Originally Posted by pooh

Sounds like a good reason, but my feeling is that he will continue to believe what he believes, Villagers are just older teens with money, he wanted to sell his book and felt he had a great market, or he's just an a** .....��

You may be right. It sounds like he last visited the Villages in late 2005 when Jack Black's version of King Kong was playing at the Old Mill Playhouse. There have been quite a number of changes since then.

His book Leisureville still seems to have a great deal of influence though on how outsiders view the Villages.

Originally Posted by JLHart

Yes wouldn't be absolutely terrible if we all took care of each other and our elderly.

That would be wonderful. I would like for them to pay for my golf, too. And maybe some cruises, and a new car, and maybe they would pay me for eating out in all the wonderful restaurants in TV. I'd like a Rolex, fur coat for my wife, sports car. Oh my, I feel like I was 8 years old again and I'm marking the Toys-R-Us catalog with my wish list.

Originally Posted by Golfer in Sanibel

That would be wonderful. I would like for them to pay for my golf, too. And maybe some cruises, and a new car, and maybe they would pay me for eating out in all the wonderful restaurants in TV. I'd like a Rolex, fur coat for my wife, sports car. Oh my, I feel like I was 8 years old again and I'm marking the Toys-R-Us catalog with my wish list.

That would be a fun perk of the Villages if it were true.

Well, at least you do not have to do the babysitting of your grandkids for more than 30 days or so. That seemed to be the biggest complaint of Andrew D. Blechman, that seniors are not more involved with the lives of their grandkids.

That also seems to be a factor in many people who move away from the Villages. They have medical problems and move so that their family can take care of them or they move so that they can be closer to their kids who need help caring for their grandkids.

Originally Posted by pooh

Sounds like a good reason, but my feeling is that he will continue to believe what he believes, Villagers are just older teens with money, he wanted to sell his book and felt he had a great market, or he's just an a** .....��

I read the book several years ago and at that time he had already visited, thus the book. It all began when his neighbors across the way announced they were moving to THE VILLAGES. In a nutshell, he went down to visit them.

I think he just needed a "theme" to write about.

To put things in perspective, he was a new father....albeit a slightly older one than had he had the child in his twenties .......he felt his child would benefit by having the elder neighbors........such as we ourselves experienced when raising our family.........all of the age groups interacted and many who were out of state transplants to Vermont, gained new sets of grandparents who loved all of our children as if they were their own.

I took some of his book to be "satire" or tongue in cheek humor.
I also took most of it "with a grain of salt". It was no earth shaking novel.

I "get it". He now had a child and it was the center of his universe; he didn't want the neighborhood to change and lose the wisdom of the elders. In his narrow way, he wanted to understand WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO MOVE TO A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY.

He also didn't get the "unlived in" look of the perfect new home his neighbors had. Remember, he was coming from Massachusetts.
Lots of old homes....totally different than Florida.

If everyone was the same with the same viewpoints, it would get pretty boring. Some seniors love to see their grandchildren every day.....and develop a deep bond with them........others realize that as the little ones grow into teens, become even more active in school, church, community, sports, etc. activities.......they see the grandparents less.....so moving isn't that difficult.

Most retired women couldn't care less if they never cooked or cleaned again. In that respect, THE VILLAGES is perfect.

But, from our own experience, I can say that when we were in our 20's, 30's, 40's our lives and our neighborhood was ENRICHED by the elders who we called our neighbors, friends and surrogate grandparents to our children..........now grown, married, with children of their own. All these wonderful elders are now deceased..........but we had many happy memories...........so I do "get" the theme of his book. In our 40's and 50's, etc. we became the older parents as ours went off to university, got married and had babies of their own.........we still have deep bonds with those who were babies and children........now grown up adults.

We even had a gentleman in his 70's, 80's and passed at 91, who would come down and plant flowers in our rock garden......bring us home made blueberry muffins, a gin and tonic.......his wife was wonderful as well.
She'd have our little boy over for supper when our daughter had to have her tonsils out. We never imposed or asked.........they just called and invited. All the young couples LOVED THEM........and WE MISS THEM.
He'd invite us all over for pancakes........he would come down and snowblow, rake leaves............he wanted to help the "younger folks".

Someone like this particular neighbor would have been sorely missed, for sure.

I see nothing wrong with the book..........in the bigger scheme of things.
The Villages sells itself and one book cannot hurt it at all.

What I don't get is why people have to be Republicans to live in TV.
What if someone is apolitical. WE all know nothing changes, no matter which party is elected.

A family member "inlaw" happened to recently visit THE VILLAGES and said it was wonderful, a fantasy land, etc......but he couldn't move down there as they were all Republicans. See how nuts that sounds? Same as when someone says they wouldn't want Democrats living there. Live and let live. Our town has two active parties plus a few others, and most people do not pay any attention at all..........

