To the Readers' Forum:
Didn't I just read an article where the legislature gave the Chautauqua Lake Association $10,000 to remove weeds?
Now one of our legislators wants to up it to $100.000 .
I wonder if the legislature would post information on how much taxpayer money they have spent in the last 25 years to remove weeds and to study why they occur. The amount wold probably stagger most of us.
We have learned that we don't know what causes the weeds to grow some years and not in others.
Why don't they get out of weed control The people most affected live on the lake or are business on the lake. How about they form an association and charge an annual fee which is first for weed removal and if they have excess they can spend on other things. Who knows, someone might find a use for the weeds - say tp make ethanol or seaweed is used in vitamins. Maybe Chautauqua Lake weed is as good and then some private enterprise might harvest it and pay the association.
Our legislature might figure out that something they have not helped in 50 years will not be helped by thowing more money at it faster.
The thing that taxpayer learn is that no elected official can tolerate a positive balance. When our illustrious Mayville group became aware of the $10 million - well the thought of "spending like drunken sailors'' comes to mind. Should we be aware of the upcoming deficits and the county executive talking about a 20 percent property tax increase?
Finally, what do you bet that we soon hear about the money and the economic devlopement that the lake provides. Should we look at the statistic that says 50 percent of Americans are not taking vacations and not one mentioned the weeds in the lake as the reason?
Just once, Democrat and Republican, consider the 90 percent of Chautauqua county taxpayers that don't use the lake.
Jim Walker
Falconer