BY ISHKA BIBBLE
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” —Theodore Roosevelt
In the 1946 film, “It’s A Wonderful Life”, our protagonist, George Bailey, gets a look at what his beloved town of Bedford Falls would become if he never existed.
As you may recall from the film, the town as he knew it had transitioned into Pottersville, a town rife with night clubs, saloons, dance halls and the like, a direct reflection of the man who controlled it all, Mr. Potter, and his decrepit ways.
Bailey is aghast at what he sees, shocked that no one knows him and so terrified that he realizes that he must live to reverse the transformation of his once peaceful, quaint town of Bedford Falls into its current state of iniquity… Pottersville!
To that I say… what the heck! If ya can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, yes?
I mean, under the current leadership of the Romeo village president and her loyal pack of toe-the-line trusty trustees, the demon weed Marihuana has planted its roots firmly in our community.
What’s that you say? Mary Jane is a permanent resident of the village? Oh, boy, and how! Not one, but five licenses were awarded to distribute dope in one form or another within the village limits.
Now, there may be many of you who would argue that using cannabis recreationally is no more harmful that consuming alcohol with the same intentions and, that may be so, however, the current strains of pot and its vastly more potent THC-laden consumables still fall under the Federal Schedule 1 list of controlled substances (illegal drugs), along with heroin, cocaine and LSD, to name a few.
As the saying goes, once the camel’s nose is in under the tent, pretty soon the whole animal will be inside. Right now, we are up to our neck in camel, so why fight it? Hence, I’m encouraging everyone to throw in the towel and let the good times roll!
I mean, why stop with just selling reefer? I see not the Romeo of the past, but a Malzhanville of the future! Let’s pack the place with every form of vice, like strip clubs, casinos, liquor stores, nightclubs and some seedy bars up and down Main Street!
Maybe throw in an adult book store or two, too, eh tootsie?
And… speaking of tootsies, let’s roll out the red carpet for exploiting the once-upon-a-time locally enjoyed attraction known as Tillson Street.
Not only did the village Downtown Development Authority (key word: authority) map Tillson Street on its various social media outlets, but actually made it a focal point of its month-long ScreechFest promotion.
Did the DDA ask permission of the Tillson Street residents? Or did its director assume that the residents would be ok with everything?
As you may know, not all of the households on Tillson Street participate in decorating their property for Halloween, but eh, who cares if it supposedly brings revenue to the business district because all of those businesses are open, say, after 6 p.m., right?
Well, the proverbial excrement hit the metal rotating blades at the Romeo Village Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 17, with Tillson Street residents there in full force.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was over a display set up by doobie dispensary Dispo on Tillson, an “adult only” product representing in a family-friendly atmosphere.
Amusingly, the counter-argument was “well, it’s no different than a Budweiser distributor being there.” But, there wasn’t and that means no samples, either. Boo-hoo.
Damage control ensued, with the DDA director hand-delivering a note of explanation from the village president to the residents of Tillson Street on how she was going to remedy some of the issues they were facing now through Oct 31. Oddly, public urination wasn’t listed, probably because of the lack of Budweiser sampling on the street.
Friends, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a Downtown Development Authority exists “to fund public improvements in the downtown district.” It does NOT include party and event planning at taxpayer expense. Yes, that’s where its operating funds come from…you, the local taxpayer!
What we now have is a village president working hand-in-hand with the DDA director to flood the village with visitors, under the guise of bringing increased commerce and subsequently encouraging investment to the village business district.
Statistically, this is an unmeasurable fantasy.
What you get, unfortunately, is the opposite effect. A small, quiet village turned into Partyville, USA.
P.S. – You are obligated to participate in this grand experiment of self-government by The People! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result! Make your voices heard! Vote Nov. 8!
