Nearing The Fall

I looked at the voter demographics for the presidential election of 2012. Clearly, demonstrates the GOP needs 12 million , mostly poverty stricken, low skilled illegal immigrants to become new voters.

No casino because of potential crime, reduction in real estate values, public safety issues and addiction (gambling). Yet Highpoint is acceptable to some? Addiction, potential impact on real estate, safety calls and potential crime. Huh?

Well, at least the blight of a building will be cleared up. What will that leave? Oh, yeah, virtually the rest of downtown.

How long before Mayflower Bank packs it in? New owner usually means “consolidation.”

Article in The Enterprise about sea food restaurants closing. I’d been to one that recently shuttered - Pier 18 - and it was a great place for a meal. Not much for ambiance but the food was outstanding.

Has there been a recent disaster as great as the beginning of term two for Obama? I’d say this was Carter Part II, but even Jimbo was not even close to being the screw-up this president has been. Jobs, to foreign entanglements, to race baiting, to Obamacare, oh it just goes on and on.

In Massachusetts they are lined up to run for governor. The usual suspects will eventually surface and be weeded down to the obligatory ultra liberal Democrat and Republican no one ever heard of.

The recent software tax is the highest in the country of any state that uses it. Massachusetts is the 5th to implement it and will be the first to jettison it.

Revenues (again) have exceeded predictions in Massachusetts. Naturally that does not put a damper on the tax increases. Still more to feed the machine.

I have a friend on a posting board who has been attempting to open a small restaurant in Boston. In two years he has not completed the various road blocks the city (and state) have in place that makes the permit process so daunting. Not to fear, your Boston Red Sox received permission to use the streets around the ballpark in a matter of days. Nah…handing out tickets to the various government underlings has nothing to with it. Jock sniffers.

The 4,564th proposal for the Middleboro rotary is now brought forth. This will eventually be Middleboro’s answer to The Big Dig.

Unreasonable search appears to be a non issue when the Department of Homeland Security is involved. So much for warrants.

The value of Face Book stock has risen 120% since the IPO. Twitter will do the same.

Unions are starting to line-up against Obamacare. Get out those waivers, Mr. President!

The Red Sox will now win the division.

Bought some nice yard sale items at the soon to be shuttered camp ground.

The pension funds in Massachusetts are currently unfunded by billions - so into the void steps the Looney Tunes. Divestment of evil “Big Oil” that is stashed in the various funds has been raised by the Daffy Duck element. I always thought conservatives had a screw loose.

Highpoint will help with the Middleboro drug issue? Please. This is a written invitation for more problems. In 67 square miles of town they can certainly find an area with less of a neighborhood and business area impact. Try and check out that camp site.

NIMBY Highpoint

Not In My Back Yard or NIMBY seemed to be used with a certain inflection of distain towards those who questioned having a drug treatment facility near their abode. Rang up some casino memories.

I am sure those who pontificate from their bully pulpit(s) on having such a facility in Middleboro would gladly become NIMBY’s if the locale was changed to directly across from their home or business. The proverbial walk in my shoes.

Seemed that Chief Gates had done some diligent research on the issue in regards to a similar facility in Plymouth and was able to connect the potential fiscal and service call dots. Expect services to potentially be taxed. Imagine a response in town being late since resources were diverted to Highpoint. And this is in a town where public safety officials have consistently gone on record as being severely understaffed. Great. Bring in another few hundred - if we are lucky - calls a year.

I know addiction first hand and I also know the very real disasters that can happen with a less than structured day treatment program in a neighborhood. And this will have that very component, which is where I draw my personal line. To be blunt - you have to be absolutely bonkers to have a day treatment facility in a neighborhood and business district. Bad enough with McLean but, hey, why stop with just one facility. Maybe we can get a six pack of them?

With our antiquated drug laws the cost of product causes significant crime. That should be of concern for those seeking day treatment and those who may accompany them. Are they thieves? Certainly may be a bit of a stretch on my part but that risk is there.

I found the attitude of Highpoint rather dismissive during the recent hearings. Seems their course of action is to minimize any problems at other facilities, and for their supporters to actively toss forward the emotional blackmail card. To the various hand wringers, of course there are drug issues in Middleboro and this facility will not solve that problem, but may actually magnify it. This is just the wrong place. Simple as that. Take the emotional blather and just stuff it. Does not pass my personal litmus test.

Now if Highpoint was strictly a lock down facility that just might be a different story to this observer but it is not, nor does Highpoint seem in any way willing to negotiate that point. Maybe eventually they will. So just enjoy the people watching when and if the project is completed.

Now we are faced with another nefarious argument that has zero merit, and that is the building is a blight! No kidding. Smart thinking. So one way of correcting that blight is to bring in a non tax paying facility that could severely tax our safety system! Now that is absolutely genius thinking to me. I’d rather see it sit vacant until nature solves that problem.

The programs and services that Highpoint provides are necessary, but also a judicious dose of common sense needs to be applied and that is sorely lacking. And why didn’t anyone question how successful Highpoint is? Fact is when dealing with drug dependency issues the recidivism rate is astronomical. But that also means return customers.