Common Sense

COMMON SENSE AIN’T COMMON Peter Flierl The Canaan Town Board will once again have the subject of regulation and taxation of short-term rentals at a public hearing on Monday, March 10 at 7:00 PM. We will have to wait for Monday night to see if the town’s self-styled combination Thomas Paine and Paul Revere brings out a second crowd of residents filling the room. Canaan residents once again received an anonymous flyer titled Common Sense. While this misanthrope hides behind the curtain more like the Wizard of Oz than Thomas Paine, a great patriot and essayist, or Paul Revere, a revered patriot and alarm sounder. There is some sense of who this rabble rouser is, though no one is saying so publicly. We have two individuals who fit the bill. Whoever he is, grammar and editing are not a forte. While common sense is often used to describe the Trump administration, our mystery man is the opposite of its transparency, A number of local residents have gone to the misanthrope’s website, www.canaan.org, to comment and debate: • Charles Mingus: “Pretty sure the sun has shown on causes more worthy.” • Terese: “Agrees with Charles Mingus regarding your anonymous missive coyly titled “Common Sense” and notes Granicus is a cloud-based communication firm doing business with government entities around the world, large and small. • PK says: “STOP mailing your unsolicited propaganda out to people. If people want your opinion, they will ask for it. But these mailings sound unhinged. • Pompey says: “Ignore this jerk. He/she is a coward hiding behind anonymity.” • Susan Goldin adds: “Outsourcing what exactly? I enjoy your graphic design, but the first principle of good design is clear communication. This flyer is not clear. We spoke with a representative of Granicus, who indicated that their clients worldwide are confidential, while governments large and small use their services. Lost in the noise, the Town Board is proposing regulation of short-term rentals, often known as B&B, and imposing a 4% tax on each rental. That is the issue and was apparently a response initially to the equivalent of one rowdy party by young people without parents present.