Recently our benevolent town council has brought forward the ridiculous idea of moving our waste collection to a bi-weekly arrangement. In the midst of all the quotations of numbers and dire warnings of the increased cost of waste collection if it continues as a weekly event comes a particularly grievous statement: "Bi-weekly waste collection means some households may have to learn new habits. If approved, another education campaign will roll out before the collection schedule changes and Town staff will be available to help families get set up for success." Our town council speaks to us from on high and informs us that if we do not like their proposal, the problem cannot be the proposal, but rather our bad habits regarding waste. Their solution is to take their wayward residents in hand and "educate" them. I suspect that there are some places in the world where the citizens would not find such statements out of the ordinary, but in this town I did not think we have such a low view of our fellow citizens that we believe it has become the task of the town council to "educate" us on the right way to dispose of household refuse. The town council is not there to fix their citizenry, or to raise us up from our supposed antediluvian waste disposal methods. Our town council are supposed to be public servants who care for the citizenry and provide the necessary services to ensure the town runs smoothly. A thinly-veiled attempt at cost savings and revenue maintenance under the cover of environmentalism might sound good around a boardroom table at the Ranche House. In the real world it is ridiculous, and their arrogant attitude towards their citizens and their claim that we need "education" is utterly unacceptable. I encourage everyone to email, call and talk to the council in person to let them know how you feel about their misguided and arrogant attitude toward the people they claim to serve. Matthew Rowley
