Monday, December 26, 2011

Pardon Me Andy Rooney

There have been lost of things going through my head lately and I thought of how Andy Rooney would complain about random things, so I am going to take a page from him.

Did you ever wonder what makes people think that a last ditch effort to make someone else look bad was ever thought to be effective?  The borough council meeting on December 21st was painful to say the least.  It's not as if after the second person got up who lived in the same neighborhood or even the same street that the agenda was not known.  I sat there rather irritated at the childish antics that had emerged, through a poem that had no place in council chambers and questions that the answers had been given over and over again and then even a personal attack on Jamie Bruton.  I thought what do they really think they are going to accomplish other than make themselves look silly and a bit vindictive?  Then those very same people left once they had tried their best to humiliate council members and other issues were discussed which effect their lives just as much, but I will leave their motives to you to figure out as they were quite transparent.

Did you ever wonder why people think that just because they are family of friends that they can take advantage of you?  My husband and I had just that experience.  There was contract in place and what was done is a clear violation of said contract, but to take it to court would cost more than at this point it is worth.  It still makes my blood boil a bit when just because you know people on a personal basis that they feel it's OK to bend the rules or even break the law.

Did you ever wonder why people who meet in a store feel it's their due to stand in the middle of the aisle or in front of merchandise and chat to their hearts content catching up on Aunt June's bunion surgery and then are offended when you say excuse me in a loud voice since they didn't move the first three times?  Why is it that people find it necessary to block aisles and "catch up" when most of us, especially in a grocery store, want to get our stuff and get out?  Do they not own telephones that they can call these people later?  Do they not have their email address so that they can regularly correspond?  In this world of instant communication one would think that, "Hey how are you?  Give me a call later!" would be a great way to get the job done and get out of the way.

Do you ever wonder why people feel that people in the service industry like car salesman don't have families that they would like to go home to, or that they actually do have to make some money on the goods that they are selling?  So many times people walk into a dealership at 8:45pm and wish to go on a test drive and then have the salesperson "run numbers" when the dealership closes at 9pm.  Then the customer promptly tries to guilt the salesperson into it by asking "Well don't you want a sale?"  Yes they want a sale, but the dealership has been open for 12 hours already and some of them have been there all day and want to go home.  Then there is the customer who wants to negotiate because the salesperson "makes so much money on each car."  Want the low down on sales receipts?  A salesperson makes a mini deal on a new car which means maybe $100...now after you get done with taxes and health care there is maybe $50 left.  Yes a salesperson may sell 5 new cars that week, but $250 a week take home does not pay for much.  Then there is the all important customer who thinks that he or she should pay for the sky and get the sun, moon and stars thrown in for free.

Did you ever wonder why at a time in the year when happiness and good will toward man (no offense ladies) should be abundant, it's in such short supply?  Have you said, "Thank you" or "Yes please" or "Thanks for your help" lately?  If not maybe you need to take a personal inventory and clean out the crud.

No matter what 2011 has been an eventful year and I am sure that 2012 shall be just as exciting.  I hope that everyone has a happy and healthy NEW YEAR!

17 comments:

  1. Very well stated. I wish there was more common social graces. You just do not see it anymore. I have even seen the extreeme end of things. Going into a WAWA one morning a nice young man was holding a door open for a lady. She proceeded to snap at him " Do I look like I need help!!" I was in shock. What happened next pleased me to the core. He promptly pushed the door all the way shut right in front of her face. You could see he was about ready to spout off but was straining hard, I watched hoping he would blast her. Instead he turned around gracefully and walked away. How sad is it that a nice young man was doing something so nice and was berrated for it by a cranky spinster. I wonder When he will willingly hold a door for the next lady??? Our actions effect many people outside of us. A lesson I learned in a very hard way. I hope I never take the wind out of someones sails. Unless they are piloting the USS SELFISH.

    Tony

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  2. Did you ever wonder why someone would berate people who take the time out of their day to go to public meetings and express their heartfelt opinions about the way their town is governed. That is the essence of democracy, and if we lose the right to take our elected officials to task when they sell us out or vote against our interests, we are sunk.

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  3. Oh please, if those people had stayed through the whole meeting then yes maybe I would have taken them more seriously, but they left halfway through. That is not being concerned about how our town is governed, that is salting the audience. You want to talk about berating, how about the way some people spoke to council and Jamie Bruton personally? If all of those people were so concerned about what going on in this town then maybe they should show up to other council meetings instead of just one or two and show their displeasure or agreement on what is being done in the borough. It was nothing more than a parting shot at outgoing council and you are not going to make anyone beleive that it was just concerened citizens.

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  4. Oh, grow up Elaine. People go to Council meetings for two reasons: To ask the Council to address something, like parking on their street or noisy neighbors or some other problem that bothers them. They also go when they hear that something is on the agenda that they disapprove of, like selling a public park, or changing the zoning of their block. Both of these things were being discussed, and they showed up. Good for them.

    Just because you don't care about those two issues does not mean they should stay home.

    Who died and left you in charge?

