The Coastal Point encourages the exchange of ideas. Letters to the editor must be signed by the author with phone number included for purposes of verification. Please send your letters to P.O. Box 1324, Ocean View, DE 19970.

Darin J. McCann

Patrick James Lehl, this is your life.

Look, I realize you’re barely a month old, but from the moment my little sister exposed you to the world, you were immediately initiated into the land of curious humanity. And, yes, that is indeed a scary prospect.

But don’t get too worried about it. Yes, your mother is an incredible dork — of that, there is no question. And I’m more than certain she does not do a scintillating version of “Toora Loora” when you go to sleep at night. But she’s also one of the kindest, most honest and warmest individuals you’ll ever come across in this lifelong journey you are now beginning to undertake. Listen to her when she talks. She’s pretty bright.

(Uncle Insight #1 — Your mother was not always a mother. You will never get away with anything, because chances are she’s been there, done that. Listen to your Uncle Darin, it’s better to just take your medicine when she inevitably catches you one day. Get back to me in a few years, and I’ll fill you in on some real doozies from her past. Just remind me to tell you the story about a young lady, half a shaved head and your grandmother’s minivan.)

Now, in a little while you’ll begin to focus more on your surroundings and understand a bit what’s going on around you. That loud guy with all the energy who always seems to be around? That’s your brother, Gary. Stay on his good side, and your life will be much easier. Get on his bad side ... well, ask your mother how that worked out for her as a child.

In a few more years you’ll come to realize that in the grand scheme of things, you’re rather insignificant. That’s because you don’t have a job. Hence, no money. Hence, no girl. This is America, kid. Get a job.

(Uncle Insight #2 — Don’t be that guy without a job. That bald guy with the mustache who’s always funny and acts like your best friend? That’s your grandfather, Mac. He will turn on you more quickly than a lion on a limping caribou if you don’t have a job the moment you’re eligible. Think you’re Mac’s favorite? Just wait until you hit him up for money because you’re too lazy to work. Work hard and need a few bucks to get through a tough time? He’s there. Need money because you’re a couch potato? Duck.)

Your senior year of high school should be a time to remember for the rest of your life. It will be the last time you see many of the people you grew up with, though you’ll think at the time you’ll surely be friends with these people forever. Make that year count. Spend quality time with the teachers who have impacted your life, enjoy those moments with your parents before you go off to college and be sure to hit the books hard. Some of us chose to make that a year of partying, chasing women and ... Well, either way. Have fun that year. But don’t let it screw up your future. Of course, after you get that diploma ...

Go to college.

(Uncle Insight #3 — College is the time to figure out exactly what you want, to aim your sights and flat-out go for it. Do not spend this time attempting to build a 74-foot beer bong or trying to wiggle a schedule with no class beginning before 2 p.m. Trust me on this one, P.J. A semester of teachers discussing the mating habits of seven-eyed ferrets is not worth the extra sleep.)

Got that sheepskin? Terrific. Now it’s time to go get a real job. Remember all those days when you were younger and you just couldn’t wait until you became a grownup? Not a smart move, ace.

Swallow your pride. It’s time to find work. And, no, my little friend, you will not start out by being a corporate CEO. Nor will you be a publisher of a newspaper, a partner in a law firm or a chief surgeon. No, dear P.J., chances are you will be performing the time-honored task of kissing the bottom of a person of whom you will rely on for both money and a future. Pucker up, pal.

Now you need a place to live. Yes, your parents love you very much. No, they won’t let you live with them.

The first thing you’ll need to do is find a place you can afford. Preferably, one without nocturnal beings lurking in the dark. I remember, for instance, my first apartment. My friends and I would take bets over which rat could eat through ...

But I digress.

Find a clean place, Patrick. Then keep it clean. Being a slob and hanging your underwear from your dorm room lamp makes you “a character” in college. As an adult, it makes you a pig. Without a girlfriend.

This little cycle will continue until ... well, good luck, Patrick.

