Nest Still Cozy

Bensblurb #602 4/7/11 This just in: Three stooges on late-night TV Shutdown riff: Obama, Boehner and Reid....“Progress made, and we hope you’ll stay tuned in for the finale of “Who Stiffs the Bureaucrats?” But seriously, “ [A shutdown] may not only threaten the country’s fragile recovery – which Obama needs to keep pace if he wants a second term – it could damage attempts to revitalize his own political brand, as the grown-up trying to bring order to a dysfunctional town.”--Politico. Me: A growunup? That’s too kind. Now, back to your regularly scheduled Bensblurb: Our nest is still cozy When my family moved to Stafford 33 years ago, it was to find comfort and quiet from the bustling pace of life in Falls Church. Luckily we found it, in a then-struggling Aquia Harbour recovering from an earlier bankruptcy of its developer, with homes for sale dirt cheap. It was a very good move, although alas, homes are again dirt cheap. And after several years here I was able to retire from my government job in D.C. before commuting got to be so much of a pain. Thus, except for a bad back, my sunny disposition endures, except of course with respect to the current White House. Both Aquia Harbour and Stafford have prospered, although for the first decade or so here, what happened outside our gated community was of little consequence personally. And now our community, essentially mature, remains quiet and pleasant. Smug? You betcha. Nothing’s better than my country, my state, my community--although Stafford frets it’s playing second fiddle to Spotsylvania and Prince William in business development. And now, here come the squabbles over urban development areas, which would have been laughable until recently. Even now, I’d say they’re of little moment, for mostly we remain a diverse and growing bedroom community. I’ve been happy with Stafford’s management, too. The most tangible indicator for me, the property tax, has stayed well within reason. And our security, under Sheriff Jett, has seemed competent and then some. Every year about now, we hear that our schools are falling short and we simply must spend more than our stingy county supervisors will allow. That’s as predictable as the lovely springtime blossoming of trees here--and especially when GOP supervisors are in charge. I have no dog in those school budget fights, so to speak, unless you count freshman grandson Jason. And luckily again, his genes being right, he’s unusually bright. Traffic congestion does bother even us old folks. Often it’s a matter of getting down I-95 to a doctor appointment on time. We’ve seen more of their offices locating close to the new Stafford Hospital nearby. But you know as well as I that driving around in the county remains a problem. It’s becoming a bigger problem for me. Age is taking its toll on my driving abilities. True, I’m happy to be outliving the average life span of my cohorts. But I expect my trusty 2004 Town Car to outlast me, with any luck. (You figure that out.) I am more concerned about my neighbors and relatives in the military, including our nearby heroes stationed at Quantico. They are stretched way too thin. We seem destined to fight wars from now on, while our troops are being sent back into battle zones repeatedly, surely wearing them down without good reason except that there are too few of them. The remedy? Bring back the draft. Our new generation of youngsters needs to learn the teamwork and discipline instilled by military service. And one final, prayerful note: I hope to vote for the next GOP president. --Ben Blankenship #############