Letters to the Editor
Published: April 17, 2008
Wise man's choice
To the Editor:
Imagine your day starting like this: You wake up half an hour early so you can spend some time on your bicycle, revving up your heart and savoring the sights and sounds of the still morning air. Bright-eyed and bike-ride-buoyed, you stow your wheels in the spacious chauffeur-driven conveyance that picks you up every morning and spirits you off to work. On the way, you tune in to your favorite morning radio show, the current chapter of a gripping new novel, or the calming strains of a baroque melody. At the same time, you open your laptop to finish up some planning documents for the day and make a call to your mother in Maine, who gets up early. Reassured that all is well in the maternal world, you relax into the wonders of a breathtaking sunrise taking shape through the trees on the horizon.
Arriving at work half an hour before the rest of your co-workers, you have time to brew a cup of coffee, check out the morning news, and tidy up those loose ends that grew back from the day before. You work through the day, knowing that you have the same ride in reverse to look forward to: a relaxing half hour to spend however you like, followed by a second chance at cardio madness to wake up your physical being for the evening. It's just another day that begins and ends with an unbeatable combination of rest and rejuvenation. Anybody ready to sign up?
The truth is, this option is available to the vast majority of Vineyarders. It's not an exclusive privilege or the perk of a professional athlete. It's a choice that can actually make your day. For the surprisingly minimal sum of 27 cents a day, you can do it yourself. That's the price of one fourth of a small cup of coffee, one sixth of a bottle of water, and one fifteenth of a gallon of gas.
So what's this all about? It's about saving money, saving the planet, and saving your body. It's about leaving your car at home and riding your bike and/or the bus. It's about trading the benefits of one practice for the benefits of another. While some very ingenious people are busy designing more efficient ways to get around, we can help take the heat off the planet by transporting more people on fewer vehicles, using less fuel, reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases, and maintaining the fragile balance that supports our lives on the planet. Amory Lovins, director of the Rocky Mountain Institute, advisor to corporations all over the world, and designer of an ultra-light vehicle for tomorrow called the Hypercar, puts it simply, "efficiency is cheaper than fuel."
It's not really a question of sacrifice; it's more about alternatives, cooperation and efficiency. We think that millions of people will not change the way they live their lives just to reduce their impact on the planet. History proves people make radical changes over time, when presented with attractive options. If we can happily make new choices that combine the benefits of comfort and convenience with the measures needed to reduce climate change, then our species may even begin to deserve its self-appointed title of "wise man."
Sidney Morris
Chappaquiddick
(P.S. This note was both written and sent by email while riding the VTA bus.)
A better plan in Tisbury
To the Editor:
For those who attended Tisbury's special town meeting last month, we were given a glimpse of the planning board's ideas to address the needs of the town. In this plan, the fire station and the police station would be sandwiched on a couple of town-owned lots across the street from the Tisbury Elementary School on Spring Street. The children's playground would be converted into a parking lot.
The plan goes on to address the town hall, tennis courts, and purchasing the Catholic church. I must commend the efforts of the planning board in identifying and addressing the town's problems. I, however, do not agree with their conclusion, nor do I feel that they were thorough enough in identifying all of the towns needs. Specifically the needs of the library and the elementary school are not addressed.
The library is eight years into expansion designed for 10 years; it is also in an area that has limited parking.
The school is a rock-solid, well-maintained building that we can all be proud of; yes, my dad went there, I went there, and my children go there. I would hope that my grandchildren could go there, however despite the drop in school population, the regulations and mandates from the state and federal government are going to force the school to reconfigure and expand to meet these demands.
I believe that if the town decides that they want to centralize the fire, police and ambulance stations in the vicinity of the present school building that it is time to consider building a new school. There is no reason I can see that the existing school could not or should not service the needs of all the town departments. There is ample land for building a fire and ambulance station, as well as abundant parking for town hall, police station and a library. It is overwhelming at first to consider a new school out of town. However, times change, we must change with them.
