Letter to Yenta 12/27/08
CRITICS? As an artist here in New Hope, I am sick of the lack of a serious critic in any of the publications here. A critic can generate interest in an artist or art scene and now, during this rough economy, is the time for someone to step up. No one currently writing on art seems to know enough art history and what little writing on art there is seems just a little to "nice". A good critic is not nice, a good critic generates talk.- Steve Messenger

Letter to Yenta 11/25/08
The Return of the MUGMAN...sorta!
Hi all. I'm sorry I have been away for so long but I've started a new thing for your community enjoyment. Its an ongoing story about a town similar to ours here and its called The Merchants of Venice Boulevard (thanks to the Old Beatnik who inspired the story, characters and me). It's presently in blog form on the Mechanic Street Mugs website www.mechanicstreetmugs.com and as a chapter gets written I will include it in the blog. Please check it out and feel free to leave comments and perhaps an interesting story line to think about. Happy Turkey everyone!
-the MUGMAN

Letter to Yenta 11/21/08
Reading The Yenta reminds me of the whispers of those tortured mortal souls in "Wings of Desire". Anyhow, lets make the best of it this season, regardless of Geo. Michael's Port-O-Potties (what a name recognition, eh?) and the roadblocks from "Vanishing Point" (a true niche from the past, Uncle Charlie!) I hope townsfolk band together during this Depression (yes, its no longer the "R" word) and eke out what cheer we can share while crossing this rickety bridge to '09.
- From a Calafohnian who still pays New Hope taxes

Letter to Yenta 11/19/08
Thumbs up to the New Hope merchants that have already begun to spread Christmas Cheer throughout the boro with store fronts decked with ribbons, greens and lights. Your store fronts look happy and welcoming. Keep up the good work. North Main Street looks particularly festive. Thanks and best wishes for a successful business season, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night."
-New Hope Observer

Letter to Yenta 11/17/08
I'm sorry but I just have to vent.
Did anybody read that ridiculous letter to the Herald from George Micheals?? Now he wants to save the business community in New Hope?? Don't get me wrong, please shop New Hope! But this is coming from the guy who destroyed Historic Mechanic Street along with at least 7 established businesses and great restaurants while also completely destroying the tow path panorama at the ex Canal House site to do what? Build condos!!! Now, either he had an epiphany and wants to redeem himself to all of us or he is gearing up to pitch to boro his next get rich quick scheme which, by the way, always involves the tearing down of historic buildings in New Hope. We were so excited to have him and his family as our neighbors on North Main after he tore down a beautiful property to build his dream house. Oh- but it's for sale. What a surprise.
C from MII

Letter to Yenta 11/10/08
Nothing since October 6, and then a small flurry of notes about the bridge repair. Classic, the people are asleep at the wheel. Come on New Hope business people, had you been active in the planning, made sure that you had a voice that spoke for you on council and had a strong Chamber the outcome might be different. The barn door is open, the jackasses are running wild and now you have something to say. Prior planning prevents poor performance and you people historically plan poorly thus you get what you get. Ever hear of being proactive? -New Hope Observer

Letter to Yenta 11/09/08
I agree with the reader who wonders if the array of day-glo orange detour signs announcing construction at Bridge and Main couldn't be simplified. Right now it looks like a hastily arranged roadblock from "Vanishing Point" or "Thelma and Louise". -- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 11/08/08
I had to “Laugh Out Loud” for the Yenta writer from 11/06. God what some people think and then write, can be so amusing sometimes.

“ There has to be a more subtle and dignified way! “ :)

When the news that “ Bridge Street “ bridge was going to be replaced what did you think was going to happen ? Considering what needs to be done and where it needs to be done. I see this project signs and all, as very adequate and appropriate. You need to remember how insanely stupid, drivers in this area can be, especially the drunk ones of which New Hope is known for. How many times have you read in the newspaper of drivers going the wrong way on a highway. And then killing someone or themselves in a head-on collision. Considering that at some point there will be half a bridge over the canal , the signs and traffic barrels seem to be about right to me. So no, I don’t see “.... the OVER ZEALOUS Pendot overseer for the road closings and traffic flow pattern signage....”

What is happening is a major bridge in the center of New Hope is being replaced. Things will only get worse. Just wait until the demolition starts. By that I mean, note that two buildings on the Western side of the bridge are almost tied to the bridge abutments. Abutments that will be totally replaced both on the East and West side. New Hope is in for a bumpy ride.

Regarding the center of New Hope and all the business in New Hope that will be effected by this especially the ones near the construction zone , Good Luck ! Don’t expect that “Dunkin Donuts” any time soon. The merchants without large bank accounts and deep pockets or who own their buildings will leave ASAP. Ask any business owner North of New Hope, as to how much construction affected them.

Dare I mention a world wide recession or as some people like to say “economic slow down”.

With effective progress comes pain.

Signed “Two Cents”

Letter to Yenta 11/06/08
Who, I would love to know, is the OVER ZEALOUS Pendot overseer for the road closings and traffic flow pattern signage for the Bridge Street bridge work site. It's literally a sea, no, an ocean of HUGE orange and white stripe rubber barrels and HUGE "road closed" signs all over the place without a clear signage for the detour or even why or what is going on! Poor Poor Bridge street merchants! Not to mention the first 1/2 a block of South Main. Someone who has the power needs to see that the area in question gets a MUCH more toned down way to signal the work that is being done. I mean we're talking until June or July to have this stuff in the middle of the road and blocking the sidewalks. There has to be a more subtle and dignified way! The way it is now is just plain ridiculous and it would be funny if it weren't putting in jeopardy at least 15 great New Hope establishments.

Letter to Yenta 10/07/08
The reason Lenape Park is locked is because the powers that be wanted it to be in pristine condition for the delayed official opening of the park (Friday, Oct. 10 at 3pm). They are anticipating a nice turnout with the Leni Lenape tribal representatives, music and speeches, etc. However, damage to the park has already been observed. The liner in the water feature has been punctured in several places, dogs have been seen defecating, and garbage dropped in places other than the appropriate containers. Please do not read ulterior motives into everything that happens in our nice little town.

Letter to Yenta 10/06/08
To question the law enforcement policy of the Borough is not an attack on our police officers, just as looking for a new strategy in Iraq is not attacking our troops. There have been more than two dozen break-ins in our twin towns in the last several weeks, and it would appear that information on the actual incidents and patterns emerging is being withheld from the public. Additionally, questioning why there appears to be more police staffing devoted to ticketing, rather than at times when the break-ins are occurring, isn't insulting the heroism of police officers, it's questioning the policy of the Borough. Last time I checked, that's still allowed under our Constitution. -- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 10/06/08
Poor Charlie C. No I have never been arrested ever but it seems you’re on the Boro Committee to white wash the problem and I have lived and paid taxes here for 40 years. No Charlie C your tired refrain of others opinion not being counted shows your inability to see the problem. Do we really want to go the route of Philadelphia, Detroit, Newark and Camden where mincing words and Political correctness trump common sense and the safety of people and property. If some did not spur individuals into action no action would be taken. By the way lighten up Charlie C parody and jokes work.FOH

Letter to Yenta 10/5/08
I rarely read the Yenta anymore because I am disgusted by the repeated attacks against the Police Department. How many people out there would be willing to put their own safetly and that of their families on the line for someone elses? Every time a police officer puts on his or her uniform, they put themselves in danger for YOUR safety! People need to realize that when an officer takes the oath, they put their family with them. The easiest way to hurt ANY officer would be to attack those they love. For all the people out there that want to demoralize and insult our officers, I say shame on you!
How many of the actual police officers do you honestly see writing Parking Tickets? I enjoy walking through our town, and notice that the majority of the Parking Tickets are done by the meter maids. For those that feel that the council pulls the strings of our men and women in blue, rethink this. They took an oath, and that is what they work to uphold.
In regards to the construction at St. Matins, there are many benifits to having the police station at this location. Think about the floods - when the town floods, at this time, so does the station. When it is moved to the location on the hill, it will no longer flood, and can be used as a command station other then the fire house. You will then have TWO locations to obtain information on how to handle these type of emergency situations. Do you think that this could benifit us all as local residents, I do.
To those that are attacking the chamber, and the mayor about the rash of thefts within our community, from what I understand they occured within the wee hours of the morning. Yes, their job is to protect and serve, and as far as I can tell, they are doing just that. There have been no personal injuries, and that is what I would think is most important.
We may be a small town, but just try to imagine what would happen if this small town had no police in it....Imagine if we were patroled by the State Police instead, like some small towns in NJ are. We would not have the fast response time that we have now. It could take up to and over 10 minutes to get a response, or possibly longer. I have lived in locations that took almost 20 minutes for a response for an Ambulance. How would you feel then? I for one am happy that we have the amount of police on our department, and the fact that we have one at all. -S&G

Letter to Yenta 10/5/08
I know that I should not single someone out for their opinion, everyone is entitled to have one, however FOH and his comparison of our police department to Chief Wiggum is disgusting. These men and women put their lives on the line everyday, and to be insulted like that is unacceptable. My first thought is that FOH has been arrested more than once in his lifetime. If you feel so unsafe living here than I strongly suggest moving to somewhere else where you can feel safe.
-Charlie C

Letter to Yenta 10/3/08
Why would a park, Stone Depot, which is not open at night and was never intended to be open at night be lit up at night like mall parking lot. The installation of this amount of lighting was wasteful spending at its worst as well as it is a tremendous waste of energy in an age when we should be a practicing Green; environmental, and financial tendancies. This Boro need not practice, any further, spending money, it is about the only thing that this Council has mastered.

Letter to Yenta 10/3/08
Can someone explain why the new park, "Stone Depot" has been closed, chained and padocked for the past few days, one would think that with the few remaining warm weather days that the park would be open, up and running.
Can someone also help me out, it is my understanding that this park has cost $387,000.00 exclusive of land costs which were around $260,000.00. Geniuses that they are Boro Council is absolutely keeping within their purvue, they are good at spending over $500,000.00 including land and improvements per half acre of land that they buy and develope/redevelope. Do the math, that's what the costs will end up being once the new Boro Hall complex is complete.
We are in the financial mess that we are in in this country precisely because of deals like these, no one is doing their homework and the politicos will not listen to those that do. What a disgrace! -Uninvited Ferry Street Neighbor

Letter to Yenta 10/03/08
I'm confused! In the Herald, oct 2 edition it says the Arts and Crafts show will be on Sept. 26 and 27 next year. But on the official brochure that was handed out to everyone (and those would be the people who would maybe think about coming back next year) it says Sept 12 and 13!!! Uh OH !!!!!!