(Uncle Insight #4 — At some point in your life, you will be afflicted with what’s affectionately known as the “McCann Slump” by your Great Uncle Tim. It could involve a tough time in the classroom, a rough spell with girls or a fleet of police sirens in your wake. Get through it, little buddy. It passes, if you decide to make it pass.)

Big times ahead in Ocean View

Registered voters of Ocean View, let’s get ready to rumble.

On Saturday, April 9, voters can turn out to the new town hall in Ocean View, from noon to 5 p.m. to cast their ballots for the individual they wish to serve as the town’s mayor for the next three years. In one corner, there is the experience of incumbent Gary Meredith. In the other, there’s the upstart challenger, Wally Brown.

This is a hugely significant election for the future of the town. We all know about the growth the entire area has undergone, and Ocean View would epitomize the changes as much as any town in our community.

So, which direction would you like to see the town go over the next three years? Happy with the pace the current town administration is heading? Would you like to see things shaken up by changing the very top of the elected ladder?

That is the choice before voters on Saturday. What would make the election even more significant is if the town is represented accurately at the polls.

If only a small pocket of voters shows up to cast their votes, as is normally the case, then the candidate the most amount of people want to see win might not. For instance, if only a vocal minority casts their votes, then, politically speaking, they won’t be the minority that day. Their candidate, incumbent or challenger, will walk away with the win.

This is important. We are not just banging our chests or draping ourselves in the American flag. The immediate future of the direction of the town of Ocean View is at stake.

And registered voters in the town are fortunate enough to make the decision.

Editor’s Note: As is our policy, we are only running letters from the candidates this week. Also our policy, the incumbent goes first.

Meredith explains why he should stay in office

Editor:
When I was informed that Mr. Wally Brown would oppose me in my desire for a second term as mayor of Ocean View, I decided that I would not get involved in a negative letter writing campaign.

I will not say anything against Mr. Brown and his qualifications for mayor. However, Mr. Brown has been stating, “the town’s employees do not have rules and regulations.” Please be advised that the town has, and follows, a Personnel Policy Manual For The Town of Ocean View. This manual covers personnel procedures, benefits, employee work practices and conditions of employment and disciplinary action, grievances and separation. The town manager and the town council worked several months in public meetings to develop this manual, which was formally adopted on March 22, 2004.

If anyone has any questions or concerns about the town and its procedures, please call me at the Town Office at 539-9797, or my home at 539-0532.

Please vote on April 9, noon to 5 p.m. at the remodeled Town Hall.

Mayor Gary L. Meredith
Ocean View

Brown states his case to be Ocean View mayor

Editor:
Tomorrow is Election Day for the town of Ocean View. Over the last month I believe I have made my position clear. No taxation without the accompanying right to vote. The Constitution of the United States is to be the supreme document by which all governmental decisions are to be made. A code of ethics is to be adopted. All employees, appointees, elected officials and volunteers are to take an oath of office in which they accept the Constitution, just as the President of the United States does.

Fiscal responsibility is of equal importance. It all too often seems that may not be the case. The residents always have the right to vote on expenditures over $50,000. All of the town’s administration works for us, the taxpayer, not the other way around. Growth must be paced by the infrastructure. If the roads, etc. are inadequate, then no building until they are. A quarterly newsletter is a must. Many people do not attend the meetings (which I can understand, having attended them). This is OUR town. If we do not participate, we get what we deserve. VOTE!

(Another weekly paper) reported I would vote for Mr. Meredith. I AM voting for myself. Previously I voted for him.

Rephrase — I voted for Mr. Meredith previously, but I am voting for myself this time.

If you want the town to be responsive to you, the taxpayer, vote for Wally Brown. If you want the status quo, vote for Mr. Meredith. I have never said he was not a nice guy, just not doing the job to my satisfaction.

Thank you all for informing me of your complaints and desires.

Wally Brown
Ocean View

Reader asks Fenwick to consider whole town

Editor’s Note: The following letter is addressed specifically to members of the Fenwick Island Town Council.

Dear Council Members:
It is our understanding that at its March council meeting, a motion was made and approval voted to expend $5,000-plus for a study as to the feasibility and cost of dredging the canals within the town limits, as well as other areas.