Not nearly as many children walk to school as once was. A new school away from busy roads would be more secure. A school with larger playgrounds would allow our baseball teams to play on campus rather then to travel to Veterans Park, as they do now. Because of the hard work of our school's principals, we will qualify for a significant amount of state aid to build a new school.
We are faced with decisions that will affect our townspeople and their finances for a long time to come. I beg of you to get informed, speak out, question, and attend the planning board's meeting on April 30. We do not have many opportunities to question this plan before it ends up on town meeting floor next fall.
Finally, do not let yourself be pressured into a quick decision on this matter. All the fire engines are safely garaged tonight. We can find a temporary place for the new ambulances. Now is not the time to rush haphazardly. Now is the time decide wisely; we owe it to our future, we owe it to ourselves.
John Packer
Vineyard Haven
Leave the turkeys be
To the Editor:
To the man in the green construction van at the end of Summer Street in Vineyard Haven, please slow down and stop your childish racing down this old and quiet street that is home to the many turkeys. Your attempt to run them over and harm them with your malicious and careless driving only shows inhumane and cruelty toward animals. I hope you don't own a cat or dog or child for that matter, if you practice this total disregard for life.
Every time I am here visiting my in-laws, I never escape your reckless driving as you attempt to run over these beautiful animals.
Marlene Burgess
Vineyard Haven and Paris
Yes, and thanks
To the Editor:
The reference librarian of the Island's five-star central library, to wit: The Vineyard Haven Public Library, 200 Main Street, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, would be delighted to accession Christopher Gray's rare copy of S.E. Morison's "Portuguese Voyages to America in the XV Century", if he would post it to them forthwith.
Peter Colt Josephs
Chilmark
It's about money
To the Editor:
Although I too was somewhat taken aback to read about the loss of lifeguards at O.B. beaches this summer, I was a little more surprised to note the subtext of Jill Nelson's letter (April 3). That she would rush to judgment, based on race rather than lack of oversight in how precious tax dollars are spent, leads me to believe she has been to that place before.
It's light not heat that we should be seeking. The racial "truth squad" has used the club long enough. Let us reason together without the sturm and drang of name-calling. I say, follow the money.
Regina Policastro
Boston/Chilmark
Looking ahead
To the Editor:
Tisbury has now completed the work of the annual town meeting. We may congratulate ourselves for the confidence we have shown in our town officials and citizens. In spite of whimpers of doom and gloom, we have agreed that the Veterans' Memorial Park must be renewed, in much the same manner as it was originally developed. Preparations for a new connector road to bypass the Edgartown Road/Look Street intersection may also become an opportunity for more playing fields for our young people. And we recognized the needs of our very young people with the new Tashmoo playground.
We are continuing to support the rehabilitation of our historic buildings and finding several ways to provide much-needed affordable housing.
Approvals of waterworks projects and joining the electric cooperative are further evidence that we think this town has a bright future. Looking around at the busy construction industry and noting the achievements of our high school students gives us the sense that we are well equipped to deal with the future.
It is a source of puzzlement that one small section of our business district, Main Street, seems stuck in the tourist boom of the 1980-90s. Now that off-Islanders know where our celebrities are, they will come here for the beaches and our other natural resources, but not to buy T-shirts. Main Street must follow the example of our other businesses and make use of the talents and abilities that we already have. The future is here. And it can be as rewarding as the past.
Mary H. Snyder
Vineyard Haven
A park is a park
To the Editor:
A recent op-ed in The Times quoted attorney Ron Rappaport as saying, "Access and use of a town park is not a privilege but a citizen's right." The town of West Tisbury and some of its citizens don't feel that this applies to them, though. They continue to deny the public access to Lambert's Cove Beach, a town park. Ron Rappaport is also the town counsel for West Tisbury. Maybe the town should ask him for a legal opinion on the matter and print the answer in the paper. I doubt it will happen though. End beach apartheid.
Erik Albert
Oak Bluffs
With the scorpions
To the Editor:
Since the number of American deaths has fallen to about 25 a month, news coverage of Iraq has been much reduced.
