reprinted editorial from Coastal Dispatch

The Amish are Coming....
The Amish are Coming.
There is a new movie playing uptown. It’s not by
Spielberg. Richard Greer nor Julie Roberts are on the
credits. I can’t honestly say it’s new, but it appears
every year. "Now Hiring" is on the marquee at the Sea &
Sand Cinema. So popular it is back for a second
appearance just this year. It has a cast of hundreds, if not
thousands. I think it is actually a theatrical play because
the cast is always changing. Originally players were
sought from Philly, Baltimore and D.C. A sturdy crew
they were. The stage has gotten bigger, so more players
are needed. But for reasons to be learned, the casting has
changed.

At first players from West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
and as far away as Ohio were sought. But the realities of
employee strife has gotten back to these casting calls.
Even though McYd’s and other establishments have
scaled their wages to unprecedented levels, the mighty
landlord’s bite just hurts too much. Thus the city
council, although gallant and favorable, has sought out
foreign shores to help businesses perform their summer
dance. England, then Ireland, and now places such as
the Eastern Block and Tibet are canvassed. These
casting calls are students (no doubt), a few third world
spies, and some misplaced abusive nannies. But after a
summer under the gun (for sure not the sun), most realize
that its not necessary to take Econ 101.... to analyze that
working 16 hour days, is not the show they came to
‘sea.’

No matter which labor force we try to attract, the
mathematics of income will not equate to sustain the
necessary employment level to maintain good service in a
service industry economy.
Q.E.D. the local government’s policies suck.
Patrons in restaurants are given poor service, and
shoddy prepared meals. Why? You know why.....
Motels and Hotels now have checkin and checkout
times so askew, that added up, people are paying for 7
days, and barely getting 6. Why? Because cleaning staff
are not available to turn the rooms around..
The Police do a fine job. But more and higher pay
would relieve their stress. Every time we here from the
city that crime is down.... it’s just a facade for the reality
that our low income wage scale is bring in a deviant
faction that seeks other avenues to supplement their
income. Hmmm.... sounds like Atlantic City..... do we
dare go that way?
The beach itself becomes poorly maintained.... you
say its clean!? Just take a gander up on the dunes... the
dune grasses were meant to catch sand.... not garbage
from the wind and surf.
Years past it seemed it was customary to see beach
cleaning equipment every day. Now if they do make it
around it is just for a cursory scraping. This is not the
fault of the employees themselves.... but of cheap city
management.

Ever time I blink the town is putting up a new
building, or arguing about putting one up. Will the town
pull a "Carousel." By continuing to collect revenue
(through taxes and issuing bonds for projects) that does
not address some of our oldest and continuing problems?
You might say the market should resolve these type of
problems..... maybe. But when the city continues to
extort franchise fees and taxes to such a high level that it
just pushes every other price up except income, they have
to take responsibility. I am for less government.... but
when it takes a near millionaire’s wallet to pay franchise
fees in a business as simple as beach telescope
pictures.... I begin to wonder.

Labor shortages are going to continue. Now is the
time to address this issue. It will take three to eight years
to finalize and or complete any project initiated from this
date. In the meantime - our "customers" will opt to go
elsewhere if they continue to see a decline in our scouting
attempts at employment. As the "Worm" in the famous
movie "Animal House" rose to the call of glory with the
statement..... "Whatcha’ gonna do now you morons...?"
....may I suggest to our politicians and financial leaders a
few ideas.

The long time concept of affordable housing has
been filibustered for decades. Local businesses that
utilize this concept are some of the few businesses that
you can count on for service. These accommodations
must be supervised by an increase in security patrols so
the premises and honest patrons are not abused.
Obviously "affordable" real-estate for this kind of
project won’t be found in town. To coordinate with this
project, actually before, is an increase and improvement
in public transportation in the county. Everybody wants
cheap labor, but you add the numbers up, and affordable
transportation thwarts the ability for an individual to make
their insurrection into a community. This will especially
become important as older and older cars become more
obsolete and prices for used cars increase comparable to
income that remains stable. Vail Colorado offers free
public transportation which enables their labor force to
live on the outskirts of town and maintain their transient
labor force. Public transportation must lead the way in
economic development for our community. (I’d talk
about monorails now.... but those that know me, know
that would take another ten pages).
A European concept, and sometimes employed in
farming communities, is a more flexible school year. This
is a very progressive topic. But if our income earning
community operates on a "seasonal" basis, the
community schedule should adapt to this pattern, rather
than vice-versa.
Through economic enticement, manufacturing
industries should be brought in that could coordinate with
our seasonal influx, thus we could share their labor force.
This would provide a stable year round "work" force.
Adding to a stable, year round, income earning economy.
As opposed to free loading unemployment reaping annual
group. There are many who’s choice to live here is
based upon these unemployment benefits.

The Amish are coming, the Amish are coming. Is the
rumor going around town. For our attempts to recruit a
viable work force has failed, and thus we seek a labor
force that works cheaply and doesn’t require electricity,
running water, cable, and telephones.
The tip of the iceberg is here.... let us not be the
Titanic of resort communities like Atlantic City. Get the
life boats, plenty of them, now.


Robert V. Lotier