Letter to Yenta 09/29/08
Once again the police department is being attacked. Where are the cops when the burglaries are happening? Oh, they are only concerned with writing parking tickets and arresting people for DUI. Does everyone realize that between 3 am and 7 am there is only 1 police officer on duty. By the way if anyone had bothered to check that is the time frame when most of the burglaries have taken place. 1 officer covering the entire town. Don't you think that is a rather large area to cover for one person. Police officers wear a lot of different hats while they are working, and just like everyone else that cannot be everywhere at the same time. I have said it before and I say it again, Support them for doing a dangerous job that very few people in this country are willing to do, they are the ones who take the safety and security of all of the residents in the Boro and make it their personal responsibility. 
Also can someone please tell me what makes someone a highly reliable townie, as compared to a normal townie. Unless they are wearing a badge and uniform, any information from them is their own opinion and not a stone cold fact.
- Charlie C

Letter to Yenta 09/28/08
So it's the business owners and their staff who are responsible for the robberies? Perhaps they should be imprisoned when they are robbed. That will teach everyone a lesson!
C'mon, get real. It's that very openness that attracts tourists. What should be done? Put up metal detectors at every door? Have roll-down metal gates on all stores? Do screenings and body searches of all customers? Now that would really be a boon for New Hope's image!

Letter to Yenta 09/26/08
Dear 9/25 writer you indicated how few Police officers there are so I suspect you have not read the Yenta very long or unaware that we have plenty of Police. The problem is how they are being utilized by the police department which IS a PD problem. Not all suspicious people hang out and wait to be arrested at the WAWA’S although I see more police presence there then down town MAIN STREET where most of the robberies take place. We must all be vigilant but since the boro is on a shopping spree with our money maybe they can put aside the million dollar renovations to St Martins and other projects and concentrate on this problem first. FOH

Letter to Yenta 09/25/08
Dear yenta, As a resident with a bit of a other side of the track view, I have to say that I disagree with some of the others rants that have been posted about the thefts and burglaries that have been going on in town. Although I do think that the Businesses should be aware of the issue, I really think a large part of the problem is the Business owners and shop store personnel. People around town are extremely aware of how lackadaisical a lot of us are and that most of the place around town have no rely security besides locks on the doors. I thinks is should be a group/town effort to inform the PD on shady characters, suspicious circumstances and/ or incidents that are seen or observed.The PD cant be everywhere especially with as few cops as they have.

Letter to Yenta 09/25/08
Agree with other posters that the recent string of burglaries in New Hope and Lambertville needs more attention. Maybe we can start by pooling our knowledge. I first heard about a series of 5 or 6 attempted burglaries of New Hope commercial establishments that targeted cash registers one night, culminating in the two felons being intruded upon by a store owner who also chucked a bottle at them. First I heard the suspects appeared to be two males of Mexican descent, but later two highly reliable townies told me in no uncertain terms that the suspects were two Caucasian males, age unknown. I also heard about the break-in at Finkel's Hardware, which resulted in no substantial loss. The other Lambertville burglaries I know little about, except a friend of mine with a gallery there had three small paintings stolen last week, apparently through an open rear door leading to a courtyard. In terms of armed robberies, the only one I've heard of was at the New Hope Wawa on July 8 and involved a 61 year old Levittown man who was later arrested after a chase in which he ultimately lost control of his vehicle and hit a house. That's all I know, and I encourage other readers to write in with more solid info if they have it. We need to look out for each other. Although businesses have been the target, it may be time for residents to check their outdoor lighting, make sure doors are at least locked and be more alert to sounds or signs of break in at their neighbors' homes. Merchants likewise should be checking for signs of entry or trouble at adjacent stores as they close or take out the day's trash. Good awareness, lots of lights, cell phones and getting to know your neighbors better are the tools for making our blocks safer. -- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 09/24/08
Another ditto to someone who seems to understand what is going on here. We are getting a pig in the poke. How many police officers does it take to change a light bulb obliviously 14 and counting? In their never ending quest for revenue stream to pay the Police department the boro has become the Wild West. Where is JAMES STEWART AND GARY COOPER when you need them? How did our Boro become the target of multiple robberies with a Police force so large in proportion to its size and population? It reminds me of a Simpson’s episode where Chief Wiggums is giving a ticket to someone for chewing gum in public but right behind him a bank is being robbed with loud sirens and gunshots going off and chaos everywhere and he ask the person he is giving the ticket to DID YOU HEAR SOMETHING.FOH

Letter to Yenta 09/22/08
While we are all hashing and rehashing and rehashing parking (which is justifiably an issue) and bikers and noise and so on and so on, has anyone been paying attention to the LARGE number of robberies that have taken place in the business community over the last few months. Martine's, A.K.A, Sneddons, Hamilton Grill, The Lambertville Station, The Hunting and Gathering, (which got hit on 9/21/08)Wawa (armed robbery) and I hear several others that I don't know the name of since these are not being reported in the papers. An unsubstantiated rumor has it that the Playhouse was also robbed on 9/21/08, taking their computers. So where is the police department??? Does anyone ever see any other cop walking the streets besides Frank??? I do see that we are adding more and more parking ticket cops but where is the police presence??? Where is the communication to the business community? Why hasn't the Chamber distributed a flyer to the business community apprising us of this rash of break-ins so we can do our due diligence? Where is the Mayor??? The police department falls under his watch. Why no public comment as to what they intend to due to protect our community? Why aren't residents made aware before someone gets hurt. Someone is dropping the ball big time here, and some accountability needs to be taken. Heads up folks. We are on our own.

Letter to Yenta 09/22/08
Oh! That's the Public park they were talking about! I thought it was the Mayor's back yard.......

Letter to Yenta 09/19/08
Hi Yenta, Can someone explain why a PUBLIC facility is officially declared open at a PUBLIC ceremony on a Friday at 3:30 PM? I refer to "Stone Depot," the new park located at West Ferry and Stockton Avenues, to which the PUBLIC was not invited. Count them seven different types of hardscaping, virtually none of which is in keeping with the character of the historic district, but obviously approved! It would seem that it might have been opened to the PUBLIC, Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning or at a time when more of the people that paid it for it by going to work and paying the taxes that paid for it either directly from Boro coffers or indirectly with grants in aid from County and State revenues could have been there. Even a grand opening to coincide with next weeks Arts Festival or the next Second Saturday would have made more sense than hiding out in the park on a Friday afternoon.
Thank you, though, to those residents and advisors that gave their time gratis to plan and execute the space. Given that most of them are employed could they have even been there? A BIG BOO to the politicos for their disregard of Boro residents and our visitors.
The Buck's County Herald is quoted as saying that monies came from developer/development funds in addition to local and state sources. How is that possible, the $200.000,00 that comes from the development on West Mechanic is not due until December 2008? Is there any real chance of actually receiving those funds, given the lack of buyers and lack of movement at the site?
Had I been able to I would have been there with a sign, one side demanding to know what this park actually cost, the other side protesting the published estimates of 1.5 million dollars to reconfigure the buildings at the St. Martin's property, a property for, which incidentally we paid $2 million. That's nearly $700,000.00 an acre. Where is the money coming from for the new Boro facility, where's the transparency
I'd also like to know how any budget surplus dollars are invested and where and what, if any, the Wall Street debacle has cost our municipal pension funds?
Only in New Hope folks, only in New Hope!
-An Uninvited Ferry Street Neighbor

Letter to Yenta 09/15/08
Charlie you hit the nail on the head. Meanwhile every restaurant and salon is being robbed our law enforcement is forced by surrounding townships to chase down everyone for a possible DUI meanwhile back at the ranch the thief’s are watching them from afar saying their busy now lets roll hit 90 Main again or AKA Salon oh why not maybe Martines again no one will catch us. -FOH

Letter to Yenta 09/14/08
Actually, no one has been "attacking the police department", best I can tell. The point is that New Hope has developed an economy based entirely on revenue from parking meters and tickets. We've been killing the goose that laid the golden egg for years: when there was no tourist competition between New York and Philly, New Hope brought in tourists by the droves, and the people running the town started taxing visitors to help offset the strain on services. Unfortunately, that turned to greed, as Borough Council has used revenue from parking tickets and meters to amass nearly $1 million per year, in turn using those funds to fund a real estate buying spree that includes better offices for themselves and larger quarters for a police department that has burgeoned out of all proportion to the rate of crime in New Hope. Parking lots are being closed by Borough Council's real estate developer friends, young people and artists can't afford to live in town anymore, and "jobs" is a four-letter word for local politicos. Borough Counsel has no economic vision, hates the business community, and will continue to ticket and rip off our visitors until they stop coming, which is why tourism is down by more than half in recent years. We even have a "private" restaurant now that won't serve visitors. How many years can a tourist town afford not to have an organized advertising and promotion campaign? How many years can we continue to gouge our guests? The only growth industry today in New Hope is the police force, which has expanded as a ticket-issuing profit center for the Borough, not in response to any actual community need.
-- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 09/12/08
I have not checked the Yenta for about a month or so and when I checked this evening I was amazed that yet again, people are attacking the police department. While FOH only questions whether or not we have too many officers on 8/19, Uncle Charlie from 07/28 pretty much accuses them of being corrupt. I have several friends who are police officers who get frustrated on a regular basis when dealing with the public. If they stop a local resident, that person feels they should be given a break, because they are a local resident/shop owner. If they stop someone who is not from the area, that person feels they should be given a break because they are here on vacation. Why is it that everyone feels that they should not have to pay for violating the law even if my accident. How much effort does it really take to make sure that your meter does not expire?, or to make sure you are not too far away from the curb, etc.. I live and work in town and have very rarely ever seen any of these dump trucks exceeding the speed limit through town, especially when town is crowded and the streets are lined with cars. One writer mentioned that in Doylestown, his first ticket was $10.00 then after that it would be more. Look at the other end of the spectrum, your first ticket in Phila is at least $50.00 or more, and New York, at least a $100.00. If I get a parking ticket in town I pay it without complaining, you know why, BECAUSE I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS IN THE WRONG!!!!! Not the officers or meter maid that wrote the ticket. People love to complain about the police when they get a speeding or parking ticket, or arrested for DUI or of you see them getting coffee, you make the smart remark to yourself or others around you about are they missing their donut. But when you are hurt in an accident or someone is breaking into your house they are the second coming. The police do not make you speed, or i gnore the parking meters or force you to drink too much before you drive, you do that and you are responsible for your actions, you and you alone. Support them for doing a dangerous job that very few people in this country are willing to do, they are the ones who make the safety and security of all of the residents in the Boro and make it their personal responsibility.
Charlie C

Letter to Yenta 09/11/08
Well I just returned from work and found that my trees in the fron yard have been mutilated! One half is chopped to nothing and the other half is as before. Is the Aspluntd in action. How do they get permission to come on private property and chop away? i understand the need to protect electric lines, but do they have the right to butcher trees so they're UGLY. As a private citizen, I need a permit to take down a tree, but these people come in with no skills and proceed to chop away. (And by the way leave a bunch of debris behind them! Just awful. Does anybody know what to do to to complain?

