I want to live...

[TygrBright]

...in a community in a town in a state in a nation where:

I can get up in the morning and see out my window through air that is healthy and invigorating to breathe.

I can go into the bathroom and brush my teeth using clean, healthy, drinkable water that flows from the faucet, provided by my local government water authority at rates that reflect only the cost of providing that water and don't include a profit for some corporate sleazeball.

I can use the toilet and shower, and know that my local water authority has an effective, cost-efficient water treatment system.

I can look after my health. Meaning, I want any medicines I need to be clearly effective, manufactured safely using quality ingredients and by workers fairly compensated. And I want them to be affordable and easy to obtain. I want to be able to get a little exercise, taking a walk on sidewalks or walking paths in my neighborhood that are safe and well-maintained by local municipal workers. And I want to eat a breakfast that is composed of ingredients that are healthy and produced without degrading the environment or exploiting the workers involved in producing them.

I can leave for work, walking on sidewalks, a couple of blocks to a transit access point, where I can step onto clean, reliable, publicly-supported and maintained mass transit, and reach my destination with a minimum of transfers or indirect routes, and without delays for badly maintained roads, equipment, etc. I'd like to be able to read or listen to music, or just chat with neighbors, on the way.

I can get off public transit and walk a short distance to the efficiently solar-powered building I share with other small businesses. It's located in an area where there is a pleasant park to walk to for lunch, a locally-owned coffee- and snack- shop few doors away, and a variety of other businesses providing things I need and use regularly within walking distance.

I can power up communications provided at very high speed by a local utility, and begin working with my customers, providing high-quality products and services to help them get better results. I can undertake transactions securely, and access every aspect of all the information and services available via digital communications safely, all for utility access rates that support the provision and maintenance of the service by the local utility and provide a very modest return--maybe around 2-3% to the local investors and owners of that utility, of which I am one. I know that the rates are precisely calculated to that end because my local utility regulation board oversees them.

At the end of the day, I can get back on public transit, and take a different route, one that ends up at the small, well-maintained, well-equipped high school that serves my neighborhood. I am taking an adult-education class in a new cloud computing service that is being taught jointly by an adult ed teacher and a high school student. I pay my fee and notice that the person who checked in just before me had her fee waived because she is participating in a re-training project that is jointly sponsored by the state's department of worker development, and a corporation that has recently eliminated a number of jobs.

After the class, it's just starting to get dark but I have no hesitation getting back on public transit because our streets are pretty safe, thanks to a well-coordinated local effort that includes not only the well-funded police department, but the recreation agency, the schools, and a citizen volunteer watch.

On the way home, I can stop at a neighborhood market just before it closes, and pick up some fresh locally-grown produce for dinner. It's not far from my home so I choose to walk, enjoying the evening air and greeting neighbor kids who are playing a game of pickup hoops at the little pocket park off the end of our block. Some parents are out walking their dogs and I stop to chat and pet the dogs.

When I get home I can review the mail that was delivered today, and enjoy a postcard from a friend and a package of incredibly comfortable, well-made shoes that I ordered a couple of days ago. I can review the bills for my solar- and wind-powered electricity (still supplemented by carbon-fuel sources, but they plan to phase those out except for emergency-backup by next year.) I can review the credit that the power company gave me for the offtime power-return from the low-profile VAWT wind turbine on our roof.

While I am fixing dinner for myself and my spouse I turn on the news. I have a choice, but all of the news providers have to meet a strict set of journalistic standards in order to have their broadcasts qualify for the federal news credit that offsets the cost of their access to the communications grid for other purposes.

My spouse and I have a serious matter to talk about over dinner tonight. We're both getting older, and we'd like to review some options for how we will retire and live as we age. I love our house but I recognize that it won't be practical for us to live here much longer. We have a lot of options to review, because there are several private senior co-housing communities in our neighborhood. Senior co-housing can take advantage of a number of credits and subsidies so it's economically feasible, and several of the options are also co-ops, meaning we could have an ownership stake as well. My spouse, though, would prefer one of the scattered-site senior-certified condominium housing options that were built by private builders with state and federal subsidies. They're certified for seniors by the local housing authority because they were built to standards that preserve health and mobility, and they're conveniently located to public transit, local services, and senior living assistance agencies. Fortunately almost all of the options are affordable to us with our combined Social Security and the supplemental retirement incomes we both have from former employers and our own savings.

We make some progress in our discussion but put off a final decision until later, as we are expecting a video call from our grandchild who is on an education-exchange program in Central America. It's quite thrilling to us that the public university system has implemented the exchange program, and that the tuition subsidies he's eligible for (our daughter has chosen a health services career that is very fulfilling, but she'll never be wealthy) cover the cost of his participation.

We prepare for bed feeling as though we are part of a wonderful community in a wonderful town in a wonderful nation, and we are so glad our grandson is considering a public administration career to keep things going even after we are gone.

Well, that's where I want to live, anyway.

wistfully,
Bright

[sharesunited]

1. That is a world without Republicans, conservatives or Libertarians.

[Zoeisright]

2. THAT'S for damn sure.

[Drale]

4. In other words its a Utopia

[izquierdista]

9. You got the first syllable right

Not U-topia, Europe.

[russspeakeasy]

3. Wonderfully written.

[Demeter]

5. Ann Arbor

That's why I moved here. The winters are variable--mostly good, though the last two were hell. But if you have all that other stuff, it's doable.

[xxqqqzme]

6. Be certain to post here when

you find such a place.

