[InterestedOutsider]

I work in the Villages but do not live there, so take it fwiw.

The article is intellectual mumbo-jumbo. Even a non-resident can see this. The author is obviously viewing things from a distance with a very dirty pair of sunglasses. All one has to do is drive through the place day after day to see through it. If the place was so negative, then I'm thinking the golf cart trails wouldn’t be so active, the squares would be depressing, and you would get smart-a** looks and attitudes from the residents. Well, I have heard of some sour apples living here, but I've not seen any of this yet. Most everybody I meet is active and happy.

To those who don't know (probably a low percentage--it amazes me that TV detractors think that only they know "the low and dirty truth" about TV), a good chunk of your future amenity fees will be influenced by these resident boards making recommendations to the district. Representation is absolutely vital (it is after all, a government body), however each resident shouldn't take anything for granted because some of these people on the boards, while wanting to do good, have some bizarre AND EXPENSIVE ideas.

I won't mention many specifics, to protect the innocent, but I will say that a couple of "inquiries" from the residents board have come across the radar that I monitor lately. One inquiry, pertaining to the area of recreation center usage, was based on a "feeling" of the board members regarding usage. This "feeling" (note: that’s all the board has as evidence---a feeling) costs money by itself because time must be consumed to provide an answer. If, after the feeling is researched, the resulting data doesn't meet the board’s expectations, I fully expect a second request to come along to change the ways things are managed. This change, when completed, will undoubtedly cost tens of thousands to the district. To what end?: to BE SURE that nobody, but Villagers, regardless of the number, are using the rec centers.

A bizarre one was that some group of residents (I don’t know which) got irritated over some ongoing issue with the gates. Apparently, to get the point across, consideration was given to immediate cancelation of a contract for a number of gates, and had someone not intervened, it would have resulted in significant costs AND MAJOR HEADACHES for the residents going through those gates---for you see, no consideration was given to how the gates interact with computers. In fact, if I recall, the solution was as simple as contacting the company, and in short order, the glitch was repaired.

Who pays these costs? Ultimately the residents do.

So, the point is, as long as the residents remain engaged in the process of governing, the and the radicals can be kept at bay (along with their negativity), and smart people can serve on these boards, then hopefully, when I reach retirement age, it will still be an awesome place to live.

I think most know this already, but sometimes it pays to throw an alternative message out there for those who may be on the fence about certain things in TV.

Regarding gossip---well, sometimes it is true, but most of the time, it is either 100% false or skewed so far past reality and in so many people’s heads as gospel that no amount of facts can convince folks otherwise. Case in point: “The Villages in Texas”. As we all know from that game in elementary school, a fact, whispered to two folks downstream turns into a “biggest fish story”. Whisper it to four and you have a lie, albeit unintentional.

Fwiw, I look at it like this. If America is so bad, then why do people from all over the world risk their lives to come here? On a smaller scale then, if TV is so bad, then why are people from all over the US tossing their lives overboard to come here? The answer is the same for both questions: Opportunity! For the former it’s an opportunity to live free and earn a good living for a hard day’s work. For the latter, it’s the opportunity to live out one’s latter years doing what they love, day after precious day, and doing it with other like-minded people.