Letter to Yenta 08/27/08
Brad - Why oh why are you still trying to inject fact into this milieu, it just doesn't belong.......... Only superior intellects are allowed , they alone are allowed to make their own facts -JJ

Letter to Yenta 08/26/08
Break out the Jiffy Pop, here we go.... -- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 08/26/08
Very interesting commentary...

FOH insists that bicycles and perhaps their riders and contents might observe the laws of physics differently than anything else, and believes that logic bore no impact on how this country was founded [John Adams may disagree but we will have to conduct a séance to find out], as if that somehow justifies irrational fears. Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion. That is what makes this country great.

Less than two hundred years ago people believed that traveling at speeds faster than a horse could run would kill you by suffocation.

The Old Beatnik clearly states he/she does not care about PA's [laws] (!), claims it's "STUPID" to trailer your kids on a roadway (but apparently not stupid to take on that risk independently) and suggests using the tow path instead. This is not a bad idea but I've seen that path and while it's a great feature of the area, parts of it are not particularly any safer than the neighboring roadways, particularly where bicycle buggies are concerned. There are dangers still - merely different dangers. Difficult surfaces, uneven grading, narrow sections and close, steep embankments make the tow path far from a panacea for road cyclists.

Of course the subjective concepts of stupidity and acceptable risk are those which as a motorcyclist I find provide endless opportunities for discussion, and I'd like to remind everyone how many ideas and practices change from absurdity to common sense or vice-versa every few years. A little open-mindedness goes a long way.

FYI, Pennsylvania manages several designated bicycle routes and to the best of my knowledge the Delaware River tow path has not been declared one of them. At your convenience, search Google or whatever for "bicycle PA".

Has anyone here even seen Bucks County's bicycle accident statistics? Is there any substantial evidence of risk in New Hope and vicinity, or merely fear of risk?

Of course still nobody has been able to clarify exactly what rules of the road the bicyclists are allegedly failing to follow. Oh, that's right, I almost forgot, the laws don't matter. {ahem} Moving right along...

Anyway, I visited New Hope a few times over the past few weeks (and had a lovely time, thank you) and have traveled the riverside roadways their entire length between there and I-80 twice. Oddly I didn't see any buggy -equipped bicyclists. Tempest in a teapot, or just bad timing? Yes, River Road is narrow, as are most neighboring roads too, but the good news is that the pavement is in excellent condition now due to [ongoing] repaving projects, and that actually makes it quite safe for bicycles as cyclists shouldn't need to swerve around road defects.

Frankly even the sidewalks are too narrow for pedestrians. There's just not much room there.

By the way, those bicycle trailers are usually only about 6" wider overall than a typical bicyclist's elbows.

-Brad

PS the earth isn't green and this isn't the place for a biology lesson.

Letter to Yenta 08/19/08
I hope to God they don’t have to cut that tree down. I don’t think we have to cut a police officer just because of the loss of revenue of 2 parking spaces although we may have too many(POLICEMAN).FOH

Letter to Yenta 08/19/08
I don't know if this is true or, that if it is, there is any thing we can do about it but I thought I'd put it out there just in case! Seems they (who they are we don't know) want to cut down a huge sycamore on North Main St. The one out front of Topeo South (ex Taste of Honey) Because it interferes with parking? Options: 1)cut it down, 2) make that space a smaller space and have it be no parking and not cut it down. Hmmmmm I wonder which they'll choose? And I repeat I don't know who "they" are. Who actually decides these things and if any one else has a say in it. But the tree should be saved if at all possible I would think. Shade tree commission? This tree should be cut down only as a last resort . -c from mii

Letter to Yenta 08/19/08
Hey Brad - I don't care about the title numbers and chapter and verse on the PA bicycle operating rules and procedures. It's just plain STUPID to pull your kids around in a bike trailer on River Rd. or any other busy thoroughfare. That' why God invented THE TOWPATH. -The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 08/18/08
Is it just me, or does "stella-like maroon" sound like how Bugs Bunny would describe a Stanley Kowalski type? -- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 08/11/08
It's nice that New Hope now has all those stella-like maroon directional signs. Too bad so many of them are incorrect. Last time I checked, the Michener Museum was not up Ferry Street (no, there is not another sign further up directing to Union Square), and the Visitors Center was not at the southern end of the canal. Thes are just a few examples; there are other errors. Can someone in authority get the signs corrected?

Letter to Yenta 08/02/08
Brad, Brad, Brad where in God’s green earth did you come from. Bicycle physics indeed. Your explanation does not hold water neither does the baby carriage. Emotion is how this country was founded logic did not quite apply for our founding fathers. Read John Adams FOH

Letter to Yenta 07/31/08
I may need some enlightenment... If bicyclists are allegedly not following "rules of the road", perhaps someone can illustrate for me the elements of Title 75 of PA's Consolidated Statutes to which those bicyclists are failing to adhere? Bicyclists have a strong sense of community and if they are indeed in violation of statutes it should be fairly easy to address the majority of offendors and improve the situation. For example you can bring your concerns - in a logical, non-emotional and factual manner of course - to local bicycle shops and local bicycling enthusiast and outdoor activity -type publications, and you can promote PSAs on the local access cable channels and free bicycle safety seminars through the local government.

I must caution you however, that bicyclists generally regard motorists as a threat and the motor vehicle statutes are predominantly designed to protect the underdog, so unless you can present your concerns with both grace and legal precedent you risk merely antagonizing that community and provoking a potentially dramatic backlash.

I also must point out that since baby clothing is not equipped with power-assisted hydraulic disc brakes but your automobiles are, if you truly fear hitting something falling from a bicycle or its trailer, your fear could simply be unrealistic given the physics involved, else you would technically be following too closely and would be in violation of Chapter 33, Section 3310, subject to a fine and a 3-point driver's license assessment. In the event you experience such a collision you could also be accused of other more subjective violations as well, i.e.driving too fast for conditions and/or careless driving.

Drive safely!
-Brad

Letter to Yenta 07/30/08
Loud motorcycle pipes. Bicycler's butt cracks. Where will it all end (no pun intended). I was walking in town on Tuesday AM around 8:30 to 9 AM and counted 12 large dump trucks heading through town towards the quarry north off River Rd, All but maybe 1 or 2 were engine braking as they came through town. The noise from these rigs would drown out any Harley pipes.
So wadda 'bout going after these guys as well. I've seen them coming South on Main coming from the quarry with 40 cubic yards of stone traveling at speeds in excess of the 25 mph limit on Main and because of the weight of their loads blow the light at Main and Bridge. This is going to turn somebody into paste on of these days. Maybe somebody can champion this cause. I don't know about their but cracks but I do know it's just a matter of time before something bad happens. Havva nice day.. -The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 07/29/08
"TWO THUMBS UP" for Brad!! FINALLY a biker who understands what the fuss is all about! We don't want to lump all the bikers into one category because of a few bad apples. Thanks for the comment as well regarding the bicyclists. We, on the other hand, do like their ass cracks, lol. Thanks Brad for your great comments. -Dennis and John

Letter to Yenta 07/29/08
To Brad I think the fools some people were referring to are the ones who endanger their children by pulling them along behind them in carriages one rough spot on River Road baby in air weeeeee motorist hit whoaaaa motorist in jail whyyyyyyy lawsuit from grieving parent and the ones who don’t follow the rules of the road AND THERE ARE RULES those are the fools we are talking about.FOH

Letter to Yenta 07/28/08
The snappers and the painted turtles and red-belly cooters float languorously through the warm, shallow waters of the river on days like these, some yawning up from the abutments of the bridge at the painted, red-bellied crowd passing above. The river runs low and thin and the shad have gone back, but the carp are always here and a bass or sucker or two.
On the New Street hill crowned by St. Martin’s Church, the statue of the Madonna and surrounding trees have been ripped out of the earth, apparently to improve the view of George Michael’s stalled, unwanted houses. The gods of New Hope are building a temple to themselves and paying for it by ripping off our visitors and raising taxes. I guess it seemed clever at first: use parking tickets and meters to transfer nearly $1 million of wealth per year from tourist pockets to the Borough budget, where it can be used to fuel a profit-centered police force so out of proportion to the actual crime rate that they now, too, need more celestial quarters in the holy halls.
Of course this temple to the gods of New Hope could have been converted instead to low-cost studios for local artists, or a women’s’ shelter, or a community center for teen programs, or something actually useful to the taxpayers, but our Borough Counsel members seem to be stuck in the real estate bubble, taking their orders in this readers’ opinion from the big developers whose favor they would rather curry than serve the people who elected them.
Of course, in the big picture, the river will still be moving when we are all gone. It runs low this summer, and that’s good, having spilled horribly over its banks three times in recent collective memory. There’s still the smell of rot and distant decadence, but it comes not from river; it seeps through the cracks of the yet to be occupied, but already damned structure atop a hill on New Street. – Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 07/28/08
Police crack down on noise from loud motorcycles
By James MCGinnis- Bucks County Courier Times - July 28,2008
Bristol Township police have issued about six citations for loud motorcycles in recent weeks as part of the department's “no tolerance” policy on noise pollution, officers said.
The township said it is training police officers as certified commonwealth inspection mechanics. That way, they can identify cycles retrofitted to make more noise.
“We have four guys on the street with this training,” said police Lt. Gaetano Sava. “We're hoping to get another three officers trained later this year.”
Police cannot legally stop a motorcycle without probable cause and officers do not carry decibel meters to measure sound levels, Sava added.
“In some cases, we'll issue a warning,” he said. Those who get a warning are told to fix their bike and bring it to the police station for inspection. “We see that they fixed their bike, and we don't give them a ticket,” Sava added.
Sava said the department wants to make clear that it's not targeting all bikers.
“This is not about targeting everyone on a bike. It's about going after the ones [who ride bikes] that are excessively loud.”
Bristol Township police Chief James McAndrew announced the “no tolerance” policy on loud motorcycles in late May. The department will issue fines of about $75 for offenders, McAndrew said.
“When you hear a loud one, it's illegal and it needs to be stopped,” McAndrew said.