But on March 25, the New York Times printed the photographs of about 1,000 of our soldiers killed there in the past year, most of them in their early twenties. To look upon that array of young faces is to have the sadness of this Iraq conflict brought home in a gripping and painful way.
Understandably, the families and friends of those who have been sacrificed fervently wish to believe that the Americans dying in Iraq are making our country safer from terrorist attacks and thereby ultimately saving more American lives than are being lost.
Perhaps this is true. But from another point of point of view, our Iraq venture appears as a quixotic crusade, with no end with sight, in which we ask 150,000-plus American soldiers to somehow induce or coerce 25 million Iraqis into uniting themselves into a stable, peaceful nation.
Iraq is an appalling place. The prevailing religion breeds suicide bombers. Mutual hatreds and power struggles keep Iraq's tribes and religious sectarian factions at one another's throats. An extraordinary number of Iraqis are sadistic murderers who seem to exult in killing their fellow Iraqis as well as killing Americans.
The vicious internecine slaughter in Iraq brings to mind the proverbial metaphor of scorpions in a bottle. The young Americans who are dying there are people we have put in the bottle with the scorpions.
R.E.L. Knight
West Tisbury
Thanks to all
To the Editor:
"Pals for Progress" (Relay for Life team) would like to thank the following for your support at our 1st Annual Pasta Dinner: Pastene's, Stop and Shop Edgartown, Vineyard Bottle Waters, The Holy Ghost Association, Relay for Life Committee, team members who presold tickets, and all who helped at the event.
We would especially like to thank the Island community. Without your support, we would not have had such a successful event. Please join us at the 5th Relay for Life event that takes place at the MVHS on June13-14.
Together we can celebrate the survivors, remember those that have lost their battle, and help fund the research to find a cure. For information on the event or if you would be interested in making a donation, please email David Klein at Davidlk693@yahoo.com.
David Klein
Oak Bluffs
Good work this winter
To the Editor:
Last Wednesday evening was the last of the weekly dinners presented by volunteers from the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, indicating the start of spring and our change of routine to "summer mode." The weekly church dinner has become a welcome winter routine for those who attend, as well as the volunteers who organize, present the meal, and clean up afterwards. There are many layers of warmth and goodness that come from this event and its enjoyed differently by everyone. Certainly, good food is appreciated and enjoyed by all.
Each week, Steve Bernier of Cronig's Market generously donated a variety of wonderful roasts, which highlighted the main course and The Black Dog Bakery donated a variety of delicious fresh-baked bread, which added a nice touch. Many of our guests brought in a "potluck" dish to complement and round out the fare and then, let the dinner begin.
It was always interesting to sit at a different table each week, to listen to the compliments about the dishes people brought that week and how this prompted others to prepare their own version of these treats for the next week. It almost became a friendly competition amongst our family chefs. The compliments would abound. Everyone this year really outdid themselves.
Many thanks to all who contributed. Our church volunteers are to be commended for organizing and working so well together to make 12 weekly dinners serving over 600 meals a real smooth and successful operation. Know that you've done some really good work in our community by offering a place to gather our Island friends, share some good stories, enjoy a nice meal and have a much-needed night out during the Island's dormant winter. That sounds like God's work to me.
Brenda T. Lehman
For the Missions Committee First Congregational Church of West Tisbury
We are thankful
To the Editor:
Another successful season has ended for the Edgartown Monday Night Community Suppers at the Old Whaling Church. I am proud to say that our average weekly attendance had increased significantly from last year, serving a diverse group that often exceeded 70 people.
My sincerest thanks to the members and friends of the United Methodist Cooperative Parish and to the Rotary Club, all of whom have worked hard to provide good food and good fellowship to the residents of Martha's Vineyard. Thanks to your efforts and all sorts of generous donations we were able to provide these suppers from late October to Easter.
