Will Rogers said all he knew was what he read in the newspapers. The readers of the local papers now know more about horse manure because it has made the front page of two consecutive issues. Despite various denials that the issue is not aimed at any one segment: of our-population it would seem that most readers are quite aware who it is being regulated. I’m not saying that there is no problem but I am saying that in an effort to remedy any situation it is only fair to include both factions in some sort of negotiations. I do not believe this is being done. It is quite easy to win a conflict when one side is not given a chance to respond.
There are some other things I would like to see scheduled for the front page. For several years a list of, communities that reputedly have hamper laws have been published. It has now been proven that three of these, Lancaster, PA., Saratoga and Half Moon do not have such ordinances. A law that needs erroneous information to help it pass would warrant more investigation.
Driving through the village streets on various occasions would lead some to question just how much of a problem exists. A greater effort to keep the areas around hitching posts cleaned should and could be accomplished. Some of us do not like the bottles, cans end other refuse that is thrown on our lawns. Laws already exist to stop this. Do they work?
There are two assumptions that some people have regarding our-Amish neighbors that need some clarification. The most often heard is: “the Amish don’t pay taxes". The Amish pay the same taxes that other town residents do including those that pay for our schools which they do not use. The present assessed valuation on Amish property in the town of Palatine is just slightly under four million dollars. Another misconception is that they do not buy much locally. If you believe this ask your local merchants.
In conclusion I will say that in my opinion the coming of the Amish to the Town of Palatine has been a great benefit to the area and promises to continue to be if we all work together for the common good. Many people now visit our area to see Amish farms. Those people in turn purchase gas and other things while they are here. Some people want tourism to help the area economy. They have the beginning of just that at no cost to the local taxpayer. We can now see numerous new farmsteads. Who else but the Amish would have accomplished this? There has been little cost to us for this except some occasional horse droppings on the road. It would be well to look beyond the horse droppings and see the good that has come to our area.