Letter to Yenta 07/28/08
Sad that the Michener Annex is closing, but it was never much of a draw. It was located in the wrong place and never had much to recommend it. (Quite frankly, Union Square has been a flop.) Many times when I visited the annex were only a handful of people there, and that on a weekend. 17,000 visitors a year averages out to 47 a day. That's not much.
The directors are making the correct decision in closing it, especially, if my memory serves me, the free deal from George Michael is due to expire.

Letter to Yenta 07/28/08
Dear Yenta readers and residents of New Hope:
In between guzzling beer and raping and pillaging, not necessarily in that order, we motorcyclists have also found time to learn our way around the Internet. Say what you wish - you are all entitled to your opinions however wrong they are - but be aware we are watching you.
Seriously though, I am delighted to see that those of you who live and work in New Hope are actively involved in keeping it attractive and prosperous. Please for everyone's sake do not let it turn into another North Conway NH, which was lovely and charming three decades ago before being doomed by its success. Look up "New Hope" on UrbanDictionary.com and take a deep breath. It's not pretty.
I found the New Hope Yenta's web page after finding out a close friend just moved to Bucks. I wondered if New Hope was currently worth a visit on the way to and from, recalling an ugly and disappointing bout of motorcyclist harrassment a few years ago.
Thankfully matters seem to be somewhat more under control for now, but I'm not surprised that the same issues rage on and on. Indeed, the few narcissistic imbeciles who insist on the illegal exhaust systems make all motorcyclists look bad, but I sincerely hope you all realize that those people should not be considered categorically representative of all motorcyclists, and I hope you understand that motorcyclists - even the ones who might look like they stepped off the set of Easy Rider - are not necessarily beer-swilling outlaws.
Most of us motorcyclists are much like yourselves, looking to spend some time in a nice place, and trying to have a pleasant and enjoyable time making our way from point A to point B. We just like doing it with a lot less metal and two less wheels. When our leather jackets come off we participate in the same leisure, family and cultural activities as anyone else, we work just as hard as anyone else and engage in the same jobs and responsibilities as everyone else.
Please, go ahead and ticket the selfish clowns with the illegal exhaust systems. Confiscate their bikes too. I don't like the mind-shattering racket any more than you do. But unless you think it's OK to categorically stop, oh, let's say every single minivan to perform an equipment and paperwork inspection, I implore you to seek a more targeted enforcement technique rather than setting up an intrusive traffic stop that assumes every single motorcyclist - exclusively - to be a lawbreaker.
And by the way, like it or not you have to share the road with bicyclists too. They pay taxes just like you. Your insurance and registration fees have nothing to do with the costs of maintaining the roads so stop sniveling. Those "fools on bicycles" have the right idea, seeing the world around them at a pace slow enough to actually enjoy it, getting great exercise and not polluting their environment or draining the earth of precious fossil fuels. Those "disgusting tight outfits" you criticize are functional and utilitarian, and have roots going back many decades. To understand this requires some degree of culture, the apparent lack of which I am shocked to discover coming from a New Hope resident. If you really see the riders' cracks, try staring a little less intently. -Brad

Letter to Yenta 07/25/08
Long-winded pompous ramblings makes me giggle. Ah, S. Truth. You have some salient points, but I must say, your spelling corrections are overshadowed by your misuse of the possessive "its." Only "it's" as a contraction for "it is" has an apostrophe. Spell check won't help. You're not alone, though. You are among the masses on that one.
Signed, Just a Writer

Letter to Yenta 07/24/08
Parking issues & rabid ticketing have been tourist turn offs for a long time. While the revenue may be a necessity, there are ways to soften the Gestapo rub left with many visitors (who never return because of this). Possibly make the first ticket per tag a nominal fee. I got a ticket for the first time in Doylestown last year. It was like a $10 fine, with a note that said this was a first offense and that future tickets for my tag would incur the full fine. Should I get another ticket there with the full fine, I would be PO'd at myself not Doylestown. Little courtesies can make a big difference (and not just with visitors). -JC

Letter to Yenta 07/24/08
How could anyone think that the Michener Museum would survive with the archaic and byzantine parking arrangement? I had to help an older couple just the other day. They were totally mystified and confused by the whole process and they were heading to the Michener. The Frenchman of Hermitage

Letter to Yenta 07/24/08
As long as we're quoting people - Jesus said, "Treat others as you would have them treat you." Rodney King said, "Can't we all just get along?" And Bill & Ted said, "Be excellent to one another." I think that about covers it.
-The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 07/23/08
jeeeeze guys ! All I said was that I took a walk through town and it was nice! On a Saturday! I wasn't gone long, my shop was being cared for by my partner, I had lunch before I ventured out, I came back with the feeling that New Hope is alive and well, what the hell is wrong with that? Can't New Hope look nice on a Saturday afternoon??? C from MII

Letter to Yenta 07/23/08
I know who Sojourner Truth is and is too bad that he is taking such a beating for saying, much, of what is essentially true. What is being forgotten is that he has a right to his opinion, and to express it, without being invited to move out of town and without being called names. New Hope prides itself as a place that welcomes and tolerates diversity, it supposedly accepts everyone at it's table. If you think that he made an assumption vis a vis C from MII, you are wrong, C from MII is in fact a business owner whose confidence I will continue to keep.
Sojourner Truth did run one of the finest businesses that this town had seen in a long while, he was smart enough to get out while the getting out was good. He is not talking out of his hat, and he never talks out of both sides of his mouth. One always knows where they stand with Sojourner and he likes to know where he stands with others He attends and attended many Boro Council, Zoning and HARB meetings. In my opinion, he was always marginalized because he had the temerity to speak up, and not always go with the flow. He also participated in the many faceted ways of giving to the civic, cultural and business communities. He is at times overzealous in his approach, but he does not speak to hear himself speak. Winston Churchill used to say, " those Greeks and Romans have nothing on me, they just got here first." They got there ahead of Sojourner too! Sojourner is a man of many talents and a man of many visions whose time and place has not yet come. I cannot help but agree with Sojourner that the response is classic New Hope, kill the messenger and spread rumor and innuendo.
When someone talks about what they see as problems, that should not always be construed as being negative. Sojourner is genuinely upset that the Michener is leaving and I know that before the Mule Barge Ride closing was made public he offered to do whatever he could. Money was not the only issue that precipitated its demise. When someone points out something that they may perceive as being inherently not good for the town's image, i.e., closings, overflowing trash pails and broken, cracked and weed filled sidewalks, the suggestion/solution is inherent. Fix things up, clean things up, paint and repair. I have seen Sojourner walk through town, stoop to pick up trash, pull weeds and offer assistance whenever and wherever he can. I have watched him direct traffic and generally play the town's conciege and cheerleader. He said that he offers solutions that are there for the taking, a review of some earlier posts and inherently in these last few, they are there He has asked some questions which NO ONE has even attempted or bothered to answer. His questions are legitimate. His inquisitiveness, his assertiveness and his independence can be off putting and his approach may be problematic to some of you, but I also know that he has a long list of fans.
I can only second his plea that you act responsibly rather than emotionally. Perhaps read between the lines and ask a question before responding and find out what is really going on in his heart. I have never known Sojourner to be successful or desire success at anyone else's expense but his own. I know that he takes great pride in being somewhat of a rebel, he believes in what this country was founded upon and the responsibilities which the Founding Fathers and Mothers believed subsequent generations should own. It is unfortunate that someone's greatness is not often realized till after he or she is gone, why do you doubt that answers/solutions might just be in your midst. Why have we become a culture which reveres those that do not walk amongst us and that essentially exploit us? Why do you doubt that perhaps Sojourner is correct? Chinese scholars were correct when they said what Sojourner paraphrased, "the truth of the peasant is less believed than the lie of the emporer."
Right on Sojourner!
-A Fan of Sojourner Truth

Letter to Yenta 07/23/08
Finally, someone with a good idea. Thankyou! -JC

Letter to Yenta 07/23/08
So sad the Michener Museum could not sustain it's presence in New Hope. An art movie theater did wonders for Doylestown. Perhaps that could be a solution to bring in more people during the week; even rainy days!

