Coffee shop conversations are interesting

Some of the liveliest conversations happen at the local "coffee shop," that place everyone goes to find their friends and have a good talk. Of course, some of those talks involve everyday things and some are about controversial topics that cause heated discussions.

Now, because most folks don't take things personally, they're still able to walk away from even those kinds of conversations with a smile on their face, a chuckle and a fond farewell as they leave.

I've been part of both kinds in the last few weeks and here's a sampling (Just snippets. Space limitations don't allow me to share entire conversations):

Money doesn't grow on trees. We want to bless our children and give them as much of what we didn't have when we were growing up but we don't do our children any good by handing them money every time they ask for it. We work(ed) hard to get that money. We had to sell our time to do what our employer wants and then we get to spend what we've earned, on whatever we want, in the time left over.

Nobody likes paying taxes but a lifetime's worth of federal, state and local taxes won't pave even a mile of road -- and we all enjoy driving over those paved roads, rather than the old, muddy paths we (some of us) remember. We enjoy the parks, the emergency services, etc. etc. that our taxes pay for. What would it be like to get bills every month from the local fire department and sheriff's office/police department, etcetera, that stated how many calls they've responded to, how many officers were involved and for how long, and the exact cost is shared by the number of residents, so your portion is $....? Or, how about a bill for snow removal: Your property's section of frontage equals ...% of the road, so your share of the cost of labor and materials used on that road is $..... (If you rent, these costs would be factored into the monthly rate or passed on directly by the owner each month.)

Why should I pay more for schools when I no longer have any children/grandchildren in them? Maybe to better educate the next generation of workers that will help pay your social security!

And one of our all-time favorites, that infamous "z" word. Opinions vary from, "I don't want government telling me what to do with my land -- just go tell my nasty neighbor!" to "Would you invest your hard-earned cash to put up a building for your business and run the risk that a junk yard, landfill, or something you find equally obnoxious, could move in next door and devalue your investment overnight?"

It seems like there's a lot of opposing and confusing information about zoning out on the streets. Someone suggested, "Can we somehow have a respectful community 'chat about this, so we can really get to the bottom of it. We always make better decisions when we're well-informed. What's really better for everyone? This is a democracy, after all."

(Note from the writer: Don't shoot at me. I'm just sharing the messages.)

Watching the Amish -- a lesson in work ethics. No electricity, no air-conditioning. Even the children do their share out in the sun, just like the adults, and they don't get paid for it. They're members of their family and their society and, no free-loading, everyone is expected to "pull their weight."

Conscription/drafting into the armed forces has its merits. Even for the poorest of our poor, things look way better here in the U.S. when you've traveled around the world and seen first-hand the tremendous poverty and oppression in other countries. Makes you a whole lot more grateful for what you've got and for the freedoms we, so easily, can take for granted.

I just wanted to share a few of the conversations I've been a part of when I'm out and about in the community. I'll share more later.

Joan is the executive director at Greene County Economic Development Corporation and can be reached at (812) 847-4500 or jbethell@gcedc.us .