Winter 2008 Newsletter Article:
From the Supervisors
- Roy Timpe
The board has seen some changes this year. Bob Kopfer has been replaced by Joseph E. Rudderow, III, and Claude Beaver is our new chairman. At the fist meeting, the new board thanked Bob for his service to the township. Bob Kopfer has had valuable input for the board, especially on agricultural issues. Claude and I want to publicly welcome Joe to the board. As you may know, the supervisors are working on drafts of the zoning and noise ordinances. Joe has already made some valuable contributions to these drafts.
As we look at these ordinances, we can't help to notice that many things are there to prevent friction among neighbors. On occasion, this friction can bubble up to the point where the township government gets involved. Sometimes people come to meetings and complain about their neighbor's kids playing ball, or the color their neighbor chose to paint the shed, etc. At the township level, we generally try to avoid involvement in these feuds, but if the neighbor is in violation of some ordinance, will make an effort to enforce the ordinance.
Many of these issues could be avoided if people applied “the golden rule” in some form or other. The golden rule states, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” My guess is that each one of us can find something about or neighbor that annoys us. Likewise, we are most likely annoying our neighbor in some small way. My children are both in college now, but as teens there was a period of time when there could be quite a few cars at our house. Some of our neighbors have younger children. In a few years they will be going through the “multiple cars about the house” phase. My neighbors never really complained when we went through the multiple car phase, and I don't plan on complaining when their kids go through that time. There are countless ways where we can rub up against each other, but if the annoyance is small, it's best not to mention it. You can just be sure that there is some similar way you are likely to be annoying your neighbor. For the sake of harmony in the community, most of us just “live and let live.”
Now on occasion, there may be some problem with your neighbor that is too big to ignore. Suppose your neighbors felt the same way about you. What would you want them to do? Would you want them to paint their shed a unique combination of lime green and hot pink in retaliation? You may not even be aware that you've bothered them. Most of us would prefer that our neighbors come to us when they are bothered by our behavior. Since that would be our preference, it follows (from the golden rule) that when we are bothered our first course of action should be to respectfully tell our neighbor we are bothered. Many, many issues can be completely solved by a productive conversation in the driveway or on the porch.
Often when people do not choose to work things out on their own, they go the other way. The shed does get painted a unique combination of lime green and hot pink. Then multiple neighbors come to the supervisors asking for a shed paint scheme ordinance. Perhaps the supervisors agree and pass an ordinance limiting sheds to earth tones. Many times, the inability of a few people to work things out on their own ends up affecting our entire community of 7000 people.
The cost of liberty is dear, and the cost of not following the golden rule is liberty.
Free Book Offer:
I still have copies of the Fredrick Bastiat book “The Law” available to Maidencreek residents. Email me if you want one.
Paid for by Roy Timpe