We are thankful for the continued support from the following island businesses: Stop & Shop, Island Food Products, Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Cafe & Bakery, and Vineyard Cash & Carry. Your interest in this community outreach ministry is greatly appreciated.
Finally, thanks to everyone who helped with food pick-up, prep work, cooking, set-up, serving, clean-up, dishwashing, and laundry. It has been a pleasure working with you all.
Karen Rego, Coordinator
Oak Bluffs
Thanks to the candidates
To the Editor:
In this season of Island town elections, I write to thank those running for office and the League of Women Voters for holding candidates meetings, and MVTV for extending the meetings to a wider audience. (I also praise the citizens who care enough to attend the meetings in person.) All of the above make one feel good about democracy.
I do have one quibble (complaint?) about candidates who neither appear, nor send a message. I understand hostesses these days are often uncertain about some invited guests, but I find it awkward for the meeting moderator to have to glance around the room, wondering if a particular candidate is going to come forward. Personally, I am disinclined to vote for those I have neither seen nor heard, but will give an edge to the considerate candidate who sends a message explaining the absence and sharing some positions.
Let's have a good turn-out in every Island town this spring, showing our appreciation of the candidates, and of our privileges.
Leigh Smith
Tisbury
Extraordinary
To the Editor:
The Vineyard is the most extraordinary place to live, and that was proven over and over again by my fellow community members. There is no way I can put in to words how grateful I and the Viera family are for your outpouring of support. The police departments, fire departments, EMTs, and special dive teams worked through the night and day to try to give us comfort.
We would like to give our appreciation, for their sincerity and dedication, to Detective Jon Searle, Lieutenant Timothy Williams, Sergeant George Fisher, Officer Daniel Cassidy, and Fire Chief Peter Forend.
Without the concern and vigilance of all these great people, many of whom are volunteers, we might not have received the closure we needed. There were so many in this community that supported us that it is impossible to thank you all personally. Our friends, family, and this great Island community have given us more encouragement and love than I knew was possible. I am so proud to call the Vineyard my home.
Pattiann Scarsella
Oak Bluffs
Changes at Dr. Fisher Road
To the Editor:
Recent developments of one three-acre parcel of land at 90 Dr. Fisher Road in West Tisbury threaten to forever alter the character of this most ancient and historic Island road.
At the request of the West Tisbury tax assessors' office, in April 2000 the town rezoned this anomalous parcel of land, originally zoned part rural and part light industrial to all light industrial. Rezoning this property opened the door to commercial development at the western end of Dr. Fisher Road and Pine Hill Path. Unfortunately, during this process, no official notice was ever given to abutters.
The three-acre parcel in question (Map 21 Lot 12) straddles both sides of Dr. Fisher Road. It has a small 1960s one-story bungalow on it and is bordered by thickly wooded residential properties. In June of 2005, this parcel was purchased by Thatcher 1091 Corp. This company, which later changed its name to Fulton K&E LLC, is based in New York City and principally owned by Peter Williams.
This new owner quickly sought and received approval to subdivide one acre of the total three acres. The newly created parcel was then sold to Bizzarro Waste Management, which was granted by way of special permit the right to operate a waste disposal business with onsite dumpster storage and a total of five garbage trucks. The property's legal access is via Pine Hill Path and Dr. Fisher Road.
More recently, in November of 2007, Fulton K&E LLC petitioned the West Tisbury planning board for approval of a new site plan that included leasing about half of the remaining two-acre parcel to up to six separate commercial tenants of both short and long duration, for the propose of heavy equipment storage. The plan was later amended to include only three tenants. If approved, however, this site plan would be unprecedented in town history, allowing major commercial truck traffic, including tractor trailers, to traverse Dr. Fisher Road on a daily basis. As yet, the proposed conditions for site plan approval do not appear to address the preservation of Dr. Fisher Road, the issue of public safety, or guarantee appropriate site management. In addition, the conditions for approval do not clearly delineate procedures for town enforcement.