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  5. Elaine never said she was in charge and in going over her comments she never told anyone ever to stay at home !!!

    Who died and left you in charge??? There is nothing wrong with going to a council meeting when there is something on the agenda they need to talk about. I do not think Elaine was disputing that right. From the way I was reading this, is it was in poor taste to stand up and read a self made poem that blasted all the members of council. I do not even know Elaine or any of the members of council yet i would not stand up and berate them in a poem. I would have more respect for an individual that stood up there and asked direct questions in a polite manner. Yes people go to meetings for the 2 mentioned reason you pointed out. But when they go to administer venom ONLY and ask no questions I think Elaine or anyone of us deserve to call them on the carpet for it. I can only conclude you are the jackwagon that read the stupid poem at the meeting, or a close friend.

    Elaine said nothing about anyone staying home YOU DID AND YOU ALONE .. so why don't YOU grow the hell up. Elaine is not in charge and neither are you!

    DOWNINGTOWN RESIDENT

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  6. I need to grow up? Really? It seems YOU might need a lesson in remedial reading. I SAID that if those who had come to specifically address Kardon Park had stayed for the WHOLE meeting then maybe I would have taken them more seriously, but that was not the case....they left and KP was not even on the agenda! As for the rezoning of Brandywine Ave those people had every right to come and ask questions because oh look it there, IT WAS ON THE AGENDA!!!! If that was the only thing that they were most concerned about then yes I can see them leaving early as after that there was not much else that was debated in council. Also who said I don't care about those two issues? You? And you are? I do care about those issues and I am greatly tired of KP being the forefront of council meeting after council meeting. The whole dang thing is going to be in litigation until there is nowhere else to go with it because neither side will back down or at this point tap out, so why not focus on things we CAN change and improve? The Brandywine Ave. rezoning issue was interesting to me even though I do not live there, but I do know some residents on that street and I was concerned how that would effect their housing situation. I was glad to hear that the rezoning will actually increase their property values and yet they will not lose their homes unless they chose.

    I never said I was in charge, but if I recall the First Amendment does give me the right to complain about things such as salting the audience of a meeting just to get in the last possible shot at people, just as it gives you the right to not fully read what is written and then use the utmost of social graces when responding to my thoughts...........thanks for that.

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  7. You were offended that people left early (only if they were there for something you deemed inappropriate)yet not offended that Nick sat right in front of you in the front row and played on Facebook during the entire proceedings? I was there the whole time, and I found THAT disrespectful and distracting. By the way, it was definitely the Brandywine Ave. people who left immediately after that topic had been discussed. I have no problem with that. Some people have obligations at home, and after their topic of interest is discussed, they have a right to leave. Have a good evening.

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  8. Oh stop trying to make it sound like the whole fiasco of the FOKP was something that was not painful and long winded and totally a set up, and please don't act like I feel I deem certain issues appropriate or not. You want to know what I feel is inappropraite is when a council member (doesn't matter who it is) makes a special point to be rude and disrespectful to other council members whether they are talking to them while seated on the dias or when they become a "resident" that is what I find inappropraite. Yes Nick does have a bad habit of using his phone a bit much while in the meeting, but at least he was there for the whole thing.....he deserves points for that and it seems that the only people who could see him doing that would be those on the dias and maybe myself and my husband who sat right behind him, so I think we know who it bothered. I myself answered a few texts while sitting there and so did my husband. So it's ok to leave council chambers in the middle of a meeting because people have obligations at home, but it's not ok to text or utilize a phone during the meeting, yet those people have obligations to be met too and can be done while listening? I do not believe I heard any noises from any electronic instruments, but a mass exodus did make a bit of a loud shuffle. I can get just as picky about it. There were maybe four people there for Brandywine Ave. the rest were there as FOKP....one woman stood up and asked about the rezoning while the rest where hug up on Kardon Park. At least their questions had to do with an item on the agenda. And last but not least I NEVER said they had no right to leave I said that they might have been taken more seriously about wanting to be involved in the governing of the borough if they had stayed. Sheesh no one seems to be able to read lately.

    What really surprises me in all I wrote everyone seems to have a bee in their bonnet about KP. Like I said priorities need to be changed around here.

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  9. Elaine

    The attendance at Council meeting and all who spoke was NOT something Friends of Kardon Park put together.

    I've met Dawn and her husband before. I believe Dawn mentioned the flooding on Mary Street and the lack of a regular grocery store in the Borough. I have never met Maria the Poet, nor have I met anyone else who got up to speak.

    Sarah

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  10. Sarah thank you for being more congenial than those that came before you. I am sorry if FOKP did not specifically put that together and I accused them of it, but one must admit it looked that way, but still I apologize. It certainly was a set up from any point of view. Dawn's husband briefly mentioned the flooding on Mary Street, but in direct alignment with KP, and yes Dawn mentioned a grocery store, but not until so much after the fact that it got lost in there somewhere (besides the last grocery store that we had in D'town I only went to if I HAD to and only for stuff like canned goods and I checked the date closely).