Letter to Yenta 07/23/08
Well once again the " War Of The Metaphor" has reared it's ugly head. You guys just don't get it. It's not a Republican or Democratic , conservative or liberal issue. This town is a friggin tourist town. Do you want it to stay that way? If so, the merchants and the local politicians need to sit down on an equal footing and discuss a MISSION PLAN to implement the process. How about if some of the energy wasted on whining was directed towards getting something actually accomplished. We have bigger problems here then loud pipes, un-weeded gardens, uneven sidewalks. Just so you all know, I am a libservative Demopublican who has recently changed over from being a conservbral Republicrat. I apologize for any errors in my grammar, spelling or syntax ( what the hell is syntax anyway - I thought it was a prescription for hay fever). -The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 07/23/08
What solutions have you presented. All you have done is point out all the negative things that you see and hear about. C from MII stated that they went for a stroll through town, you assume that they work here in town and should have been to busy at work to walk around. Did you ever stop and consider that they are a resident, or they took a walk when they were done with work. Have you gone to any of the council meetings and pleaded your case(s). You also attack someone for correcting your spelling then turn around and correct theirs. If you have all the solutions for New Hope why don't you run for Boro Council or Mayor and lead our town to a new found glory.
You made a general statement "this TOWN is dirty, shop worn and presents, in many, many cases, that neither the business owners, the locals or the town itself has any real pride or spirit, the sidewalks are broken and congested with weeds, properties are not maintained, garbage is put out uncovered and not properly secured. On garbage collection day the town is a pigsty and should be an embarrassment to us all." I work in town, and I live in town and I take pride in my apperance, how I do my job, and how my house and property look along with all of my neighbors. If New Hope is such a horrible place for you to live, then I suggest that you move to a place that is more to your liking. I plan on staying here for as long as I possibly can.
PS The mule barge shut down because it was losing money, the owner kept it going until the contract expired. If you ran a business that was constantly losing money, you would close it down too.
_Charlie C

Letter to Yenta 07/22/08
Boy, am I taking a beating!
Thank you to unsigned for correcting my own misspelling of Michener, I stand corrected, humbly. Nonetheless the Michener is closing in New Hope and THAT'S THE POINT! That, Unsigned, should have been addressed. Think about it, Star Bucks announces it is closing 600 shops around the country, locals, and local municipalities are imploring them to stay through petition drives and tax incentives. According to a Wall Street Journal story Star Bucks is impressed and may rethink their decisions.
In New Hope, one of the top 25 Art destinations in the country The James Michener ART Museum has announced it is closing in February, that, on average, over the past five years, it draws 17,000 people yearly to it's New Hope facility and the band here just plays on. Do you, Unsigned or New Hope Business Man, have a plan for something else that might attract that number. If as few as one percent of it's visitors come here specifically for it, what are you going to do to attract the 170 that will no longer come to town during the first year and the 850 over the next five years? Think about the funds which the Michener raised here in New Hope from businesses and residents alike, those same funds now leave New Hope and stay in Doylestown. How many things have to close before liberal, democratic New Hope begins to realize that it does take a village and that all of our fortunes are intertwined.
As for Local Business Man, the typo could have been corrected by using Spell Check, once again it is all in the details. I must also point out that I said, once again, " in many, many cases......." I am not a broad brush painter, I am aware of many, many people that actually care and make every attempt to show it. Also, once again, "bit dogs always bark."
As much as you may not like it, or me, and as much as you may think I am biased, for or against what I ask, I am not. I just happen to be a more critical observer than you, the difference being that I also offer solutions for the taking. There is nothing wrong with talking about making real change, isn't that the message from the presumptive Democratic 2008 presidential candidate. Like him or not, I don't, He is talking about change, he is talking about seeing, doing and achieving better things, he is talking about getting people on the band wagon, How come, I a registered republican have gotten this message and liberal, democratic New Hope can't see the necessity of that same message on a local basis. Why when I talk about making changes I am sneered at by your likes. Is it that the lie of the emperor is more believed than the truth of the peasant? Change can begin locally! I think that it is laughable that I made some very cogent points in my latest missive about what is, or is not, going on in this town and that, to date, none of them are being addressed.
It's nearly August, what's your bet that there is no local partnership between the civic, cultural and business groups to change the look of this town during the upcoming holiday season. This season, at this time, will be so critical for so many businesses and spirits.
BTW, I have heard of lunch breaks, C from MII does not say that she went out for lunch, she merely says she went for a walk through town and along the canal. Ever hear that if you are so busy you don't take a break or you eat at your desk.
I once again implore you all to act responsibly and not emotionally. Really now, stooping to name calling does nothing but make you think you've done something, but it is so New Hope, marginalize the messenger. -Sojourner Truth

For those that do not know the origin of my nom de plume, I've borrowed it from B. Franklin, he used it at the height of the pre-Revolutionary war period, perhaps during as well.

Letter to Yenta 07/22/08
Dear Sojourner (I won't use the word "truth" here)
You are such a pompous snit. You criticize one writer about learning to spell; even a primary school student would have recognized a typographical error (transposition of two characters). As for the "read responsibly", the writer is correct. You DID make a generalized statement about the town (and the statement is biased) and now you are attempting to weasel out of it.
As for CMII not having enough business in order to be able to walk the town; ever hear of a lunch break?
If you like the sound of your voice so much, invest in a tape recorder. We have enough boors to deal with.
A local businessman (which is as apt a nom de plume as "sojourner truth".

Letter to Yenta 07/21/08
Sojourer - Don't throw stones about spelling mistakes. Last I checked it is the Michener Museuem, not Michner.

Letter to Yenta 07/21/08
"Bit dogs always bark."
I did not indict the whole town with my comments, however if the local that responded to my post had real pride and spirit he or she would learn to spell. He or she would also read responsibly and note that I said, "In many, many cases the sidewalks are broken and congested with weeds....." He or she would also, even if it is a nom de plume, sign their message. Can you, Local Resident, deny that garbage is put out uncovered, that sidewalks are broken and that weeds abound? Thank you, though, to you and your immediate neighbors for taking care of your properties. What a concept! I'd suggest, though that you be just as judicious in taking note of what is not being done. New Hope might think about presenting itself as a total package and remember that it's all in the details.
C MII must believe her own survey, of what must assuredly be one, that New Hope is the number one destination. While you were on your walk around town did you see the paucity of bags being carried? Did you also realize that if so much was going on and that so many people were here you would not have the time to walk around town? Don't you think that it's ironic that this number one tourist destination, which incidentally is listed in Arts Destination magazine as one of the top 25 art destinations, cannot or will not support The Michner satellite museum. It is CLOSING shop here in New Hope. As well, last year that same magazine listed us in it's top spot, this year we are one of the top, not THE top. Don't you think it's strange that this number one destination could not muster all the troops, that it deemed necessary, to keep the Mule Barge Ride OPEN? Don't you think we ought to be more consumer friendly by offering seasonally decorated and immaculately clean streets with proper trash receptacles and service oriented personnel, both civic and professional, that are open and friendly?
What boors!
Come on people stop reacting to constructive criticism emotionally, why not try responsibly! -Sojourner Truth

Letter to Yenta 07/18/08
I too am on North Main and take offense . This after I took a stroll on Saturday to see what was going on down on South Main with the festivities and all. In the middle of the day, Saturday, I walked from one end of town to the other even with a short detour on the tow path from Ney to the museum. I had an over all feeling of "hmmm if I was a tourist today I would be pleased, this is actually nice!" The town was hoppin' with people all over enjoying themselves at the many outdoor watering holes, the restaurants seemed evenly packed up and down the strip, the stores where all very inviting and there was someone in every one I happened to look into. So like I said, overall it was a good feel and I came back to my shop and told any one that would listen what a nice walk I just had! And we all agreed that New Hope is alive and well. Thank-you! Boro is not important enough to ruin New Hope (and it hasn't). There is much much more going on and there has always been and that's why New Hope is the #1 tourist destination that it is today. Did any one see the PBS special that was done? It was fantastic and captured so keenly what we are all about. -C from MII

Letter to Yenta 07/17/08
I take offense to Sojourner Truth's allegatoin about locals not having pride or spirit. I live on N. Main, and I, as well as my neighbors, take beautiful care of our properties. There are many gorgeous homes and gardens. There are a lot of people putting both time and money into their properties, so please don't generalize

Letter to Yenta 07/16/08
Hi Yenta, It's been a long time, I've been quiet for a while!

Welcome to New Hope, that's not the message that visitors and commuters got this morning when they tried to enter our tiny hamlet, there's more construction, more traffic entanglements and more snarled and frayed nerves. New Hope is installing a new traffic light.

Forget that once again at the height of what is most assuredly a dismal summer season the town fathers and mothers see fit to schedule another major construction project, now there is no parking on North Main Street to Fischer's Alley and none on South Main Street to Ferry Street, what parking is available has been take up with construction vehicles and those vehicles which belong to their employees. Traffic from the point at the top of Ferry Street has been rerouted down Ferry and there is major congestion at it's foot. Nowhere is a police officer to be seen that just might aid in keeping traffic moving. I have seen none either on foot or in patrol cars. This is just another example of the complete and total lack of respect and disregard for the people that live here, those that come to visit and as well as those that pay for the privilege of trying to make a living here. Could not this project have taken place on September 2, right after Labor Day, could not this project have been taken on during the closure of Bridge Street when the canal bridge is replaced, does anyone in boro hall bother to canvas the businesses, is this really the best time?

It just seems to me that in a tiny boro where we all could be making each other's lives more pleasant and easier to live that we go out of our way to do just the opposite, what opportunities we miss each and every time we do not treat the residents with respect by not giving them some advance notice and by not providing proper signage for visitors that do not know the lay of the land. This is once again a display of New Hope's leaders and their devil may care, we are better than you attitude.

As well, while I am at it, this town is dirty, shop worn and presents, in many, many cases, that neither the business owners, the locals or the town itself has any real pride or spirit, the sidewalks are broken and congested with weeds, properties are not maintained, garbage is put out uncovered and not properly secured. On garbage collection day the town is a pigsty and should be an embarrassment to us all.

In a day, in what I believe will be in the not too distant future, when we will all be wondering what went wrong, we all might consider that local, city and state governments will not be able to provide what it once has and learn to take care of ourselves and our properties.

Come on New Hope, from the top down, clean up your act!

Sojourner Truth

P.S. Whatever happened to the Sharon Kaiser embroglio?

P.P.S. More surely to come on the Ferry Street Park project, so far I have been told by four members of the committee that the park looks nothing like the plans which were approved. Count em folks, there are six different hardscapes in use there, concrete, stone, Belgian Block, dry stack shale, flagstone and brick, it looks like no one could make a decision! Don't forget the time and the expense.

