A menace in our midst.

A menace in our midst.

By Joe Renna

Everyone has a responsibility to each other. This concept is not embraced as instinctively as it once was. It used to be that provisions were automatically made for those in need. Helping children, seniors or the ill would seem an obvious course of action, but it's not. It once was. In fact, it is a big part of many cultures. Caring is the core of the structure of families and governments. But there are elements in today's culture that have overgrown and encroached on the space where caring flourished.

This is not a problem of government but of the individual. Government cannot dictate moral behavior. Caring for one another is an individual matter. It is a course of action one chooses to take. It was a behavior that I grew up with in Peterstown. My grandparents and their friends, my parents and their friendsit seemed that everyone in the neighborhood was one big caring family, watching out for one another.

Publishing this paper has given me the opportunity to meet so many new people around town. It also has gotten me involved in some righteous organizations with fantastic members. There is a network of caring individuals who give of themselves for the good of community. Some do more than others. That is only natural. It would be wonderful if everybody did their part. There would be less burden on the few.

It wasn't until I was older and getting involved in community service that I realized there were some real apathetic people out there. What's worse is that I found people who were downright detrimental. I'm not addressing the criminal acts of fraud perpetrated on behalf of a bogus charity or even legitimate organizations whose financial records leave much to be desired where the lion's share of funds go to administrative expenses. I think the greater menace is in our midst.

I hate to soil such a fine issue that extols the generosity of our community by exposing a few miscreants, but one of these morons can unravel so much good work with one dumb action. I got this feeling in my craw because of a few conversations that I've had with some local businessmen.
Check that. I won't refer to them as local. They may own apartments in Peterstown or have a business there but they can't leave fast enough when they close their doors. My conversations with them always weave their way to the same sentiment"this area changed, these new comers are animals."

This is what I listen to and it drives me up the wall. I tell them to leave. But even though they have such contempt for their own tenants, they still don't mind collecting the rent. I actually listened to one store owner's racist rant about a paying customer who just left his store.

These guys take the money and run. They have short memories. They forget that their parents and grandparents were once the "new comers." I don't think they realize how depraved things were back when. Their way was paved on the backs of the previous generations. They are privileged and they don't even know it.

I watch seniors on fixed incomes reach into their pockets when ever a hat is passed around for someone who is sick or in need. They're not looking for a tax credit or even a candy bar. They give because they know if they were ever in need the same would be done for them. These carpetbaggers living in the hills don't need anybody. They have their nest eggs and insurance policies and they could give a hoot about the indigence that others may have, through no fault of their own.