The area surrounding Dr. Fisher Road, including Pine Hill Path, is connected by a network of ancient trails and walkways and is used recreationally by bicyclists and horseback riders alike. Despite this fact, Fulton K&E Corp., without planning board approval, proceeded to clear-cut a major portion of the parcel, ignoring zoning bylaws regarding minimum setbacks and site development. The land was subsequently stripped of all vegetation, graded and then leased to Allied Waste (formally BFI) for storage of large construction waste dumpsters, up to 40 yards in size. The developments on 90 Dr. Fisher Road are completely out of step with rural character of the neighborhood. They have occurred without any public notice or notification to abutters. Only recently have neighborhood residents and property owners become fully aware of these plans and developments. At a recent planning board meeting, copies of a draft proposal with the conditions for site plan approval were made available to those in attendance. Barring any major development, it appears that the planning board is likely to rule on this proposal in the near future.
Dr. Fisher is one of the oldest roads on Martha's Vineyard. It is listed as a DCPC by the Martha's Vineyard Commission. Multiple commercial tenants with their attendant high-density truck traffic will undoubtedly have a substantial negative environmental, visual and noise impact on the neighborhood, not to mention the effects on Dr. Fisher Road and all those who use it for recreational purposes. The planning board needs to thoroughly consider the long-term ramifications of this precedent-setting plan before rendering their final decision. The interests of those in favor of commercial development must be fairly balanced against the desire of neighborhood property owners and the public's interest in preserving Dr. Fisher Road and Pine Hill Path.
Those interested in voicing their opinions on this issue are urged to contact the West Tisbury planning board as soon as possible @ 508-696-0149 or planningboard@westtisbury-ma.gov.
John Pavlik
West Tisbury
No to Cape Wind
To the Editor:
This is a copy of a letter to the Minerals Management Service.
It is amazing to me that because of our unwillingness to cut back on our energy use, we are contemplating the destruction of Nantucket Sound.
Energy production is big business, as we all know. Oil, coal, and nuclear developers have been ruthless since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Now we have Cape Wind. Cape Wind is a power plant developer who has envisioned a way to make a lot of money at our expense.
It will be our tax dollars that will pay their tax credits and subsidies. It will be our tax dollars that pay for the cleanup when there is an oil spill. It will be our tax dollars that pay for search and rescue when there are boating and air accidents, and it will be our great misfortune when there is loss of tourist income, loss of wildlife, and loss of an important part of our fishing industry.
This power plant is an experiment. This is not tried-and-true technology. We cannot know how nature will be impacted.
What we do know is that this will be a navigational nightmare. When the fog rolls in, boaters and aircraft beware.
We also know that because of the hazards of navigation the lighting and fog horns will need to be very intense.
I was born and raised on Cape Cod and have lived for 19 years on Martha's Vineyard. When I go off-Cape, the one thing that hits me is how unindustrialized we are here. The natural beauty of the Cape and Islands is our treasure. It is the treasure that brings thousands of vacationers here and the treasure that makes the struggle to survive here worthwhile.
Please reject this power plant proposal.
Suzanna Nickerson
Edgartown
Heartening demonstration of democracy
To the Editor:
After sitting through four nights of the Oak Bluffs town meeting, I have one observation and two questions.
My observation is that it is such a wonderful demonstration of democracy - the old, traditional town meeting New England has enjoyed for years. Anyone with something to say has a chance at the microphone. The moderator tried to have an even number of pro and con speakers take their turn. And they sure did - four nights worth.
I sat near the microphone the last two nights when we were at the Oak Bluffs School, in case I worked up the nerve to speak. I almost did - but not quite.
I wanted to ask a question but felt that maybe I was the only person in the room who didn't know the answer. So I hesitated to embarrass myself. However, I will now ask - at the risk of showing my ignorance to the whole town - "what is a recreational tramway" (in Article 25, Section 11.0)?
My second question is "Who is Charlie Minor, and where did he come from?" I asked the powers that be, and they did not know.
If anyone knows the answer, could you email me at benglen@gis.net? Thank you.