Once again "spell check" suggests that in place of B O R O, one might use the word boor, in this time boor is synonymous with boro

Letter to Yenta 06/23/08
Hey Frenchman - Right on, let them eat cake and off with their heads.
-The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 06/20/08
Yes we all know the driver is at fault when it concerns idiot bikers pulling babies in back of them. I think we should call the cops when they are on River road and get them for reckless endangerment of the child. -The Frenchman of Hermitage

Letter to Yenta 06/17/08
I ride a mountain bike and have the good sense to use the canal paths on either side of the river when I ride. I get a laugh out of the "Road Warriors", this is what mountain bikers call the dropped bar crowd of which you speak. You have to understand that the "outfit" is VERY important. All the advertising and fancy colors serve to enhance the "Road Warrior"
image. You'd swear it's the Tour de France sometimes out there And how about those space helmet looking aerodynamic helmets? They only serve to keep the mess together when the Cadillac Esplanade rolls over them on a tight curve on River Road. Just remember that the driver of the motor vehicle will always be at fault if involved in an accident with a bicycle rider, no matter haw ignorant, irresponsible or just plain stupid they are riding. Havva great summer. -The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 06/17/08
THANK YOU FOR THE LAUGH!! We always enjoy reading the latest gossip in The New Hope Yenta column. Regarding the 6/16/08 posted email, we totally agree with illegal pipes issue and that altered bikes after inspection should be ticketed and/or impounded. We live on the "swarm path" to New Hope and can attest to the stupidity of a small percentage of bikers who ruin it for the rest!
The part we are rolling on the floor laughing at is regarding the bicycle riders.........we do agree that everyone needs to "share the road" and be cautious driving with the bicyclists. River Road in particular is a challenge to drive let alone having to navigate around the bicycles.
However, we actually enjoy the many colorful and revealing outfits the bicyclists wear! We don't take offense to seeing their ass cracks! I guess you have to find some enjoyment/humor out of the issue, lol!
Thanks for making us laugh, we needed it! -Dennis and John :o)

Letter to Yenta 06/17/08
They are so right about the bikes they do feel they own and hog the road. I even saw a fool pulling a device with a baby in it on River Road with about as much sense as God gave a goose. Just a squirrel running out on to the road could have caused a tragic situation and the guilt of the poor driver because this person put their child in jeopardy. -The Frenchman of Hermtiage

Letter to Yenta 06/16/08
It is a shame that the 10% who ride motorcycles have to make asses of themselves as soon as they hit the start button on their bikes.. It causes the wrath of anger to befall all who ride. There is an answer not only with the noise but the illegal exhust systems installed after passing inspection. Not only should they be ticketed for the noise but their bikes should be impounded if the exhust system has been altered from the factory or baffles removed.

also another thing that is overtaking Bucks County roads are the fools on bicycles. They have no respect for anyone and think they have the entire road to themselves, ride two and three abreast and hold up traffic. not to mention the disgusting tight outfits they wear. Who wants to see their ass cracks? Until such time as they start to pay for registration and insurance to ride on the highways they should be restricted to bike paths such as those along the canal in New Jersey.

Letter to Yenta 06/13/08
Belching hogs? Check Boro Council and their allegiances.

Letter to Yenta 06/13/08
It is a shame the residents who live here year round, and spend money in the community year round, have to tolerate illegal motorcycle noise. It seems as our concerns fall on deaf ears (undoubtedly caused by excessive motorcycle noise). I live on a road heavily travelled by these bikers who speed by my house with their stupidly loud exhaust systems. I used to get angry when they would fly by my house, leaving me temporarily deaf, and disrupting my otherwise peaceful existence. Now I just look at them with pity. I mean really, why would anybody want to speed around with that kind of noise, drink at bars all day, then drive home? But then again, why not? New Hope welcomes it.
- Rosie Dee

Letter to Yenta 06/13/08
New Hope has gone from a community that thrived on the eclectic and artsy to embrace the loud and sleazy. I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to the bikers the cops are told to look the other way. The chief won't have to worry about that with his new gig in Newtown. Good for him.

Letter to Yenta 06/12/08
The illegal pipes continue to plague our lives-living on the 232 close to town it continues to be impossible to carry on a conversation in the garden with out being drowned out by loud pipes.We share Dennis and John's frustration.I read in a local paper that the police are going to conduct one "stop" this summer to dissuade illegal pipes.I do not believe this will have any prolonged effect to allow residents of this beautiful area to enjoy any peace and quiet in their own homes.Admit it we are hostage to a minority of bikers who flaunt their loud illegal pipes. If the New Hope Police have 3 noise meters are thay ever used? Police reports never list anyone cited for breaking the noise ordinance. Martin

Letter to Yenta 06/11/08
HERE WE GO AGAIN! There was a recent article in The Trentonian from a biker who feels that the New Hope police should not be ticketing the bikers since they are spending so much money in town??!!! The article stated how this biker could not believe the police would ticket the bikers for expired meters, especially since they were spending a lot of money on food/beverage and buying their wives gifts??? lol Come on..........the only establishments benefiting are the watering holes! We are sure they are not out purchasing their wife/girlfriend gifts.
We guess there are a few who now feel they are exempt from feeding the meters not to mention the illegal pipes they blow through town with?!
Oh well, same old same old, so what else is new? -Dennis and John

Letter to Yenta 06/10/08
"I also see people dancing in their cars as they drive thru town"
I must say Roxanne, I find your observation worrisome. Can police ticket for this type of activity?

Letter to Yenta 06/08/08
Ditto to Roxanne's comments!

Letter to Yenta 06/08/08
The Music on South Main Street is bringing old New Hope Back...... It has receiuved a lot of positive comments from people in riverwoods, solebury and beyond who say they now have a reason to come back into town.
It is refreshing to see and hear. The music is very entertaining and i have seen people dancing along the sidewalk. I also see people dancing in their cars as they drive thru town. It gives people the sense that something IS going on in town. You need to give people a REASON to come to New Hope again and not JUST because it is New Hope. There is a lot of competition for tourist dollars out there and with this economy i think it has helped lighten the mood on the street!! It is Wonderful to see and hear!!!!!! keep it up and thank you!!!
Roxanne Blairstone, Solebury.

Letter to Yenta 06/07/08
The music, if you can call noise that , on South Main is loud and very annoying to residents, visitors and other merchants. If you want music IN your store, fine , but don't inflict it on others. Figaro

Letter to Yenta 06/05/08
Finally there's life on the Yenta! I agree, lets keep this up! I admit I have yelled at the Yenta for being sluggish in posting the comments it recieves but lately there have been no posts to be sluggish with! So, it has been quite boring and I miss the feedback that the Yenta has produced in the past. Who cares if you sign or not. The important thing is to write in!! Participate!
How is the Saturday live band going down on South Main? Hopefully it's a hit.
C from MII

Letter to Yenta 06/06/08
The bowel habits of squatting ducks might be alot more interesting than some of the predictabel actions and inactions of us two leggers. So maybe a good thread - news of the critters in town! -JC

Letter to Yenta 06/06/08
If only you had anything to REALLY report besides you’re reminiscing of days gone by and real news of what happens in town and I don’t mean the 2 ducks that squat in Union Square parking lot. Signed with pride. -The Frenchman of Hermitage

Letter to Yenta 06/04/08
Uncle Charlie is not The Yenta, Mugman is not The Yenta and I'm not The Yenta but at least we sign our entries. The Yenta has a forum where EVERYONE can bitch about ANYTHING. It's good to have a forum like this, especially in a small town like New Hope. Hopefully this will continue. Sometimes you get more "news" from The Yenta than you do from "The Gabbette". Keep on bitchin'... Donuts, coffee anyone?? -The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 05/16/08
It' good to see that Uncle Charlie is still in the fray. I for one have missed his astute observations on the ville. Here's hoping that he continues his pursuit of truth, justice and the American way - up, up and away. Keep flying Uncle "C". I'm wiff ya...
-The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 05/16/08
Not Uncle Charlie or Mug man we are all kind of sick of these curmudgeons. Is Uncle Charlie Yenta he always gets his two cents in?

Letter to Yenta 05/14/08
The newspaper which initially reported the PhD imbroglio was none other than the Lambertville Beacon, as the leadership at our own local bastion of journalistic integrity apparently got all wobbly at the prospect of reporting on the misfortunes of an ally and benefactor. And who is out pushing this nasty little story? The rumor mill has it as being the Attack of the Balding White Men, but who really knows? Do I care that a borough council member is not forthcoming about their academic credentials? Not really. Am I concerned that borough counsel members may have personally benefited from their relationships with real estate developers? You betcha! -- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 05/01/08
I read an article on-line in regards to Sharyn Keiser and her refusal to disclose where and when she received her doctorate. Any public servant knows that when you hold any type of public office your life becomes an open book. Her refusal to put this debate to rest can only hurt public opinion of the Borough and the Councils integrity. If she has one then she should disclose the requested information , if not then bite the bullet and admit that she doesn't. The longer that this plays out the more damage this could cause the Borough. -Charlie C

Letter to Yenta 04/15/08
What's with the chamber website? 3 weeks after the anual meeting and election it stil doesnt show the new board list. And the minutes? last one listed is for feb 2006!!!
Can't the offiice staff get this done? Or is she just another cronie getting paid to do nuthing. Cmon chamber. How can we trust you when you cant keep your own house in order. -P O'D in New Hope.

Letter to Yenta 04/08/08
Let’s keep the Yenta’s column well informed. Gerenser’s ice-cream parlor was shut down by the Bucks County Board of Health. It has nothing to do with the Borough.

Letter to Yenta 04/07/08
Dear c from MII,
You are correct that it is optional to join the new water service. However if you have a Bucks County Health Department license, you are required to hook into the public water. This is a county health department requirement over which the Borough of New Hope has absolutely no control.

