[Muncle]

First I want to say that there are a lot of people in this forum whose posts I often enjoy and many people for whom I've developed much respect for their opinions and reasoning, whether it agrees with mine or not. There are many with whom I'd really enjoy being friends. And there are, of course, some for whom I have absolutely no respect.

That said, much of what is spouted is pure, absolute BS. Let's get the "choice" hassle out of the way. I've tried to explain, obviously unsuccessfully, that I look upon a decision to live in TV as a conscious choice. Hopefully, I and others looked at the negatives and positives of living here and opted to relocate here. There were some issues that were unknown when I chose (luckily the trains don't affect me directly) and some I underestimated, but I had a pretty good grasp of the situation. I'd even been reading the POA bulletin for a year or so. But in the end, the positives won out. However, in discussing TV with friends in Northern VA where I lived, it was obvious that this would not be a good choice for all or even most, and for a variety of reasons. Did that make them wrong and me right or did it make them right and me wrong? Did it lessen any positive aspects of TV? No. Different people have different values, different desires, different needs, and they need to make choices to fit their situation. About a year after moving in, one of my neighbors announced they were moving. They explained that while they liked a lot about TV, they were moving closer to Orlando because they missed many of the attractions of the bigger city. Wonderful for them and our loss, because they were nice people. But, TV is not for everyone nor is everyone a person who should live here. Hopefully, people find this out before they go to the expense of a move. If not, hopefully they are not afraid or unable to correct the decision later.

Now to get to some particulars. I don't mean to pick on the recycling thread in particular as this applies across the board, but this one's convenient. First we have the posts that anyone who's lived in Florida for any length of time truly hates: "Why, back home we did it this way." "Up north, our town made a big profit from recycling." "My hometown gave us free plastic trash bins." The reaction: "So what!" You're not back home, up north, or in your old hometown. You don't know the landfill situation or the market for the various recyclables. You don't know the overlapping laws of 3 counties and at least one municipality. You don't know the particulars of the various waste management contracts in place. But instead of finding the facts, many people chose to bitch here. Doesn't solve a thing, but it gets it off your chest. There is another recourse. You could contact by phone, or even better by mail or email, the responsible organization and ask them. Not always, but quite often, they will reply. If you get no response or if it's unsatisfactory, go over their heads. Contact Janet Tutt or Gary Morse. If necessary, let them know that you plan to post their reply on TOTV with it's 4300 members, both residents and prospective buyers. That just might get you some answers your want a bit faster than pitching a hissy fit here.

And lastly, no you should not blindly accept something that you feel is wrong simply because "it's a rule." But please, find out what the situation truly is and why it is treated the way it is. Sometimes, situations exist simply because no one looked at it critically. Other times, there are very valid if not obvious reasons. Try to find out before you go off the deep end.

There's always a choice.