This is why we are NOT RUSHING.....to move. Still feeling things out.
Basically, we know what we have here. Nuff said.

Yeah, but who is this Mr. Midnight fella?

Is he still living in TV?

"What I don't get is why people have to be Republicans to live in TV.
What if someone is apolitical. WE all know nothing changes, no matter which party is elected.

A family member "inlaw" happened to recently visit THE VILLAGES and said it was wonderful, a fantasy land, etc......but he couldn't move down there as they were all Republicans. See how nuts that sounds? Same as when someone says they wouldn't want Democrats living there. Live and let live. Our town has two active parties plus a few others, and most people do not pay any attention at all.........."


Of course, you do not have to be a Republican to enjoy life here in The Villages. If you read the Political Forum on TOTV, you would think everyone here is a gun-totin' Republican ready to blast away anyone who would dare to think a liberal thought. Not so at all.

Most people do not even talk politics in everyday conversation. The Daily Sun is an enjoyable paper to read but for real news, you may want to subscribe to an online paper or the Orlando paper. You do not have to go to the town squares the few days that a Republican candidate or speaker comes there.

Political issues don't come up on the golf courses when playing with strangers and even if they did, so what? No one is going to get angry when talking to others even if they are a different political bent than yours.

I say, come on down, look the place over, and if it is what you like as a lifestyle, it would make a great home. I have been here about 3 years and love every minute of it.

One more thing: Andrew Blechman is a total idiot.

Thread moved to political forum.

Originally Posted by buggyone

"What I don't get is why people have to be Republicans to live in TV.
What if someone is apolitical. WE all know nothing changes, no matter which party is elected.

A family member "inlaw" happened to recently visit THE VILLAGES and said it was wonderful, a fantasy land, etc......but he couldn't move down there as they were all Republicans. See how nuts that sounds? Same as when someone says they wouldn't want Democrats living there. Live and let live. Our town has two active parties plus a few others, and most people do not pay any attention at all.........."


Of course, you do not have to be a Republican to enjoy life here in The Villages. If you read the Political Forum on TOTV, you would think everyone here is a gun-totin' Republican ready to blast away anyone who would dare to think a liberal thought. Not so at all.

Most people do not even talk politics in everyday conversation. The Daily Sun is an enjoyable paper to read but for real news, you may want to subscribe to an online paper or the Orlando paper. You do not have to go to the town squares the few days that a Republican candidate or speaker comes there.

Political issues don't come up on the golf courses when playing with strangers and even if they did, so what? No one is going to get angry when talking to others even if they are a different political bent than yours.

I say, come on down, look the place over, and if it is what you like as a lifestyle, it would make a great home. I have been here about 3 years and love every minute of it.

One more thing: Andrew Blechman is a total idiot.

Looks like he is a politician of sorts now in his hometown of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Great Barrington, MA - Board of Selectmen

IMHO Blechman spoke a number of truths. I met his neighbors before the book was published and they informed me it was coming out. My brother attests to the fact that Mr. Midnight is a real person and being the competitor he has always been when it came to the ladies believes if he had remained single he would have run circles around Mr Midnight reducing him to dawn dust....Again IMHO he would have.

What I didn't like about the book ( I have read it a number of times) is that Blechmn took the low road more than once with his references to Midnight, the location of minoritity groups the so called STD scandal and criticizing people for making the choice to leave their communities. Village residents since arriving have made as meaningful contribution here as they would have in their previous communities.

The one item that displeases me the most and continues to survive is the myth that this is some sort of a fantasy land. It certainly has many good distraction located in a compact manner but living, suffering and dying is as real here as anywhere and to continue on with this nonsense of a fantasy land negates the very people who have had misfortune visit them.

Originally Posted by rubicon

IMHO Blechman spoke a number of truths. I met his neighbors before the book was published and they informed me it was coming out. My brother attests to the fact that Mr. Midnight is a real person and being the competitor he has always been when it came to the ladies believes if he had remained single he would have run circles around Mr Midnight reducing him to dawn dust....Again IMHO he would have.

What I didn't like about the book ( I have read it a number of times) is that Blechmn took the low road more than once with his references to Midnight, the location of minoritity groups the so called STD scandal and criticizing people for making the choice to leave their communities. Village residents since arriving have made as meaningful contribution here as they would have in their previous communities.

The one item that displeases me the most and continues to survive is the myth that this is some sort of a fantasy land. It certainly has many good distraction located in a compact manner but living, suffering and dying is as real here as anywhere and to continue on with this nonsense of a fantasy land negates the very people who have had misfortune visit them.

True, the February 2007 tornado, the first murder in the Villages, some reported suicides, many cart accidents, and other travails show that the Villages is not a fantasyland.

To many, Great Barrington, where Andrew D. Blechman lives, is something of a paradise as the Smithsonian recently voted it the best small town in the US. The 20 Best Small Towns in America | Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

Go enjoy yourself if Great Barrington, Michigan. I will stay here in The Villages.

