While its Shorewood's announced policy to attract young families because of under-enrollment in our “great” school system, we also support a countervailing policy of developing condos, generally for people without children.

Perhaps the unintended increase of school tax by 7% will be effective in a) displacing elder residents and b) even discouraging them from moving into condos in Shorewood.

The first may attract young families with children to occupy homes of those moving out.. The second, even with increased taxes may discourage older residents from moving out.

An over-investment in duplexes for occupancy by renters and not owners in the past has not made these investments all that profitable.

Tax increases will not be easily absorbed in the rents. Higher rents would further discourage younger adults with children.

Therefore, our present policies do not seem to make much sense.

Shorewood needs to pursue an improved State approach to education rather than local property tax dependency.

This may be too obvious for our local politicians and state representatives to comprehend.

If we would not have to seek larger enrollments, we would not be concerned with the age of our residents.

We could then concentrate on improving the social diversity of our community without pricing out those who contribute to this diversity.

There are many committees functioning as citizen committees that do a great deal of the governmental work necessary in keeping Shorewood's government operating.

Many residents never go before these committees and most are unaware of their existence. Because of my interest in the function of local government, I have from time to time attended some of the meetings of these committees. They do great work.

It occurred to me recently that as only a few of us are aware of the time that is devoted to this work that someone should acknowledge this service.

I know that I am thankful for the work they do and if all the citizens of Shorewood were aware of the number of people and number of hours involved that they would be as appreciative of their efforts as I am.

It seemed to me as I've presently been thinking about this aspect of our government that I should let all the members of these committees know how grateful all of us should be for this precious time.

Thanks neighbors. Keep up the good work in the service of our community. We are grateful.

During my time in Shorewood, I have always found that our Village's operating and management staff have been excellent and among the highest in their professions and in their fields of work . I have observed currently that our staff are being even more efficiently organized under the leadership of our Village Manager Chris Swartz.

They are quietly at work on a day to day basis and are often taken for granted. I have always found them to be courteous and helpful. I believe that from time to time we should consciously take note of their efforts and recognize what these people do for the Shorewood and what they mean to us. I want to thank them and hope that many citizens of Shorewood join me in doing so and will show their appreciation when visiting the offices of these people.

Thanks to our hard working staff. in and outside Village Hall.

Shorewood seems to be marching forward into the past. With few modifications our land assembly is being used to accommodate the past but clad in progressive rhetoric. Traditional practice often hides mistaken concepts, while the market accommodates the lowest of tastes.

Meanwhile politicians lie in wait until forced to act or better to flow with the stream. Plans are often another form of rhetoric serving as cover for politicians' inactions or faulty actions.

Where are the innovations that create, what we refer to as the future, coming from; business as usual, tradition, the market place? Shorewood's Village Board is so constructed and established that we can only expect to see that business is as usual, that only traditional approaches are taken to new problems and that we can view market solutions only by seeing to it that they don't fall off as they creak along on old tracks.

Sometime ago, I pointed out the need for Shorewood Village Board to establish priorities in relation to projects and money for future expenditures. So far, no response.

There seems to be no response to many of things citizens think to be important.. Is this a sign that elected officials are separating themselves from those they represent. If individual trustees think that they represent citizens and not themselves, you might prove it by responding to these questions: (within a range of 1 to 10, 1 being highest priority, assign a number):

1). What priority rating would you give acquisition of land for open space?

2). What priority would you give to facility development for seniors and intergenerational focused activities?

3). What priority would you give to public area development on Oakland Avenue?

If there's no response of any type, then we should assume that citizens are no longer represented in the Village of Shorewood.

Long lived local governmental boards and committees, after many years leave their aging foot prints of “cultural conformity.”   New groups shape themselves after the old.

The unvarying patterns of uniformity and consistency might be described as related more to the acts of the cult but without reverence for one thing, as each ego in the group is the subject of its own veneration.

These patterns are easily discerned in the accord of recorded votes over the years. The basic reverence is for individual ego and its expression is through the development and within the process of “group thought.”