Letter to Yenta 04/06/08
New Hope will host a benefit for animal rescue.
Please be our guest on April 25, 2008 at Occasions Union Square for the Blues to the Rescue Funraiser event benefiting homeless animals. Animal Lifeline will be bringing more than 200 animal lovers into the town of New Hope for a casual evening of networking, live blues music, great food and an impressive silent auction of more than $5,000 in donated items from local businesses. Details are available at http://www.AnimalLifelineOnline.org. Some of our guests, from the greater Philadelphia region, are looking for places to stay and things to do for the weekend. If you would like to offer discounted rates for accommodations, dining or special offers in our goodie bags please let me know as soon as possible. If you are interested in supporting this event in any manner please contact me. 100% of the proceeds of the event will directly benefit the animals. Thank you & best wishes.
- Shannon - Animal Lifeline, Board Member - Shannonderstine@gmail.com

Letter to Yenta 04/02/08
I would love to go to an old favorite for truly homemade ice cream but the town had the gall to shut down the oldest store still standing in town.We were all told that the water line would be and always remain an OPTIONAL hook-up. Well as far as I understand, they closed down Gerenser's Ice Cream Parlor because the owner,( heir to the business that has been in new hope for ever), really likes the way his well has treated him and his parents' business for the past how many years?? Now all of a sudden it's mandatory to hook up to the town water. What happened to being "grandfathered" in? Gerenser's is as grandfathered as it gets! And what about a little support for people who really love New Hope and have the BEST interest of their HOME town in front and center in all that they do?? So, Uncle Charlie, it is what it is, its a shame is what it is.
c from MII
P.S. rest in peace phill, you will be missed, love you (memorial service May 10 at Rago's)

Letter to Yenta 03/02/08
My name is Uncle Charlie, I'm 40-(mumble) years old, and I'm addicted to Dunkin' Donuts' Vanilla Iced French Cruellers. Most other folks like the Boston Kreme, Glazed or Jelly. I also like Dunkin's coffee better that the burnt, overpriced variety across the street along with their precious slivers of air-dried coffee cake and pastry remnants. Dunkin's kinda boring but also kinda honest and egalitarian in its way. While it's hard to believe they could prosper on donut traffic alone, especially without ample, easily accessible parking, the ice cream could do quite well in its infinite varieties and forms, especially if fairly priced.
New Hope's always been an ice cream town. I remember coming to New Hope as a kid 40 years ago and buying ice cream (honeydew) at Gerenser's on Main Street. We'd walk down the block to the theater, and my dad would hold onto me while I strained over the side of the bridge to see the waterfall below. Coming from the suburban flatness of Central New Jersey, New Hope was wonderfully hilly and wet and full of old, magical stuff. For others it was the Now & Then shop, the only place between New York and Philly where you could get decent rolling paper. Or a place where you could pursue your personal lifestyle without feeling threatened. Or hear a decent band, buy sandals, see old row houses and canals and mules.
The New Hope experience still has many stakeholders: its residents, its businesses, its political leadership, its diaspora who live away for now and read these pages, and the visitors (the largest group by far). If you asked stakeholders their perceptions of New Hope, they'd probably say artsy, historic, and unique, among other things. Marketers would use these qualities to determine the brand essence of the New Hope experience, which can then be converted into taglines and message points for marketing our town, because we aren't the only thing going between New York and Philly any more, there's lots and lots of other tourist towns with vintage car cruising nights and unified logos emblazened on downtown banners and signage. Face it, every half-pint podunk in the Delaware Valley has its marketing act together except one: New Hope. Our Chamber of Commerce consists of out-of-town toner salesmen and real estate professionals exchanging business cards over local rice beer and jammy Yellowtail, our Borough Council buys a huge church and larger offices for themselves while allowing developer George Michael to create blocky, Soviet-style housing that blots the sky and squeezes out affordable parking lots, someone will hand out a few balloons in a last-minute holiday-themed act of desperation, but nobody, NOBODY is marketing New Hope right now. In the coming weeks, I'll write more about how the business community can turn itself around all by itself, compete with the myriad choices available to visitors today, and help build a sound, prosperous local economy that creates jobs and reinvests in the community.
And that's why Dunkin' Donuts has been troublesome. If our uniqueness is a key selling point for New Hope, then franchised, fast-food locations in the downtown are, well, a downer. Though you'll probably catch me sneaking out of there with a bag once in a while this spring, which seems to be coming soon. I remember Max telling me before he died that March 15 can be a magical day for business owners in New Hope -- there's always a slight lift in sales that starts gradually from that day on and builds through the summer. People in town who make their living running stores and restaurants often hang on by a thread through the winter, so all of us who can, no matter what our view, should try to go downtown this weekend and buy just a few little things we might get elsewhere or grab a bite at an old favorite. And that's a tip from your Uncle Charlie.

Letter to Yenta 02/18/08
Oh gosh those crazy Chamber folks! Got another informative epistle from the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce in my mailbox today, this one announcing a Bridal Showcase and Expo they're sponsoring up in Erwinna. Why is the New Hope Chamber spending its time promoting Erwinna, one may ask? Count your blessings, if Chamber leaders direct their efforts up north, we may actually begin to prosper again down on this end of the Delaware. That the business organization charged with promoting the local economy should sponsor out-of-town events is especially unsurprising given that most businesses in our "New Hope" Chamber are actually not from New Hope like, apparently, the organization's next un-elected president-to-be! Yes, word is that the affable if rudderless Frank is stepping aside and handing the presidency to his friend and Buckingham mortgage specialist Louis. The searing intellect and insightful business acumen of the erstwhile Louis shall rescue our beloved borough from the plague brought upon our houses by Dunkin Donuts opening to the north in March and, anchoring the southern end of town and further cementing New Hope's reputation as a culinary mecca, the upcoming Weenie World, thus completing New Hope's holy trinity of tourist refreshments: ice cream, pretzels and at long last weenies besides those running our Chamber of Horrors. -- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 02/04/08
That Hillary Clinton, and those that support her are so inclusive, please note that the invitation to watch Super Tuesday Primary results is limited to those supporters of Billary only. Not an inclusive, come on on out New Hope and root for your favorite candidate. Her now touted 35 years of experience, and this invitation, prove one thing, to me, she, and her supporters are neither inclusive nor the liberal thinkers they purport themselves to be. Where is the invitation for everyone to sit at the table? What a laugh, she and her supporters do not support, even, the idea of change, but rather business as usual.
Shame on you Triumph for allowing this invitation to be made in your name, I'll take my weekly business somewhere else from this day forward.
A Republican Considering a CHANGE and a Vote for Obama

Letter to Yenta 02/01/08
Supporters of Hillary Clinton for President are invited to view the Super Tuesday results at Triumph Brewing Company of New Hope, on February 5th 2008, 7 PM to 9 PM. and sign petitions to get Hillary Clinton and her delegates names on the ballot for the Pennsylvania Primary Election held April 22nd. Hillary's campaign has selected a delegate from New Hope to the Democratic National Convention. Please come out, we need your signature! Triumph Brewing Company is located in Union Square, off West Bridge St, New Hope, PA.

Letter to Yenta 02/01/08
Old Beatnik, did I hear the phrase "dirty-necker?"
Send me an email? Oldindianrider@aol.com
"Forget injuries, never forget kindness" Confucius

Letter to Yenta 02/01/08
Hi. I was just wondering a few things. One, does anyone know for sure about the dunkin' doughnuts that is supposed to go in on main street? Is this a done deal? I'd hate to see them go in...and watch as yet another chain store works its homogenizing influence on this superb little indie town. Also, is it possible to create an Independent Business Alliance in New Hope? I think it could be the thing that helps New Hope get out of the present tourist trap situation and back to a thriving local community that is year round. Some communities who have developed great local independent alliances include:
Austin Independent Business Alliance: http://www.ibuyaustin.com/
Salt Lake City Vest Pocket Business Alliance:
http://www.vestpocket.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Another great resource on how to create local business alliances is here: http://amiba.net/
This is working for other towns...it could work for New Hope...let me know if I can help. -Lisa

Letter to Yenta 01/30/08
Just wondering if the New Hope Starbucks made the cut or will be included in the 100 closings of underperforming units announced today. DD may get a pleasant surprise.

Letter to Yenta 01/24/08
Eric,
Last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, ad infinitum, new hope chamber members voted for president but there was only one choice. Regular members are free to vote, but can't run for office or nominate...the president is selected by a nominating committee of the board, although sometimes a non-board member has been allowed on the nominating committee. Are you saying that has changed? Are you saying that the general membership of the new hope chamber of commerce will be able to choose among competing candidates for president this year, or merely ratify what has already been decided in a closed committee session? -- Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 01/22/08
"The time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine...they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn from the truth and wander away to myths." Paul to Timothy. 2nd Epistle
I am at once amazed and in awe of the rationale offered by some members of this community as very poor excuses for whatever ails them and the civil, cultural, social, religious and business responses to them It's not that you don't or can't nominate/vote for or democratically elect your chamber president. It's not that we experienced in the last six years a bridge closing, mangled streets and three floods. It's not that we have overactive/over zealous policies where parking violations and enforcement are concerned. It's not that the economy is up or down or that we are at war, and it's not that gasoline prices are up. Rather, it is a combination of all these and other factors which are, and are not limited to, an underachieving partnership between the civil, cultural, social, religious and business groups. It is that there has not been a concerted community response to all these factors There is not an agenda among these groups in which they have agreed among themselves to help and support an idea or ideas which will make them and keep them ALL strong. All of these groups want to eat from the same trough simultaneously. No one wants to step aside to let another segment of the community go first, get strong and then step back to support the next group and it's policies. You all want to be first and then you forget what got you there in the first place. It is NOT about continuously relying on the same ideas from the same people, it is about supporting fresh faces and new ideas. It is about learning to be uncomfortable with being uncomfortable.
New Hope, it seems, has not been able to capitalize on the good times which enable it to sustain itself in the not so good which all to often spikes the local downtown economy. The fat, in our case the civil, eat the lean, which is the hand that feeds them, by not working in tandem to promote initiatives which create a sustainable economic climate for all and by their over active policies which threaten and frighten those they are elected to serve. The cultural and social keep returning to the lean, soliciting, ever more often to promote their good cause. The religious forget that charity begins at home, but remember that serving the needs of those far away does get you press. The business people have lost their nerve, they have lost their courage, they lack pride and they, in many instances, lack the fundamental knowledge and will which is required to run a small business which is, and remains, powerful and sustainable over the long run. They even in some cases lack the courage to close and make the change which necessitates their personal progress. When all of this happens, coupled with catering to the wants and wishes of the few while neglecting the needs of the many, cultural cannibalism ensues and we become what it is, grotesque!
Quirky, innovative, free thinking, creative, culturally permissive, intellectually curious and politically savvy New Hope needs to get off it's ass, it needs to be willing to lead and include, and be led and included by, those it has marginalized and diminished and NOT listen to it's own, not so independent, surveys taken by and of, their own kind. New Hope needs to coagulate it's differences and agree to stop the bleeding.
Problematic New Hope, there are solutions, and there is enough in the trough for everyone, but remember that talking about problems, leads to talking about possibilities which lead to solutions that we may all be proud of, and that greed of spirit and resources always gets you in the end. -The New Hope Observor

Letter to Yenta 01/21/07
As a Business owner for over 13 yrs and as a member of the town work force for over 25 yrs we all in this town have felt this economic setback; for the past 7 years of decline, including 4 floods and no positive press. The chamber pres is nominated from within the board.
There are 6 seats open and any member can nominate any member to the election committee. The election committee then adds the names to the hat. The nomination and election of candidates will be as follows, (taken from the letter in question):