This is not an attack on you by any means, but I just do not understand the reason you are posting most of your stuff which consists mainly of a link somewhere.

I believe you had said earlier you came to stay with a parent in The Villages and that you are an advocate of victim rights to some degree. Do you do any paid or volunteer work for that purpose to make it more well known? How is that working out for you? Maybe a paid or volunteer position with the county government might be an avenue for your talents.

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Many of his views seemed to be that people in retirement communities like the Villages were no longer all that much involved in anything else but leisure. I have found that many Villagers are very political and very much involved with volunteering and other matters. They might be involved more in Republican politics and Republican causes.

I wish his views were just that simple.

But in his book he mentions a change in the 1980's Fair Housing Act which made it illegal to discriminate against persons with children. (Prior to that, many apartment complexes were designed and marketed as "all adult" complexes.) When the law was changed, an exemption was made for "senior adult communities", and the limitation was not just for assisted living facilities but to preserve and allow for communities such as TV, Sun City, etc.

It is that exemption to which Blechman takes issue. In his view, it simply isn't enough that some seniors choose to live in places like TV while others choose to remain closer to family. He would like to see the exemption repealed almost completely. In his liberal utopia there would be no TV, no Sun City, period.

Originally Posted by buggyone

Go enjoy yourself if Great Barrington, Michigan. I will stay here in The Villages.

This is not an attack on you by any means, but I just do not understand the reason you are posting most of your stuff which consists mainly of a link somewhere.

I believe you had said earlier you came to stay with a parent in The Villages and that you are an advocate of victim rights to some degree. Do you do any paid or volunteer work for that purpose to make it more well known? How is that working out for you? Maybe a paid or volunteer position with the county government might be an avenue for your talents.

It is Great Barrington. Massachusetts. That's where Andrew D. Blechman is a Selectman. The topic is Andrew D. Blechman not me. Great Barrington, MA - Board of Selectmen

Originally Posted by quidam65

I wish his views were just that simple.

But in his book he mentions a change in the 1980's Fair Housing Act which made it illegal to discriminate against persons with children. (Prior to that, many apartment complexes were designed and marketed as "all adult" complexes.) When the law was changed, an exemption was made for "senior adult communities", and the limitation was not just for assisted living facilities but to preserve and allow for communities such as TV, Sun City, etc.

It is that exemption to which Blechman takes issue. In his view, it simply isn't enough that some seniors choose to live in places like TV while others choose to remain closer to family. He would like to see the exemption repealed almost completely. In his liberal utopia there would be no TV, no Sun City, period.

That's interesting. Seems very unrealistic too with the number of moves many working adults make in the course of their careers. They would not be able to stay close to their parents that often.

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

That's interesting. Seems very unrealistic too with the number of moves many working adults make in the course of their careers. They would not be able to stay close to their parents that often.

It may be unrealistic but he makes no bones about it. From Leisureville, p. 221 (paperback edition which includes the epilogue discussing the IRS audit issue):

"Just what 'special needs' do today's wealthy middle-aged boomers have? Not only do they represent the least marginalized generation in human history; they're not even old. Developers are merely exploiting a legal loophole.

"If The Villages is any indication, the so-called special needs include, among other things, alcohol-saturated faux downtowns and an opportunity to play golf on a different course every day of the month...[s]o why are we providing these 'seniors' with a legally codified right to keep the rest of society at bay?

"Clearly, our federal government shouldn't be in the business of endorsing discrimination against young families. The Fair Housing Act was originally intended to protect Americans from bigotry, not promote it. It's been well over two hundred years since we shamefully designated blacks as three-fifths human. Are young children--and their parents--any less than whole? Do we really want to promote communities where birth certificates are scrutinized at points of entry? Congress needs to reexamine this legislation and either eliminate age discrimination altogether or, at the very least, periodically raise the qualifying age as time and science progress." (emphasis mine)

But in the very next paragraph, Blechman shows which of the two options he would prefer:

"Simply raising the qualifying age still leaves me feeling uneasy."

And on the next page, he shows his hand:

"But until we establish a coherent vision for addressing the needs of our senior citizens, private developers-cum-social engineers will continue to exploit this lack of cultural consensus."

Of course there are only two options for developing this "coherent vision": the private sector or the government sector. Since, in his mind, the private sector is merely "exploiting" "legal loopholes" and a "lack of cultural consensus", and as he's already suggested that the 55+ exemption in the Fair Housing Act should be eliminated (being "uneasy" about simply raising it "as time and science progress"), Blechman clearly shows which option he would prefer.

The plain and simple truth of the whole book, Leisureville, is that the author, Andrew Blechman is jealous of our community since he is unable to move in.

The book was a simple book to read, the message is simple, Blechman is simple.

'Nuff said. Next topic.