Therefore, it doesn't make any difference who we vote for, even if candidates are absorbed in their affiliations with national parties and issues, for upon election at the local level, the established patterns of process draw them into conformance and into cultural uniformity, even when from time to time, one member might show slight deviation as to a certain issue.  The process controls.

I've been observing this principle in action in a number of communities and more recently here in Shorewood and have seen sufficient evidence to prove that a principle both in function and reality does exist.

Among political candidates this “cultural conformity” is referred to as experience. Within the group it is accepted as political expediency but never referred to as such, perhaps for fear it might reveal the underlying uniformity process.

When the members are unable to form a consensus on an issue at one meeting, they will postpone decisions and come together again in the veneration of consensus, often after the issue is institutionalized in form, by passage through at least one committee.

Local government is where the authority of ego is able to survive group subjugation as the rule of consensus permits its expression through the consensus forming process. Whatever the material or issue under scrutiny, the eye of the group is focused on consensus.

The fact that local officials are unable to represent  their constituents and that they get caught up in this pattern of cultural uniformity, while  not giving them any dictatorial classification, reveals that representative or democratic government cannot be made to function at the local level.

Thinking that it can, may remain our constant illusion.

Individual response to this thesis from members of our village board would be interesting to say the least; however, such an unreasonable expectation does not take the arrogance of authority nor that of concensus into account.

Are torture and war necessary evils, and government itself, is it a necessary evil?

As government is made up of human beings, are those drawn to and engaged in government evil human beings. Obviously not. Most want to do what is best for those they serve.

Thomas Paine in his “Common Sense” said that “society in any condition is a blessing, but government . . . in any state is a necessary evil.

We refer to that ultimate element of authority over the rest of us as government, whether it is the most evil dictatorship or the most compassionate democracy. And although in 2007, good and evil often seem interchangeable, we rely on our democracies to make the appropriate corrections.

The best of democracy is practiced at the local level, where most elected officials seek to represent the citizens.

This can best be accomplished through open exposure to almost every act, drawing in citizens into meaningful participation, regardless of their views and opinions and by keeping government open and transparent.

Here in my community, in our community in Shorewood, our representatives should do their utmost to make government significantly meaningful to all of us, a real practice of democracy

Its obvious that fellow bloggers read each other's postings, raising questions and making comments. It isn't all that obvious however that elected officials and their colleagues read our postings as we seldom hear from those representing us.

Their sustained silence could be considered to be the ultimate in arrogance.

Actual participation with citizens in any form of discussion by most officials is to be avoided. It might interrupt their train of thought.

The pattern is there. They avoid real discussion during the election process and after attaining office. Anything resembling debate might indicate that one citizen is as knowledgable and perhaps as wise as the other.

Perhaps our elected representatives should learn that when we elect them, we do not give them irresponsible royal positions nor unaccountable authority. Do elected officials need to be reminded that elected office does not mean that they are to lord it over us?

Representative government means that officials must represent the views of their constituents. How do they represent these views if they do not fully discuss them with us and agree to do whatever they can to carry out the desires of the citizens?

Or do we elect officials because of their views, usually undisclosed, especially at so-called forums?

If this is the only place to learn of their stance on issues, then they must make their views quite clearly known to the citizens as extensively and as transparently as possible and not a few words on a circular.

It seems, however that we have turned representative government on its head and that we award authority instead of selecting people to represent us.

At the local level, especially here in Shorewood where little if any of our government activity is reported in the written media, then we must turn to what has now been termed as the blogosphere.

And perhaps it is here where we begin to approach real democracy, where people can comment and are encouraged to respond to views of other citizens, the bloggers.

A nephew and family will be taking up residence in Shorewood and will be voting for their representatives on the Village and School Boards. How will they know who will actually be representating them as to their concerns in the community.

Who are the constituents of officials voted in by the public at large? How can a elected body represent everybody and everyone's concerns? I wonder if elected officials ever think about that? Is what they believe that is in the interest for the community what guides them? What about government, “of the people, for the people and by the people?” What is that all about? I never get a response regarding any of my concerns.

