Wilkes Rips King's, Sets Record With 10-0 Start

311 Non-emergency Number Also Faces Hang-up

Wednesday, January 14, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Benefits of consolidation need not be at expense of local charm &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There are those who- looking at the problems of most metropolitan areas in
the nation- say that small is good, big is badThese are folks who romanticize
the past, dreaming up those images of small-town America composed of rows of
middle income homes that boasted front porches on which the occupants would
gather to while away afternoons and evenings with themselves and friends. It
was a time when nobody locked the front door and when, the romance goes, crime
of any kind was rare, and everybody was a member of a happy, hard-working
family. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Some argue is that it has been the concentration of people into cities that
has destroyed both those wonderful images of leisure and civility. Better,
they claim even today, to remain a series of small villages- the smaller the
better. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Another analogy they favor is what has happened to the mom-and-pop stores
that once served almost every neighborhood. These have disappeared, as have
many of the other enterprises of that era. Of the local enterprises that
remain, many have lost their local ownership. They have been replaced by ever
larger interstate, national, and even international conglomerates that owe no
allegiance or loyalty to or identity with the communities they serve, let
alone to their employees. Better, according to the naysayers, that we had
remained a nation of small shopkeepers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The difficulty with both examples is that they illustrate very different
forces of contemporary life than the basic issues facing the Wyoming Valley
and virtually every other metropolitan area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All metropolitan areas continue to have typical small-town neighborhoods,
and what is happening to small businesses is a consequence of unrestrained
free enterprise. While capitalism is the most effective economic mechanism yet
devised, uncontrolled it seeks to become a monopoly and in the process to
destroy all competition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By contrast, what is before the communities of the Wyoming Valley is the
option of joining their forces so that together they can better perform two
essential functions: give better service to the taxpayers at less cost and
acquire the muscle and stamina not only to better compete in this increasingly
competitive society, but to compete on terms that reflect our joint strength. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You're familiar with the reasoning that usually precedes marriage- that
while two cannot live as cheaply as one, two together can live cheaper than
two living apart. Obviously, the same lesson in economics applies to
communities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Indeed, it is the reason why our 50 states are united in a single nation.
As we learned from our brief initial experience under the Articles of
Confederation, allowing each of the original 13 states have its own militia,
currency, laws, and tariffs, for examples, cost more than any wanted or could
afford. It didn't take long to replace the Articles with the present
Constitution and the idea of 13 independent and sovereign states with one
nation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In fact, we've fought a frightfully expensive Civil War to retain that
nationhood. And while you can find a few dissenters, the overwhelming majority
of today's citizenry would have it no other way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Similarly, it appears that those who yearn for a return to small towns are
taking a simplistic view of a very complex world. Above all, it is a world in
transition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 h yes, there is the ambience of small-townism to be had. In fact, not only
do such neighborhoods exist throughout the Wyoming Valley but the image is a
very real part of the move to suburbia. Thanks to the automobile, there is no
denying or reversing that. But another of the changes that the automobile age
has made is to permit metropolitan areas to become larger, and to serve more
people better. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There have been some disappointments, even a few failures, but these have
occurred because we, the voters, have failed to pay attention to what is
happening or to seek the best we can find to represent us in our governments.
There is no escaping the fact that the real cause for failures is not how big
our community is, but how diligent we voters are. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Meanwhile, nothing has diminished the need for, the superior influence of,
nor the impetus to metropolitan government. Economics demands it. Services can
improve because of it. Politics can be both more responsive and responsible
because of it. Individuals can have more and better opportunity for growth and
reward from

Benefits Of Consolidation Need Not Be At Expense Of Local Charm 
There Are Those Who- Looking At The Problems Of Most Metropolitan Areas In The 
Nation- Say That Small Is Good, Big Is Bad.

Benefits Of Consolidation Need Not Be At Expense Of Local Charm There Are Those Who- Looking At The Problems Of Most Metropolitan Areas In The Nation- Say That Small Is Good, Big Is Bad.