A rationale for considering this action was that property values would be increased. We are sure that you realize that there are many property owners in Fenwick Island whose property does not border on these canals, and doubt very seriously if this action would increase their values.

Another factor here is that all but one of the current council members own property that borders on the canals or the bay. It is very possible that should this project be approved and public monies used to accomplish it, that there could be implications of a conflict of interest.

We would strongly suggest that before any public monies be spent on dredging the canals in our town that a referendum be held so that all property owners can feel that their interests are properly considered.

Jeanette Magee Griffin
Richard L. Griffin
Fenwick Island

Reader wants entire tax system under review

Editor:
President Bush has opened the dialogue about tax simplification. I am not a supporter of the president’s agenda, but who can be against tax simplification?

Here is some advice to the administration and Congress. Taxes should be used to raise revenue for the federal government, not for social planning or economic advantage. Therefore, I would get rid of corporate income taxes. Corporations are paying a smaller and smaller percentage of the federal tax pie. The elimination of the corporate income tax would have three principal benefits: 1. It would free up the creative minds of tens of thousands of our brightest minds that spend all of their time pondering the reduction of corporate tax payments. 2. It would remove the blackmail that exists between individual companies or trade groups and Congressional tax policy. Payment of campaign contributions is closely associated with either gaining or preserving tax preference. 3. It will eliminate the excuse that US companies cannot compete in the global markets.

The federal income tax form would be less than one page and contain the following entries: Line 1. Add up income from all sources (wages, Social Security, pensions, interest, dividends, etc.); Line 2. Add incomes from capital gains; Line 3. Add lines 1 & 2 and multiply by the universal income tax percentage; Line 4. Enter the amount of withholding or payment to the IRS; Line 5. You owe/you pay (+/-).

There would be three variables that need to be considered. Capital gains should be spread over 5 years. Congress every year would need to vote on the precise value of the universal income tax percentage (17.5 percent). Congress would need to vote every year on the threshold value that exempts individuals from payments ($28,000).

We have all voiced the phrase “well, I pay my fair share of taxes.” Now it will be universally true. All income would be taxed the same and you can throw away your shoebox, there will be no deductions.

I urge you to call or write Senators Carper and Biden and Rep. Castle and ask for real personal income tax simplification, and not some corrupt conservative consumption tax as proposed by the Club for Growth.

Dennis Cleary
Bethany Beach

HB 36 poses risks to girls through omission

Editor:
Several amendments were proposed for the HB 36 legislation that was recently passed by the Delaware House of Representatives. Some were passed. Others were not. An amendment excluding the Boy Scouts from HB 36 passed while a similar amendment excluding the Girl Scouts did not.

In effect, if they so desire, passage of the amendment allows the Boy Scout organization of Delaware to refrain from hiring homosexuals as troop leaders, scout masters, etc, without fear of legal reprisal. On the other hand, defeat of their amendment means Delaware girl scouts have no assurances that the Girl Scout organization of Delaware, if they wanted to, could refrain from hiring lesbians as troop leaders, scout masters, etc. since that would subject the organization to potential legal reprisal under the hiring provisions of HB 36.

Apparently a letter from the National Organization of Girl Scouts to the Delaware Legislature, stating they did not want the Delaware organization to be excluded from the legal effects of the bill, help lead to the amendment’s defeat.

Consequently, if the Delaware Boy Scouts organization feels it is in the boys’ best interest not to place homosexuals in leadership positions within the Boy Scout organization they are free to do so. On the other hand, even if scout leaders within the Delaware Girl Scout organization felt it would not be in the best interest of their girls to have lesbians in leadership positions they would be at risk legally were they to try and implement that preference. Why the national organization chose to place Delaware girl scouts at such obvious risk, especially when it could have been avoided, is an intriguing question. One every girl scout parent and potential girl scout parent needs to ask?

