Last week, across this city, a ripple that started like a small pebble in a fresh water lake had morphed into a full-blown tsunami by Tuesday of this week. All because the inevitable happened – some smart residents decided to take action into their own hands and speak out against the privileged attitude of some property owners, developers, appointed members of city boards and even elected officials themselves. You don't have to be a card-carrying member of Mensa to grasp the phrase "money begets money," so there's no shock that when people that have it want more of it, they hire former members of boards, contribute to political campaigns, hire well-connected local attorneys. You get the idea.

Some people leave out required information on city permit applications, figuring nobody will actually find out. Others conveniently forget to disclose that they sat on a board with someone who applied for a zoning variance. Then there are those that think that the whispers of a local politician who is known for his/her excessive drinking will remain merely a whisper.

These are purely hypothetical examples, of course, but you get the idea. Some used to think it was just craziness that the "newcomers" or the PDSers or the Mystic View Task Force or whatever other group perceived as trouble-makers put a spotlight on "business as usual" tactics. Sure some of them will be around a lot longer than others, but maybe some of them had a point.

Don't get us wrong, we love the old-school feeling that still exists in this community, but also happen to enjoy the constant changes that are happening every day. We have said it before and we will say it again – this is 2010, not 1960 – so maybe it's time for people to realize that the good old days are gone, and maybe following the rules will get you much further ahead than ignoring them used to.