I raised the issue of establishing districts in a comment section to Steve Koczela, October 24, 2007, “Election Season Approaches”. His comment was to me and I guess to others, “Do you believe a ward based system of representation would work better in Shorewood.” I said that I thought it would. But giving it more thought today, it is really difficult to say, although the voter from the district or ward could always turn to his ward representative if that would help any.

I honestly believe that individuals have no representation in democratic government. We might have signed petitions on issues and officials can take polls into consideration, but it certainly won't be government “by the people,” it will be government by those in authority.

Steve Koczela raised the question as to whether a ward system for Shorewood might better represent the citizens of Shorewood. I believe it would.

And to carry this discussion on further and also in the hope that individual Trustees would also participate, I'm going to make a proposal:

That Shorewood be divided up into 4 wards and one citizen of that ward be elected to the Board of Trustees to serve only one year and not to exceed 3 consecutive years. That the President of the Board be elected at large to serve only 2 years and not more than 2 consecutive terms.

This would give us a 5-member board, which I believe would be rather dynamic and representative of the voters and the people, government “of the people, by the people and for the people.

The annual terms for trustees and the short term for the president would make them more accountable to the citizens and might keep citizens more involved in their governance.

Two of the wards should be west of Maryland Avenue and two east of it.

I'd like to get citizens comments and to hear from members of the Board, and especially those who may be coming up for election this winter.

It appears that few public officials enter the local blogosphere as few if any comments are made by elected “representatives.”

It may however, be the case that some of Shorewood's informed citizens do read these postings; therefore it might be wise for elected officials to know in advance what they may be held accounted for.

It may be wise for those in office to set up their own blogs or at least submit comments. Those who comment understand that they represent the community and that discussion with community members might be aiding the democratic process.

Often unresponsiveness means silent disagreement. It is dangerous for elected officials who are not silent before being elected turn to this condition upon being elected.

Openness of thought and transparency of process is the basis of democratic government, if not of good government. I believe that good government is the result of openness and transparency. After all, there is nothing to hid.

With all the various plans for Shorewood completed, paid for and absorbed in the minds of Shorewood's leaders they can now be stacked away. The steps that followed and are to follow are their conversion into priorities and  the rationale for their order.

Priorities for fulfillment of plans were obviously considered in establishing the budget for 2008. The document of priorities, if it exists should now be made available to the public.

If a document does not exist, then a presentation of the priorities considered would be in order with a summary document to follow. Date and place of priority presentation should be announced and those of us interested in government participation would appreciate the event.

In attendance at the first Shorewood Village Board meeting of the month, I found that with only five members present that the Board acted more informally than during any of my other experiences. I've always thought that a 7-person board functions too ceremoniously in its actions. A five-member board seems to be just right

Besides, 60% of the trustees present were woman. Quite an achievement, equal representation at last.

Now that the Board will be coming up with a new budget and our program and spending priorities, our next major focus will be on two seats coming up for election. One element of excitement after another.

Wherever there's a condition for group survival, in clans,  in small villages and now in nations, government inevitably emerges.

It is the substance of group living and part of the madness of humanity that war then becomes part of that insanity. Nations grow out of war and war then becomes the child of government or of nation. The nature of politics is to produce its own form of political warriors and to function as part of that constant internal struggle.

We can somewhat tame government and the politics that form in it but external war accelerates to the extreme madness that forms its own insane logic.

Man is destined to live in groups and therefore both internal war and external conflict shall always remain an innate part of human culture.

The greatest and oldest cities of the world that we admire so much are products of constant war, both from within and from without. No community is spared. Even our own community of Shorewood struggles at political war on a day to day basis.

We have developed a strange set of warriors who engage in this internal struggle. In a sense, it often becomes a competition of whose got the ball.  And the ball is the symbol of authority. The ultimate reward of war, internal or external, is authority, whose got the ball.

Human beings are created with an internal desire for power. Those with the greatest desire for authority and power unfortunately become the greatest cause for war, in community, clan, village, city and state.

The general task and our task in Shorewood becomes one of taming that desire for authority and to covert its energy toward improvement of community life and not merely toward holding the ball.

The main opposition to war is the family, its extension and the community it creates.