Glenna Barkan
Oak Bluffs
Spirit of the Vineyard
To the Editor:
Recently my family was the recipient of the unbelievably generous spirit of the Vineyard.
Mary Alley, Debbie Dorman, Susan Madeiras, and Jackie Willey organized a pasta dinner for our family, as we struggle with a serious family illness. Lucy Menton prepared and organized all the food, assisted by her daughter Gabby, Sophie Willey, and Ben Madeiras. Elise Madeiras was a volunteer bartender, donating her tips. Mary's children, Talia and Jeremy, helped as well, in various capacities.
Others, without being asked, donated raffle items. They just came forward and gave. It occurs to me, as Julian gets ready to go to college, that this Island has taught him a lesson I doubt any college could, about community and giving.
It was an amazing, heartwarming event. There were so many thoughtful friends and neighbors who came and donated generously and showed their support. Also, my very close friends and their children who donated their time, effort, and ongoing unwavering support. It doesn't get any better than that.
Pam Swan and family
West Tisbury
In support of Bradley Square
To the Editor:
This is a copy of a letter to the Martha's Vineyard Commission.
We are writing this letter in support of the Bradley Square project.
Our neighborhood has long been home to artists, their work spaces, their galleries, and their homes. In the very heart of our neighborhood, the Island Affordable Housing Fund, together with the Island Housing Trust, is undertaking a project which we will be proud to have as the centerpiece of the Arts District. We can't imagine a project more in keeping with the spirit of our neighborhood. It embodies so much of what we all care about as artists, neighbors, and business owners - affordable housing, historic preservation, celebrating African-American cultural heritage, providing artists with affordable live/work/gallery spaces, the aesthetic of thoughtfully and beautifully designed buildings, green open space to be enjoyed by all, eliminating a rundown property from our streetscape, increasing the town's tax revenue, and furthering the vibrancy and sense of community in our neighborhood.
Within the past couple of months we've gained a valuable insight from our neighbors about the importance of respecting and embracing the rich history of our neighborhood, in all of its diversity. Our neighborhood is very supportive of its artists, while at the same time supportive of all who call it home and who run a variety of businesses. Thankfully, there is room for all of us to express our vision, and it is in that spirit that we welcome Bradley Square.
As to any problems that surface, be it parking, trash pickup, lighting placement, or any other issue raised by members of the neighborhood, we hope that we can all work together toward constructive solutions. The vision of Bradley Square and what it means to Island history, the arts, and affordable housing, are all well worth the effort.
We wish to thank all of the organizations and individuals who have been pouring their hearts and souls, and endless hours of hard work, into making this project a reality. We have found them to be incredibly supportive of the spirit of our neighborhood, creative in their approach, and open to our feedback. As members of the Arts District, this project has our 100 percent support. We sincerely hope you will give your support to Bradley Square.
Holly Alaimo, Judith Schubert, Michael Hunter, Alison Shaw, Sue Dawson, Judy Hartford, Thad Harshbarger, Annie Parr, Lucinda Sheldon
Members of the Arts District
One more meeting
To the Editor:
Lord knows, we've all had our fill of public meetings these days, but there's one more critical one, coming up tonight. The Martha's Vineyard Commission is holding its public hearing on the Moujabber garage, an issue that has plagued the North Bluff and the Island as a whole for a full four years. Scores of you, from Aquinnah to Edgartown, have shared your opinions in private. This is an opportunity to express them where it counts - to the Martha's Vineyard Commission, on Thursday night, April 17, at 7:30 at the Senior Center, on Wamsutta Ave. in Oak Bluffs. Please come to one more meeting, if you possibly can.
Belleruth Naparstek
President
North Bluff Neighborhood Homeowners Association
Hire American
To the Editor:
With hopefully no more H2B visas being issued this year to import a massive number of unskilled foreign workers to this country, local employers are today searching to fill their staff positions in an area where they have not bothered with in these last several years. The local hotels and restaurants are now actually searching for American workers and placing numerous advertisements in the local newspapers.
