Small time, USA

So, I am not original with my title, but so what. My small town that I live in has gone political before my very eyes. I don't know the ins and outs, but I keep hearing bits and pieces and find it funny. I mean, who do they think they are?

So the gossip in this town is as follows. Hotzalah one, Hatzalah number two. A shul that has been around for at least 15 years was finally shut down due to violations and now the school where I send my kids to, called a meeting for tomorrow night with the Rosh Yeshiva of the yeshiva here, and I am clue less along with everyone else as to why. Oh, and the latest, having new parents sign they don't have TV or computer in the house.

I have no real idea why there is the hatzalah issue here, though I know there has been two organizations. One just got its ambulance. One had an O in the name. I don't know all the details about the two and why or why not they couldn't combine the two. I am just as curious as to why we needed one here in the first place. I feel that the people here tend to forget they have moved out of Brooklyn. I guess you can take a person out of Brooklyn (gasp! You can?) but you can't take the Brooklyn out of the person. You get my point. There are many people here who moved from Brooklyn to here recently (well, yeah me included, but I haven't lived in Brooklyn in a long time, I moved out six years ago). Since there has been such an influx of Brooklynites here, I guess they felt the need to be at "home" and had to have Hatzalah here. Had to have the walkie talkie, had to have the jackets, the status, the whatever...Okay, I am probably being too harsh here, but hey if there is politics regarding it, then it probably was not necessary in the first place.

So the other topic was a shul closed down. Okay, so it was illegal and maybe a fire hazard, but why now was this the topic of conversation. There are rumors going around and who knows which one is really true? Do I care that they called a police on someone who in turn, turned them in for the illegal shul on a residential street? Is this the way we are supposed to behave to one another? What is the point?

As for TV here in the school, that doesn't bother me. Though I think they are taking the Brooklyn approach to things and making parents sign papers and some are lying anyway. I was asked when we applied, but we don't have a TV. But computers?! What in heavens name is that? What is the deal? Do they mean computers or internet? I need both. I live for both. I do my work via internet, don't you dare take it away from me (yes, I have been internet free long story, way back when.) I need it to do my work at home. Who do you think pays for it anyway? I just don't get it. The school has computers, and how else can the older kids do their book reports? Typewriters are gone.

So much politics in this small community and I don't even know the others. I am sure there are more as there are usual politics in small towns. I guess I get to hear bits and pieces and see what kind of puzzle I can make from it. Stay tuned for tomorrow nights meeting with the Rosh Yeshiva. My take on it, to get us to pay more money for tuition. Mind you they just raised it for this year! I wonder what the increase will be, and if it will match the potential raise I might not get....Go figure...I gotta go to the meeting. My friends are not. How else will we know what is going on here?