    But my gripe is that these people show up at one of the last meetings of the year enmasse to discuss something that is not on the agenda, take pot shots at council and then leave. It is not like this issue has not been ongoing since at least 2009. I said my piece at the meeting about playing whose lawyer is bigger and the fact that no matter what you think of a council member either on the dias or at the mic personal attacks are inappropriate and not needed to make a point.

    Yet if you look at the comments KP is at the forefront, not anything else, not common social graces (which thankfully you displayed), not being a jerk when looking for a car or shopping somewhere that needs people to work long hours right after a holiday, not breach of a contract just because you know the person....no just KP. It's been a long year for all of us and I think it's time to focus on things that can actually be changed in the here and now and live for today instead of what MAY happen in a court decision, or what may befall all of us come (insert date here).

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  11. Typical crap ... people putting words in others mouths in order to justify what they so badly want to convey to others. Whoever you are anonymous who typed in at 5:52 PM.

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  12. Trying to sell a public park after the judge said they can't is a big F-U. So is exempting themselves from all the rules they impose on us. Bruton is the leader of this band of scoundrels, so it is no surprise he would get the brunt of it. F-us? F-them, too. Social graces???? I don't think so.

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  13. Yeah well the lack of social graces is evident, but where are they exempting themselves of follwing the same rules? Are you talking about the zonig ordinance? If you listened to that it means that they still have to ask for a variance or permit or whatever it's just that they do not have to come before themselves to change it or enact it if it passes the planning commission. They are actually saving residents time and money.

    As for KP.......The dang thing is in appeal! How many flippin times do people have to be reminded? Why is it ok to remember that when Sam Stretton has filed yet another injunction/appeal or whatever, but not when they borough does.....oh wait I forgot because the opinion of those who think that eyesore with contamination/ passive park use is the only one that counts. You know what......if it comes out of appeal that the sale cannot go through I want every single person who thinks that leaving that mess is just ok to go have a picnic every single weekend on a blanket in the contaminated area......then come back and tell me that that space is doing so much good just sitting there.

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  14. No offense, Elaine, but you really are a dope. You have no clue how the permit/variance process works, and that the Borough is trying to circumvent the public participation/independent review process, but you feel free to comment. You have no understanding of what the council is trying to do, which is circumvent the entire legal process that took place in Orphans Court, and yet you feel free to comment.

    If it were not so downright scary that anybody so clueless would start up a blog to inform and persuade people, it would be quite funny.

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  15. LOL you really are a piece of work whomever you are......"No offense, but you are a dope?" You really think that saying no offense makes it all better....wow I have met some complete jerks in my time, but you take the cake. You know what I am sick a tired of listening to the the same crap peddled by he same people over and over again about Kardon Park/The Ponds whatever the heck you want to call that wasteland. I am tired of those who think that the part that was to be developed is a park and I am really flippin sick of the whole whole tit for tat crap between Ms. Feldman and council.

    See here's the thing just because the judge in Orphan's court ruled that it's a park does not mean that council can't appeal it. Just like it doesn't mean that Ann can't file an injunction and on and on and on. The only dope here is you...so how about you go play in Kardon Park where there is no trail, have a picnic or two....or better yet you alone remediate the dang place because heaven knows neither side is going to stop until no more court injunctions, appeals and such can be filed. OH yeah and how about you take your silly backhanded comments and start your own blog since you seemed to be the most informed person....oh wait......you're anonymous @@.

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  16. It was pointed out to me in a very nice manner that my social graces were lacking a bit, especially in my last response and you know what? That person was right. No matter the fact that some anonymous poster called me a dope calling them a jerk puts me on their level and that is certainly not some place that I hope to obtain. In fact the nastiness has been quite vitriolic and alas I have contributed to it. But I will say this.......I AM quite tired of the games that are being played by ALL of council and that includes Ms. Feldman. Yes the Orphans Court ruled that KP could not be developed, but as I said people do have the right including council to appeal that decision, just as Ms. Feldman has the right to appeal that appeal and then council can appeal that and Ms. Feldman can throw in an injunction or two. Can ALL of you not see how stupid this has gotten? Park or no park, remediation or not, none of this has done anyone any good and quite frankly it has divided the borough.

    However, no matter which side of the "trail" you sit on it does not give ANYONE the right to out and out call someone names...whether it's calling me a dope or me calling that person a jerk. I try and not let the anger get the best of me, but there are days just like everyone else that all it takes is one nasty post.....

    So from here on out if name calling is in your agenda no matter whom you chose to place a nasty moniker on, the post will be deleted. I was serious about social graces and I am serious about cleaning my own side of the street....are you?

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  17. I just sat and read all of the above comments. First, there is not reason to be texting or on facebook when you are at a meeting that is concerning our community. Turn the cell phones off!
    As to Kardon Park, we the citizens are paying for this battle. Has anyone heard of the word compromise? Who do you think is paying for the lawyers? If you don't like what is going on you need to get out and vote. Oh it is raining or oh it is cold..then you deserve what you get! If you did vote then volunteer to help get other people out to vote. We are the only ones who can change the way our town is being run.

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