If you were not familiar with the scenario, it appears that no effort had been made to seek out American workers to fill the local seasonal staff needs. In recent years, local hotels secured the assistance of outsourcing employment agencies to conduct job interviews in foreign countries where the local economy was a disaster and many young people were out of jobs. These foreign workers would be hired at our local minimum wage, flown to and from the job site by the prospective local employer, and the then the employer would secure and subsidize the cost of their accommodations. In addition, they would pay high-billing attorneys to secure the H2B visas for all of these foreign workers. Here on the Vineyard, literally thousands of jobs were given out in prior years to unskilled foreign workers with these H2B visas, and American workers were literally not sought after and ignored.
Now, let's show how these same local hotels handled American workers who applied for these same jobs. My niece, who lives in Montana, applied for a local job. If she wanted a job here for the summer, she had to travel to the Vineyard for the interview at her own expense. If she was lucky enough to secure the position, it was her own responsibility to pay her roundtrip airplane ticket. Secondly, she would have to locate her own place to stay during the summer. Her rent would not be subsidized, as was the case with the foreign workers. For the American worker, there was no need to hire expensive attorneys to secure H2B visas. Since hundreds of foreign workers would flock here by offering minimum wage, there was no necessity to offer anything more to American workers. Of course, offering more to foreign workers under the H2B visas than would be offered to American workers would appear to be a direct violation of federal law, but no one seems to want to enforce this violation against American workers. However, with the added cost of using outsourcing employment agencies, the cost of long distance flights to bring foreign workers here to the Vineyard, the cost of paying attorneys to file documentation for the H2B visas, and finally the cost of subsidizing accommodations, why would one avoid hiring Americans? With the high cost of rent, American workers just cannot afford to work for minimum wage.
American workers would be offered $7.50 an hour, which barely comes to $5 an hour after taxes. Working 40 hours week, the American worker would barely net $800 a month. Not being offered subsidized accommodations, the American worker could not even pay for her living quarters. It is not a question of being able to find sufficient people to be bellhops, front desk workers, retail sales people or waiters. H2B visas bring in cheap labor, and it is all about money. Restaurants can charge $50 to $80 per person for dinner, and hotels can charge $700 a night, but find it difficult to pay more than the minimum wage to secure workers to serve their customers.
Whereas the young American college workers that formerly worked in our hotels and restaurants would take their earnings to help pay for the expensive cost of a college education, the foreign workers simply ship their earnings back to help support the dire economy in their own homeland.
Lastly, you might have heard in the national news that the United States lost more than 80,000 jobs in the month of March 2008. Come on, local restaurants and hotels, there are plenty of Americans that need these jobs that you so easily have been handing out to foreign workers. When was the last time that you conducted interviews at a local job fair?
Eric Bliss
Edgartown
Wholehearted support
To the Editor:
In the warm afterglow of Sunday's "Elijah" concert, the Island Community Chorus would like to thank our Vineyard community for its wholehearted support.
Bringing a major musical work such as "Elijah" to life here on the Island has been a formidable journey for all of us. First and foremost, we want to thank our Musical Director, Peter Boak, for having the courage to take on a project of this magnitude. We sincerely thank our families, who supported many months of rehearsals, taking us away from them on Monday nights and even weekend afternoons. We are grateful to the 31 talented musicians who made up our orchestra and performed as our soloists. We are thankful for the generosity of Grace Episcopal Church for allowing us to move their organ to the Performing Arts Center for the event. We greatly appreciate the cooperation of the High School Music Department for allowing us to disrupt their space and borrow their equipment. In addition, our sincere thanks to Jim Novak, manager of the Performing Arts Center, for his many hours of help during our set-up, the concert itself, and the breakdown afterwards.
Most of all, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many hundreds of people who packed the Performing Arts Center on Sunday afternoon to listen to and enjoy one of Mendelssohn's greatest works. Your support meant everything to us and made all the efforts of so many people feel so worthwhile.
Judy Crawford, President
West Tisbury
