THE UPSIDE AND DOWNSIDE OF IT ALL

     I recently read that before making a decision one should think of the upside and then the downside of that decision and the side it comes down to and then answer the question as to whether it is worth it. I thought that pretty good advice and so am sharing it with you, my readers. Just stopping to think about these pros and cons, upsides and downsides and evaluating it in the first place, often makes us wonder if we should ignore the whole thing or take another path.
     Recently, at a committee meeting, David Israel said that he, and only he, was suited to be president of UCO for he knows all there is to know about it and the Village. Modest, huh? Well, sorry to bust your bubble, Davey boy, but there are many people here who are long term Villagers and know lots as well and moreover, know where the bodies are buried and what the Village really needs. There are people here with functioning brains, with new ideas, rather than the dusty old ones that sit inside your head, refusing to think of anything other than schemes to rid the Village of your opponents and get that blasted Broadband (Wi Fi) installed, whether we need it or not! And actually already have all that we need for our Internet users here in the Village.
     Have you ever sat down and thought of the upsides and downsides of some of your plans? Obviously not, for if you had, we would not be walking on these truly decrepit roads. Yesterday I was by the inner pool of Wellington, in the cul de sac and what a disaster road over there. Cracked, sandy, pebbly, just waiting for someone to lose balance and fall and this is not the only place in the Village to look like that. Did you ever evaluate the downside of choosing M&M Paving for this and for the manner in which you rammed it thru, paid for it? Is there an upside?.........Nope.
     What is the downside of keeping this administration in office? Lots and lots. No new ideas. No apparent regret for their previous misdeeds. No apparent regret over the fascistic and anti democratic deeds they have perpetrated on the Village. What, you might ask? Well, the closing of the media to opponents - no paper, no radio, no TV, no meeting rooms, no pools, no WPRF facilities and perhaps even a collusion with outside the Village people and organizations to commit nefarious acts. The information on that is being investigated. Or we have the demeaning and intimidation of others who oppose David and his camp and this is the man who so coyly says that well, maybe he is running and maybe not, but actually he is the only worthy one, but anyway, let him toot his own horn in an article in The Rag while blocking his opponents, those who want the best for the Village and not for their own personal self aggrandizement. A small and limited, very limited, coterie of people who run UCO to the exclusion of the rest of the residents. "Nuff upside and downside yet?
     Well, here is some more. The upside of Phyllis Richland as president. Experience. Knowledge. A good heart. An open mind. Contacts within the outside community. People skills. A solid core and a growing core of supporters who are all tired of the garbage going on here for so long. An openness to all, a desire and a promise for inclusion. A sense of humor and an ability to poke fun at herself - try that one on for size, David. New ideas and a welcoming of new ideas and suggestions. A proper idea of financial stability rather than malfeasance. A willingness to reach out to struggling associations before they collapse and turn into slums and motels for David's friends such as Kelly.
     The upside of it all is a functioning UCO with Phyllis as president and fresh air throughout, new people in office, no multiple votes for the same person, no multiple office and position holders, a rejuvenated UCO Reporter rather than a bigoted Pennysaver, free and open access to all WPRF facilities for all - we pay rent - we are owed equal access. The list can go on and on.
     Finally we are at the last stage - is it worth it all? Emphatically YES!!! To rid the Village of poisonous deadwood, of selfish people, of those who act as if they were elected - yet are not - to finally bring us back to financial transparency and honesty, to accept a forensic audit if called for, to have a new sense of enthusiasm in our home - what can not be worth it there?
    So.....the answer is clear. Phyllis for President and peruse the names of other candidates for other positions and remember - upside, downside and the worthiness of it all.
   

And finally, I have been keeping count of the results of the terror attacks in Israel -And in the ongoing viciousness in Israel, where Israel is being blamed for killing the attacker - as we did in California - here are the latest statistics and please remember that attacks are being thwarted every day, multiple times a day.

Total in Israel for October, November, December:  24 dead, 248 wounded, too many to count in shock. From the elderly to the young, Jew and even  Palestinians are  being killed in these attacks, stabbed, hacked, axed, shot, rammed by cars, walking in the streets of Israel, going about their business. And the attacks continue and we wait, knowing that more are to come even as the world blames the Israelis, the victims. Were we not there before? Has the world learned anything from its past? And the count rises and our babies are being killed but does anyone hear a word about that? Dead silence.

But today I must add 14 more, not from Israel, not living in any "settlement' in Israel, just Jews going about their business, daring to go to synagogue - and for their actions - 14 members of the Jewish community of Bonneuil-sur-Marne are poisoned by a toxin  applied to the keypad lock of the synagogue.  You see, we must be honest here. It has nothing to do with settlements or land or supposed quests for peace or the sharing of a tiny piece of land or anything else but hatred of Jews, plain old, bad old anti -Semitism and is it not about time that we all acknowledge this and the dark side of too many in this world. And remember, hatred does not stop at one but instead seeks to further send out its tendrils of hate and death.