THE 'ZIMMERMAN' EFFECT

The recent 'flap and concern' over the comments made by a consultant/'headhunter' at an SAU 6 BOARD MEETING brings up a problem that is currently plaguing the United States, apart from various forms of litigation. It is the rise of an elite composed of 'professional parasites' that continue to extract and consume wealth from cities, towns, states,institutions of all kinds,etc. in the form of fees and services that used to be based on local control and conditions and such intangibles as 'commonsense'. Panels of experts, whether ranging from tax advisors to health care providers or any other form of consultant/expert deemed necessary through mutual- backslapping groups who rely and insist on such to direct and focus their lives and their pocketbooks or credit cards, are the coming career choice that bureaucracy and government demands. But the real effect of the 'Zimmerman" approach leaves unaswered the question why Claremont,the town that pretends to be a city, continues to be painted as it is in very negative terms.... Putting aside actual perceptual problems in viewing Claremont through lack of rose-colored glasses or of a rosy halo hovering over the area, it indicates the actual real estate problems not only of Claremont but the entire country as well. Nor should we admit the problems, financial, social, political, economic that all forms of government, local,country, state or national experience and will continue to experiences as the agricultural capacity to produce food and the industrial capacity to produce tangible goods are diminished increasingly in terms of the world market or the rise of other nations once thought to be 'third-world' or undeveloped or developing since many have concluded the United States is on the way to joining them.... Claremont's problemsare a microcosm of the macrocosmic ones of this nation and since most locals,even those who should know such things, continue to ignore such in their daily lives,we can expect little or no solutions that will dispell any of these problems. This does not mean that well-intentioned persons will not come forward to offer 'comfort and solace' to the suffering area or to propose various plans and schemes to alleviate the stress, strain,aches and pains of a basically faltering series of systems that consultants, experts, managers,advisors and administrators,etc. have disrupted over the years. Claremont,'The Heart of the Twin-State Valley', despite its 'diseased' condition as diagnosed by the Zimmerman Effect, will survive in some way, long after all those responsible for the ill-health of Claremont have departed the area in some form,whether rode out on a rail or in a casket or a limosine on their own volitions and new influx of 'flatlanders' come in to 'upgrade and revitalize' everything-adding, by the way, to 'the Gene Pool' which led to the flap and concern in the first place, and this may possibly and probably happen quite literally....

VACANT LOTS, VACANT BUILDINGS, PARKING LOTS

Vacancy of any thing, whether the brain cavity of moderns who pursue inane and unproductive pursuits and tend to fill the space or vacuum of the brain cavity with fantasies and other things, has its consequences which old timers often discuss and mention or mutter among themselves. AS many have noted, the 'downtown' of CLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, the town that pretends it is a city, consists of vacant store fronts, that undergo a continual bingo game of relocation, opening up, and shutting down of various business ventures, none of which are really supported by a business friendly community or the town fathers, whoever they wish to be and whatever else they call themselves, save for a few entrenched and die-hards, with vested interests, and who consist not of a status-quo mentality but who may not have ever lived in the prosperous times of Claremont and do not understand the source of their reluctance re-build,what some have called'THE SPIRIT OF CLAREMONT". I once remarked to the present manager, one of many who have graced the town with their esteemed presences, that the first thing anyone driving into Claremont or through it, especially any who might have an inkling or urge to settler in THE HEART OF THE TWIN-STATE VALLEY(the one created between VERMONT & NEW HAMPSHIRE by the CONNECTICUT RIVER and sometimes called 'The Connecticut River Valley) is NOT THE SCHOOLS, THE TOWN CLOCK, THE BIG BOX STORES, THE PEOPLE, THE INDUSTRIES,ETC. BUT: the roads and sidewalks and streets and eventually the store fronts and vacant lots and numerous parking lots that have nearly leveled the town,especially on BROAD STREET, once one the more prosperous and scenic areas of the town, to a LEVEL PLAIN(plane).... The manager had no idea who I was but he did know the person with whom I was chatting that day in front of the POST OFFICE(that institution soon on its way to extinction thanks mostly to government policies that have it with one foot in government and the other in private enterprise) he did know as he had had some sessions of various kinds or discussions,etc. But I knew who the manager was because I had seen and looked intently at him a few times when he was wandering about the streets in search of something,perhaps looking to see how he could improve the town in some way,or bring in bigger and better businesses, if not industries of some scale,whether large or small...... To his credit the very next week a sidewalk and road improvement began and eventually new, attractive street signs were erected to help continuall confused CLAREMONTERS find the streets that 9-11 had RENAMED often with ridiculous results and if the police, firemen, and taxis could not learn the old names, then how can be be sure they would know the new ones any better...given their dependence on GPS and spelling abilities among other talents needed to keep law and order in the 'crime-ridden' area,where some discussions of unsolved murders are still one everyone's tongue form time to time... No, I am not claiming that the manager listened to me directly as he,no doubt, was getting this message from some others who were,not in some instances, members of his'fan club' but he does deserve credit for a few things they will have to perhaps grudgingly acknowledge since he no longer commutes, apparently, to the Bay State.....and has gone 'granite', rubbing shoulders with the ex-flatlanders who pride themselves as not being newly transplanted as well as the 'natives'....