Especially noteworthy is that the current Delaware Discrimination Code states there shall be no discrimination based on sex (gender). Yet it appears that there is most definitely discrimination on how boy scouts and girl scouts are treated under this bill. And as I read the code there is no indication that either sex has the option to waive their rights in any manner. Furthermore, it was a national, not a state organization that was attempting to waive away Delaware girl scouts’ rights and HB36 is a state bill voted on by Delaware State Representatives. What a national organization says it wants or doesn’t want is not really relevant. What matters is how Delaware state representatives voted.

On the one hand HB 36 certainly appears to discriminate by sex, in which case the bill would be illegal. On the other hand it subjects Delaware girl scouts to unnecessary risks.

Allen Ide
Millsboro

Pope should be thought of as beacon of hope

Editor:
As people from around the world gather to pay tribute to the beloved Pope John Paul II, we are struck by his capacity to bring people together, even in his passing. Pope John Paul II was a remarkable leader who embodied grace, compassion, and a love for all humanity. He will be remembered as a tireless advocate of international justice and peace. As Muslims, we have been especially grateful for his commitment to unify and heal the peoples of the world. May he rest in eternal peace.

Our brothers and sisters in humanity, together, we have the opportunity to continue Pope John Paul II’s mission to build bridges of hope, understanding, and reconciliation. May we forever honor his legacy.

Mr. and Mrs. Mahmoud Abdelsalam and Dina Odetalla
Ocean View

Booth’s philosophies make us all look weak

Editor:
I was hoping that someone else would write a response to Rep. Joe Booth’s “it’s-good-to-be-fleeced” letter on Maryland’s discriminatory tax-rate on non-resident, Delaware workers, but no one has, so I guess I must. I like Joe Booth. He is capable and I believe he had a good idea about introducing a bill to protect Delaware’s sunken history off our coast. Ironically, the debris that prompted him to think of such a bill was possibly deposited at a time when Delawareans were resisting Maryland’s encroachments on our western border. Back then, our agents not only protected our honor but also outsmarted our wolfish neighbors and doubled Sussex County’s size with the Trans-Peninsular boundary agreement. Unfortunately, for the good they have done, our representatives today might as well post a “kick-me” sign on the backs of our citizens who work in Maryland.

Instead of outrage over Maryland’s overt penalizing of Delawareans, Booth discounts the affront with two arguments. One argument is unconscionable and the other is voodoo economics. Booth first argues that those Delawareans who are liable for the extra tax do not really pay it because they get a credit on their Delaware taxes for any monies paid to Maryland. Not only are there several undiscussed qualifiers to his assertion (such as item #14 on page 4 of the Maryland Form 505 Non-Resident and the Line 10 Worksheet on page 7 of the Delaware Resident Form), but, as far as his assertion is true, the pride of every Delawarean should be stung because that credit is being funded by our treasury. Obviously, in 2005 we cannot call out the militia to protect us from Maryland predators, but some of our retired legislators — raised on stories of “no taxation without representation,” tea parties, and “millions for defense but not one cent for tribute” — would be damning them lustily. It seems, however, that today we will not hear any such spirited talk over coffee with Joe.

Booth next argues that, because 10,000 more Marylanders work here than Delawareans work there, we have more money flowing to “our merchants and retailers from the money spent by Marylanders working in the First State.” True, those 10,000 Marylanders will do some shopping here and will pay some Delaware taxes, but they are taking the bulk of their paychecks home to Maryland. The drain to our balance of payments with Maryland of these 10,000 salaries at average income levels certainly amounts to $200,000,000.00 per year. This is hardly, as Booth describes it, a “situation that currently favors us by a wide margin.” Instead, this situation demands the “tit-for-tat” that Booth refuses to consider. If there are indeed 10,000 more Maryland workers in Delaware than Delawareans working in Maryland, we should squeeze them enough to make their Gov. Ehrlich squeal.

Joe Booth, I call upon you, as you suggest, “to step back and take a look at the big picture.” Your passivity shames us and tempts Maryland to shake down our people even more. Delaware does not come off “looking pretty good.” Rather, we look weak and vulnerable.

Randall Cash
Bridgeville