it. So - where are our watchers? Where is our Big Brother keeping us safe from ourselves? I dunno - and neither does anyone else, apparently.
     Then of course we come back to the finances of our Village. Never in all my life, in all my days of working with my own budget or a school's budget or an organization's budget have I ever seen such a mess. The numbers change so often that we would be wise to invest in Whiteout! Where and how and why these numbers keep changing is amazing. It is not a dollar or two but literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. Wish I could find cash like that, just lying around for the taking - or imagining!
     The Treasurer, Howie O'Brien must take steps to decide what is the truth and back it up. The budget is not an item made to mess around and conform to someone's desires and orders. It is made to fit to one's needs and funds and that is it!.
     And how about the Wi Fi funds. First David Israel says oh, yes, they must be transferred to the general reserve funds and then he says no - we have found money. Hallelujah! So we will keep the Wi Fi funds. The fact that more and more associations are opting out even has hit him as he stated at a committee meeting that the Wi Fi is not such a slam dunk anymore. Yes!!! People are beginning to understand exactly what is going on around here.
     Of course, in this whole garbage brouhaha, Petey Boy has to make one of his asinine comments and contends that Olga and I are the queens of garbage. Well, Petey Boy, you immature little fellow, the reason we appear to know so much about garbage is that we have become experts at discerning all the garbage that comes pouring out of UCO and your mouths. And I will restate what I have said ever so many times. I DO NOT CARE WHO IT IS AT THE HELM OF UCO, ONLY THAT THINGS ARE DONE RIGHT WITH THE NEEDS OF THE RESIDENTS AT HEART AND IN FIRST PLACE. Match that, little boy.
     Now for the good stuff that makes this place a great place to reside. Late yesterday  I met with a group of lovely and warm people in a corner of the Village I have never been in before. A nice gentleman went to get his map of the Village and we perused it under a magnifying glass until we found what I was looking for and then he continued his walk and I went on to practice some rusty French! Quelle pleasure! 
     These lovely residents contrasted so much more when compared to the nasty reception given to people who were here for the sad act of cleaning out a parent's and grandparent's apartment and needed a question answered. A UCO person - they were not given a name - snapped and barked and they finally did the smart thing, called us and we were able to help them. Imagine this multiplied by the hundreds with people who are thinking of buying here. No curb appeal in that either! Get with the program. People skills are a must and it is sad that so many who purport to work for UCO, for the residents, do not, and overshadow those wonderful people who do help and who are pleasant.
Would that we could do a sorting out of the wheat from the chaff.
     We could have the paradise we all wish this to be if only there would be cooperation and not such a fear of losing and control on the part of some people. Would that it were so.