bumblehead's Community Blog

With the air of anonymity brought forth by the internet, I’ve noticed a very disturbing trend. The ability to lie and make disparaging remarks about certain races, religions, and even political parties without a face or name attached to these posts is causing more and more people to become emboldened to participate in this behavior. The obvious web sites that allow this type of thing are well known. My Space seems to be in the headlines repeatedly for this type of thing. Juicy Campus is another one gaining notoriety for this type of behavior as well. Another site that seems to suffer from this problem is the 30 seconds feature at the Evening Sun. The name calling, fear mongering, and racist comments that are posted in 30 seconds don’t reflect at all the feelings of the masses that actually reside here in Chenango County. The trouble is that it’s a vocal few that are allowed to be the voice of the area, since these types of things are posted on a regular basis.

I’m sure those who argue for these types of postings to be allowed will decree that this is permissible thru the first amendment, which it is. But does that make it okay? What is the difference between these postings and a person on a corner yelling these same lies and racist comments to all those who pass? Is it volume? If the person on the corner is allowed to do this daily, eventually people will walk on the other side of the street to avoid him to avoid his rants. If the person ranting on the corner positioned himself in front of your house, would anyone want to move in next door to you? What happens to your property value with neighbors like this?

I’m not saying that 30 seconds is a totally bad thing. I’m all for a public forum that allows for a wide array of topics and varying views to be expressed. I think the forum on this site is a perfect example of how this can be done in a positive way. The issue I have with 30 seconds is that there are very few rules, and even fewer things which are off limits in regards to what can be said. 30 seconds, in its current state, is a horrible (and inaccurate) reflection of the area. If I was thinking of moving here and came across this section of the web site, I would think twice about moving. There is a reason why Jeff Genung, the editor of the paper, refers to this section of the paper as "The Tyranny of the Minority."

Myself, I love the Evening Sun for a variety of reasons. Being that Chenango County is a small community, the larger papers in the area ignore us to a certain degree. The Evening Sun gives us who care about this area the information the other papers don’t think is worthwhile. I’m also a follower of the local high school sports, and Pat Newell has done a wonderful job giving these teams the coverage they deserve. In its current state though, the paper provides quality information, with a scent of Jerry Springer. What concerns me is that the odor of Springer is growing stronger and stronger….

I’ve heard quite a bit of complaining regarding the state of Chenango County, and it got me to wonder. Are things here as bad as those complaining say they are?

One complaint I’ve heard repeatedly is that there needs to be higher paying jobs in the area; that the only new jobs that are brought into the area are in retail. That actually may be true. Lowes, Tractor Depot, Peebles, and Wal-Mart are all businesses that have opened up or expanded in the last 10 years or so, just to name a few. All these new stores are welcome additions to the community, and just make the area more appealing to those contemplating moving here. But these aren’t the only jobs that are being added to this area.

The truth is, if established businesses move, it’s more than likely due to financial reasons. They aren’t going to move to New York en masse where the taxes are higher than other parts of the country. Hoping for a new, established business to start operations here is about as likely as the Chenango County Fair having an opera singer perform. That doesn’t mean that we’re doomed to have only retail jobs here. There are many local businesses that are doing well, and are continuing to grow. Norwich Aero Products, Unison, Raymond Corporation, Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Preferred Mutual, Amphenol, Golden Artists, NBT, these are just a few of the businesses that are succeeding in the local area. Some have been established for quite some time, others are newer businesses that are just taking off. These companies don’t grow by leaps and bounds, but by the addition of 5-10 new positions here, 4 more positions there. These small gains aren’t newsworthy, but they are significant.

Another complaint I’ve heard is that there isn’t anything to do here. There isn’t an overabundance of shows, upscale bars to hang out at, or a wealth of fine dining facilities here, so in one sense that complaint has a ring of truth as well. Those that complain of this though miss out the allure of the area. There are plenty of trails here for hiking. There is an abundance of fishing spots throughout the county. If you are a hunter, there are few places in New York that can match Chenango County. On top of that, there are the annual events that one can go to. Greene has the craft fair and Labor Day Fair. New Berlin Has Youth Days. Sherburne has the Pageant of Bands. Norwich has the Blues Fest, Gus Macker, the Pumpkin Fest and the County Fair. There is also a beauty about this area that oftentimes goes unappreciated. Here is one of the only places I’ve ever stopped and noticed the stars, because they shone so brightly. And who doesn’t look forward to the fall foliage? When I was in the military I tried to explain what was appealing about where I grew up and came up with this description; here, a campfire is entertaining.

I grew up in this area and left when I was in my early 20’s, living out of the area for almost 10 years. The whole time I was gone, I always knew I was going to return to make this my home. This was the place I wanted to raise my family, without a doubt. The schools are small enough so that my kids will know most of their classmates and if they wanted to go out for a sport, they can actually make the team. Here, I can go for a walk here at night without fear. I also know that if anything happens to my home while I’m away, my neighbors will take action without a thought. These types of things aren’t measurable and won’t show up on any reports, but to me, they are invaluable. Because of this, I will reside here for many many years, and be quite content doing so.