05-09-2006, 03:31 PM
So just who are these affluent and should they be feared???
Gosh, I sure don't know. If history serves, perhaps I do have some insight. I grew up in rural, coastal Maine. Although we (my friends and I) did not actually know these people, there were in fact a number of big houses, each with stories about the people who belonged to them. The kids didn't go to school with us, the Dads didn't work with our Dads, for the most part their Mom's didn't shop with ours either. Pretty much except for a few weeks from Memorial Day through Labor Day, none of these people were even around, in many cases the houses were closed up except for those weeks. I guess these were probably truly affluent people. At least they were affluent enough to own and enjoy a lot more house just a few weeks per year than the rest of us while also maintaining a real life someplace else. They did contribute significantly to the tax base without drawing much on services. Being a small town, I remember we had this yearly book, appropriately called "Annual Town Report" I remember one of the activities to pass time was looking up everyones taxes (not based on market value, but that's a different rant). While our Dads might complain about this years tax increase, or question the school budget, we kids were more inclined just to find the big numbers and dream a little - gee, a lesson of youth - those who paid more taxes tended to be rich!!!). I'm tempted to remark how this book was incorporated into HS senior government class and attendance at the Town Meeting was mandatory, but then I remember how bad our current education system is after 40plus years of mandated improvements and budget maniplulation and realize that if it's so bad now, we must not have been able to read, write, or do math back in the 60's. Pardon my digression...
Anyway, late 60's, 70's, we began to hear about "affuence". Seems we'd been discovered by people from more affluent places (MA, CT, NY), people intrigued by our quaint, quiet, laidback lifestyle. Seems these people were so affluent, they could just give up (sellout?) their old life and buy into ours. Funny thing, they didn't buy up and move into the old big houses of my youth, although a number of them seem to disappear only to be replaced by a gawd awful number of smaller, but costly houses. Lot's of other changes happened too. Not only was it discovered our schools were totally inadequate for these "affluent" children, but apparently ours towns were not properly managed as we grew up not knowing about proper infrastructure. Wouldn't this be pseudo affluence or faux affluence? Hmmmm.
Well, I was last there 2 years ago when my Dad passed, lots of changes in 40 years. Lot's of affluence apparently, but only of the newer type. Some of locals adjusted, even prospered, others didn't, others, like me, mostly likely left and won't return. If you read the newspaper, listen to the local news, it appears poor education and infrastructure are still the hot topics. Strange, but my guess is the affluent of my youth didn't really address either in our town. Guess they could afford not to.
So, my lesson from history? Fear not the truly affluent as theirs is not a mission of change as the truly affluent don't need to change the lives of others.
The above is JMOHO based on personal memory and not intended to cast aspersions on persons known or not know on this volcanic rock in middle of the Pacific.
David - Solvent, but not affluent
Ninole Resident
Gosh, I sure don't know. If history serves, perhaps I do have some insight. I grew up in rural, coastal Maine. Although we (my friends and I) did not actually know these people, there were in fact a number of big houses, each with stories about the people who belonged to them. The kids didn't go to school with us, the Dads didn't work with our Dads, for the most part their Mom's didn't shop with ours either. Pretty much except for a few weeks from Memorial Day through Labor Day, none of these people were even around, in many cases the houses were closed up except for those weeks. I guess these were probably truly affluent people. At least they were affluent enough to own and enjoy a lot more house just a few weeks per year than the rest of us while also maintaining a real life someplace else. They did contribute significantly to the tax base without drawing much on services. Being a small town, I remember we had this yearly book, appropriately called "Annual Town Report" I remember one of the activities to pass time was looking up everyones taxes (not based on market value, but that's a different rant). While our Dads might complain about this years tax increase, or question the school budget, we kids were more inclined just to find the big numbers and dream a little - gee, a lesson of youth - those who paid more taxes tended to be rich!!!). I'm tempted to remark how this book was incorporated into HS senior government class and attendance at the Town Meeting was mandatory, but then I remember how bad our current education system is after 40plus years of mandated improvements and budget maniplulation and realize that if it's so bad now, we must not have been able to read, write, or do math back in the 60's. Pardon my digression...
Anyway, late 60's, 70's, we began to hear about "affuence". Seems we'd been discovered by people from more affluent places (MA, CT, NY), people intrigued by our quaint, quiet, laidback lifestyle. Seems these people were so affluent, they could just give up (sellout?) their old life and buy into ours. Funny thing, they didn't buy up and move into the old big houses of my youth, although a number of them seem to disappear only to be replaced by a gawd awful number of smaller, but costly houses. Lot's of other changes happened too. Not only was it discovered our schools were totally inadequate for these "affluent" children, but apparently ours towns were not properly managed as we grew up not knowing about proper infrastructure. Wouldn't this be pseudo affluence or faux affluence? Hmmmm.
Well, I was last there 2 years ago when my Dad passed, lots of changes in 40 years. Lot's of affluence apparently, but only of the newer type. Some of locals adjusted, even prospered, others didn't, others, like me, mostly likely left and won't return. If you read the newspaper, listen to the local news, it appears poor education and infrastructure are still the hot topics. Strange, but my guess is the affluent of my youth didn't really address either in our town. Guess they could afford not to.
So, my lesson from history? Fear not the truly affluent as theirs is not a mission of change as the truly affluent don't need to change the lives of others.
The above is JMOHO based on personal memory and not intended to cast aspersions on persons known or not know on this volcanic rock in middle of the Pacific.
David - Solvent, but not affluent
Ninole Resident
Ninole Resident