Politics – the quickest way to turn a peaceful summer into an autumn of malcontent.

by James Norton

At least we have one season of rest from the insanity that is local politics. After the longest day of my life, I and my family got to spend six great weeks with my kids while they were in town. Sure it wasn’t the usual nine weeks, but Corey and Kaitlin were here for the latter part of their summer, a part that we usually don’t get to spend with them.

We did a lot of really cool things this year – and I personally spent more time with them away from work than I have in the last three years combined. That’s a good thing.

They got to be here for both their birthdays – a first since they moved eight years ago. It was a summer that flew by, but was filled with special memories, for sure.

Flashpoints included “That was the best one yet!”, Starbucks, Bubba the Baboon, the saddle at The Texas Roadhouse, Nikki the Bearded Lady and the multiple birthday cruise of Boston Harbor – thanks for that one Billy.

I was sad to take them back home to their mother, for a number of reasons, but it is part of the reality of the situation which I have to deal with. After the second longest day of my life – the trip there and back – I got to start fresh with work and get back to life as usual. Great.

The political seasons around here are funny – there only three if you didn’t already know. They cover the preseason, regular season and post traumatic season. Oddly enough, the time frame on a non-municipal year mirrors the football seasons.

It’s a little less painful than when everybody and his ex-con cousin are running for Alderman and the Pod People are out in full force. Thank God for that yearly break.

Ok, so I said it was a little less painful – but painful nonetheless. It’s the off years that whack job liberals and so called progressives start these little pseudo-political cults, ooops I meant “community action groups.”

I know we live in a free society and I know we all have freedom of speech and right to protest and blah blah blah. That’s great – but don’t suppose for a second that you’re views are my views and vice-versa. The goal to succeed with change in this country, whether locally or nationally comes from a large combination of beliefs and ideals, a huge dose of cooperation and conciliation, a small measure of coercion and a big dose of luck all mixed together.

You might agree with the Mystic View Task Force on some levels, I don’t, but hey that’s my right. The problem that group has is that it imposes its will on the majority by using the court system. That’s not right.

It’s groups like that – that will tell you they want to make a change and do better for us all and not act like the insiders – and then use the insider loopholes to stop the process and cause more damage than good.

These are the same people that in off years start their own political groups and start to “endorse” candidates – like anyone cares. They never quite succeed, and while there might be a token liberal whack job elected official here and there – they’re never quite satisfied, so they’ll keep pecking away at the rest of us, thinking that they’ll win eventually.

I talked to someone who overheard a member of the Mystic View Task Force say that they’d keep putting candidates in races until the “old school politicians disappear.” At least they have a long term goal.

I think that anyone sitting in a County seat other than Registrar of Deeds should be ashamed of themselves. The old joke that it was like dying and going to heaven might be true. The job is six years long and it’s a lot of money, but they don’t do anything.

Anyone associated with these hacks should be ashamed of themselves as well. When there is a crisis with state and local funding for schools and police and fire protection, they still feel good about themselves collecting a pay check for nothing. How shameful.
Beware – the time of the Pod People is back – like the ugly and destructive cicada – I only wish they had a 17-year gestation cycle.

Makes for good material though.