"It is time once again for the annual elections of The Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. There are six (6) open positions which will be filled by general election at the Annual Meeting on March 25, 2008. The members will also elect a new President, Vice President, and Secretary.
Any member of the Chamber may nominate another member, or themselves, to run for a board position. To make a nomination follow the rules as described below:
(1) The person being nominated must be a current member of the Chamber.
(2) The person making the nomination must be a current member of the Chamber.
(3) E-mail the name of the nominee and the nominator to info@newhopechamber.com by the end of the day on Friday February 22, 2008.
The nominations committee (Chaired by Caleb Lentchner of Marsha Browns) will follow up with all nominees and produce a suggested slate of executive board positions.
Help us in selecting our leaders in the coming year by nominating someone who will serve the members and put the New Hope Community before themselves.
Thank You, Rick Urben - Board Secretary"

This was taken from the letter sent from the secretary. Now this is not the letter that you got?
There are more than one pres. canidate if there are more nominated.
There are more than one member of the business community on the board.
President: Frank Policare, Penn Wealth Planning investments,lives here; Vice President: Louis Lucitra Rainbow Assurance, Inc. real estate title and escrow , ; Secretary: Rick Urben, 5th Season Gifts, retail,; Treasurer: Ed White The Lexington House B&B, service,lives in the area;Past President: Connie Gering, Namesake Art & Gift Studio, retail,; Catalina Castells, Heart of the Home, retail, ;Bill Cleary, Bevinco of Hunterdon/Bucks, restaurant consulting firm; Paul Cohen Baldi & Jenei law service,; Maria D'Ambrosio,Tesori, retail and service,; Sharon Flanagan, New Hope Leather retail,; Caleb Lentchner Marsha Brown, food service and sales; Tom Rice Jonathan Rice Collection, retail; Steven Walny Weidel Realtors they sell houses and property,lives here; WE also have a member of the board from Havana's, He's a nice guy; Eric Lee Mystikal Tymes retail , we sell stuff most people don't understand like jewelry,incense,and candles,etc i also live here.
As far as the practice of re-up-ping a seat it must be voted on. Thats how I got my seat, last year and it is up in another year, and I will then have to run again as far as I know. But here are the bylaws http://www.newhopechamber.com/downloads/nhcoc-bylaws-2005-08.pdf if anyone would like to read them.
As far as tourism have you noticed that gas, oil, electric,and other things have almost tripled in the past 7 years, due to this economy and the WAR. The dollar is week as of this weak .60 cents as opposed to 1.75 in 2001.
To quote you
It will not stop until the business people of New Hope are allowed to elect their own leader.
My answer is they DO, and I vote
Are YOU a member? What store or service DO You Have? and What's your name?

-Eric Lee - Mystickal Tymes Inc., 127 S Main St, New Hope, PA 18328

Letter to Yenta 01/20/08
As a painter who has made a go of being a full-time artist in New Hope for four years I find it strange that those who might benefit from this towns arts legacy seem to have no interest in the fact that the artist seem to have fled. There is a difference between tourist town and tourist trap and I would love to see New Hope brought back to the former. Sincerely, Steve Messenger

Letter to Yenta 01/20/08
Got my email from the New Hope Chamber of Commerce last week telling me that there's going to be elections in March, but I'm not allowed to vote for President...in fact, nobody can, nor can you nominate or run for president even if you're a member of the Chamber. Oh, you'll get to vote for president, but there will only be one candidate: the guy who's in charge now or one of his friends. That's why we have a Chamber run by people who've never had a store in New Hope (except for the secretary who also has the distinction of being the only one who actually ran for office) Why is the President of the New Hope Chamber of Commerce afraid of running in a free and open election, one may ask? You'd think the head of New Hope's business community, the only one the local politicos say they'll recognize, would be one of the owners of Havana or Hot Plates or Strawberry Jam or folks who at least have a background in marketing or tourism, or at least live here and own a store...not out-of-town opportunists who keep re-installing themselves and their relatives and friends year after year. That's why the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce is the laughing stock of the region, and why tourism is down by half in just the past five years. It will not stop until the business people of New Hope are allowed to elect their own leader.

Letter to Yenta 01/17/08
Hi Yenta, Happy New Year!
To Anon:
There is no such thing as a bloodless coup where human emotions are involved, while the power was usurped, in a peaceful, quiet and democratic way, the emotional blood of an outgoing leader was let. In much the same way Sharon Kaiser wrestled the presidency away from Keith David in the very formative months of Partner's in Progress, history, then, does repeat itself. Like she told Keith, she told Richard Hirshfield that she was happy to be second in command, that he was doing a fine job and in essence let's leave well enough alone. If this is an example of "girl power", heaven help us all in the national election season, but let's be real in New Hope and call it what it is, petty politics by a very petty bureaucrat for very petty power.
Businesses beware, while Richard was not an outward friend of small businesses in this town, Sharon is your sworn enemy, just look at her voting record where issues pertaining to you are concerned. In all the years that I have attended Boro Council meetings, I have never heard any initiative, and virtually no comment from Claire Shaw. Maybe it is the quiet ones that you have to watch, watch out Sharon!
-The New Hope Observor

Letter to Yenta 01/14/08
What happened at the last Boro Council meeting? Was King Richard really deposed in a secret, bloodless coupe by Geri, Sharon & Claire? Girl Power! - Anon.

Letter to Yenta 01/07/08
Alright everybody, enough of the bull@#$%. Firstly, I'm a 7 year military veteran ( from 1961 to 1967 -you do the math ). With regards to the Iraq ?war? - are kids are being asked to be cops and not necessarily soldiers.
This got us into a load of crap last century. I hope we don't have to do that again. Secondly, healthcare - I worked for 16 years at one of the largest health insurance companies in the country and I can tell you they are all about the profit and not the "product'. Finally, politicians - These folks are all wealthy and can only become more wealthy by becoming a President Of The United States. What about a president who was a plumber or possibly a pizza hut guy. The middle class has been supporting this country for years and I don't see that changing in the foreseeable future.
Our kids won't have any social security when they come due - I could go on but I'm depressing myself. I'll vote, I'm not happy with the choices in either party - Hey, wadda 'bout a third party???? I gotta go....
-The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 01/06/07
To the writer of "Lets see if I understand this":
The Iraq war is costing: $275 million per day, 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed & 60,000 wounded, 700,000 Iraqis killed and 4 million refugees. The total cost for the Iraqi war is presently close to 500 billion (1/2 trillion dollars)! The US spends almost as much as all other countries combined on it's military. Foreign ownership of US Treasury Securities is 2.25 trillion dollars. The gross National Debt is presently somewhere around 8 trillion. Consumer debt is presently somewhere around 2.5 trillion. Common sense says a day of financial reckoning will eventually arrive. This wasn't a Pearl Harbor. We occupied a country which by all accounts our government knew had not attacked us before troops were committed. They knew old street thug Sadaam wasn't in bed with Al-Qaeda (they actually had great disdain for one another). This was a war for oil and corporate interests, with Israel thrown in for good measure. Liberating Iraqis' from Sadaam played no role - if it had, maybe our country's name would be something more than lice on the world stage.
Military defeat? What better way to bring the US down than to bleed it financially dry with an expensive war with no end. While the Haliburton types fly high on the conflict; we have 47 million men, women and children unable to afford healthcare insurance. Millions of jobs are being outsourced overseas by our fortune 500 companies, not because Americans won't do the jobs, but because they can't survive here on a chinese hourly wage. For the jobs that can't be outsourced, our government has tacitly supported corporations employing millions of illegals for larger profits. The answer from our government on all this has been to go shopping and Nafta type trade agreements. Our election process (in the absence of any meaningful campaign finance reform) insures only corporate bought candidates have a shot at being elected (Democrat & Republican alike). The legality of corporate personage makes for a democracy in name only. When the tower of babble crashes, it doesn't take much intelligence to figure out who the losers will be.
Ron Paul, the political psychiatric ward and the quiet corner of Montana you mentioned look pretty darn good. -JC

Letter to Yenta 01/06/08
Let’s see if I understand this
The Democrat party presidential candidates are running on three main issues.
They want to raise taxes on the rich, correct?
They want to withdraw from the war in Iraq, correct?
They want to nationalize our health care system, correct?
This is their national stance throughout the last two months of debate. Wouldn’t you agree?
Here’s what all this really means.
First, they don’t tell you what their definition of rich is. Some say it’s over $60,000 a year. Other Democrats say it’s over $250,000 a year.
It really doesn’t matter what they say. In order to raise the money they need for all their laundry lists of programs they are going to have to raise taxes on the middle class.
They must do that because that is where the bulk of the nation’s money exists. There aren’t enough really rich to get the money the liberals need. Remember President Bill Clinton said he’d lower taxes on the middle class and then promptly turned around and signed a massive tax raise. “I tried really hard, but ah jus couldn’t do it…” You simply cannot trust them. Just look what they promised in 2006. They failed to deliver on ANYTHING they promised.
By saying the Democrats want to withdraw from Iraq they are actually embracing military defeat.
In reality they say they support the military, and then they do everything they can to undercut our men and women in the armed forces. It is part of their DNA. They hate the police as well and do everything they can to embrace criminal “Rights”.
They seem to hate their own country as it exists today.
Finally, by seeking to impose a government health care program on America they will ruin what was the best health care system in the country. Many of the health care problems in the USA today have been created by tons of government regulations and restrictions on the industry.
And now a few final words, of dubious wisdom, about the presidential election 2008.
Isn’t Hillary Clinton is running on a platform of change and experience. Isn’t that contradictory?
John Edwards is saying he wants to rid the government of lobbyists. Ahem, aren’t trial lawyers and lawyers of all stripes one of the strongest and biggest, most powerful lobby groups in the country?
Barrack Obama is also for change. Well, with one year’s experience in the US senate we should all ask, is that enough experience? I mean do you want a college freshman running the university?
All the Republican candidates have more experience than any of the Democrats.
That’s all except US Texas representative Ron Paul, who mirrors the Democrat’s US Ohio Representative David Kucinich. Both of those two should share the same room in the political psychiatric ward in some quiet corner of Montana.
Perhaps that’s why Europeans are both fascinated and appalled by our political debates seen worldwide. No wonder respect for America is in the tank.

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