[masmdu]

7. Some part of Japan

[eggplant]

8. I feel very lucky that I have about half of these things today. n/t

[bertman]

10. Me too. REC. nt

[Bette Noir]

11. The small town on the Oregon coast where I live has most of that.

Forget solar power or locally grown produce; we don't get enough sun for that. The locally-caught seafood more than makes up for the lack, in my opinion.

And there's no work, but it's paradise for entrepreneurs. At least I hope it is, since I'm planning to start a business in the next couple of months.

[Citizen Worker]

12. I think we were on course to achieve such in the 60s but the 70s gave us Tricky Dick and at the end

of the decade Ronnie Raygun and it all came crashing down. We have been on a rapid downward spiral for the last 30 years and momentum increases every four years regardless of the political party in power.

[SOSpy]

13. What could be more obvious?

You want to live in Vermont.

Hruumph: A timely example:

Alan,

The sun is shining and we’re catching our breath from one of VPIRG’s most successful legislative sessions ever. May is the time we take a little break from politics and focus on community outreach and organizing. On the health care front, there’s certainly no shortage of things to do.

Our work this year on women’s health and insurance coverage for expecting moms spurred many new events and partnerships. Born in Vermont, our interactive art space and workshop series, is approaching its final weeks. It’s been an amazing experience and we still have many exciting events on the calendar. I wanted to fill you in on the schedule in the hopes that you can join us for some (or all) of the activities.

In big news: Governor Shumlin will be signing the Midwife Bill into law next Wednesday, May 18ths at 3pm on the State House Lawn. Please join us at the celebration, which will kick off with a family picnic, music, & kids activities at 2pm. The Governor will join us at 3pm for the public bill signing. This is our chance to get together, celebrate our success and thank the legislators and administration for their support on this important issue! Please bring your family, friends, & co-workers so we can pack the lawn and showcase our strength.

Other events on the Born in Vermont event calendar include:

May 18th at 10am: An intro to the Art of Birth Story Medicine for caregivers and health providers with Marianne Donahue Perchlik
May 21st at 9:30am-11pm: Massage & Aromatherapy for expecting mothers
May 24th from 5pm-7pm: VPIRG Trustee Julie Elmore leads a discussion about her work with Sudanese refugees and efforts to build a health clinic in Sudan.
May 25th from 10am – 12pm: Networking & Entrepreneurship: A roundtable discussion for women who want to kick start their business/non-profit idea
May 25th from 5pm – 6:30pm: Prepping for Birth: A Fathers Only Discussion. Representatives Chris Pearson and Tom Stevens lead a discussion for men about common fears, what to expect, and how to support your partner. Plenty of time for Q & A.
May 26th from 11am – 12pm: Shopping with Confidence: Getting Toxic Products off of Store Shelves. VPIRG’s health care advocate, Charity Carbine, leads a discussion on toxic kids toys and how to create a safe, healthy, & fun household for your kids.
May 27th from 10am – 1pm: Birth Story Workshop: Marianne Donahue Perchlik leads a workshop to help mothers heal from birth trauma using storytelling and art. Limited to 8 participants, pre-registration required.
May 28th from 8am – 11am: Closing Reception and Open House

All of these events are hosted in the Born in Vermont Art Space, located at Splash Naturals, 58 Main Street (upstairs), in Montpelier (map). Check out the Born in Vermont website for more information or find us on Facebook – simply search for “Born in Vermont.”

Check out the on-line calendar by clicking here: http://bit.ly/BorninVTcalendar

I hope you can join us - and bring your friends, family, and colleagues for this celebration of healthy pregnancy and childbirth options for Vermont families.

Best wishes,



Need I say more?

[KoKo]

14. Great Post.... But, my Mother-in-Law lived that life...she just died two years ago.

She lived in NY State...Mid-Hudson Valley and she had services available to her back about 20 years ago in her area. She transitioned from selling her home when husband died, (late 1970's) to moving to the town next door into a lovely Apartment Complex with her retired teacher friends (mostly widows) and then when she broke her hip she moved into an "Assisted Living" facility where she had her own place and still some privacy but with helpful aides when she needed assistance. She broke her other hip and then realized it was time for more "attendant care" so she moved to upstate NY near one of her sons and into a Nursing Home that had "resident cat" who was the delight of all the residents and even my MIL who always detested cats.

She dies two years ago..had a wonderful life...and spent most of her last years before the second broken hip travelling everywhere...Austrailia, France, Ireland, Germany..and taking a Windjammer Cruise with her fellow seniors. She also attended "Elderhostel's" which were sponsored by Colleges across America where Seniors would come in for the Summer Term and live in the Dorms and take classes from participating Professors who loved "educating" these fine Senior Citizens (who were mostly college graduates and other seekers who never tired of refreshing their learning or learning new skills if they weren't college graduates.)

Her life in her small town was the local library she could still walk to even when she felt not capable of driving on her own...even with her first hip replacement...it was wonderful excercise for her. She had friends there (she taught for over 25 years) and raised five sons...so she had wonderful ties to the community.

She had the life that very few of us will ever have. Her husband was Naval Captain in WWII and after the war he was a salesman for the local oil distribution company. All of the five boys got scholarships to good schools (Yale, Cornell, US Naval Academy) and all worked as soon as they were able....so they had jobs in college...but at that time ...even the best schools could get you through on scholarship without you having to serve years in Deptitude to pay off school loans until you were in your 50's.

This doesn't exist in America today ....if she were still alive she would wish she had died when she did.

This isn't the AMERICA that WAS...it's something else.

I appreciated your post because you want what I want. Apparently lots of other folks don't want us to have that kind of life. They RULE NOW. We are out of luck

Sorry to sound like "Debbie Downer" but have to face reality.