Room With A View

Bikepaths, Flyovers, but No Windmills. What we want is more time to enjoy the Cape, with less traffic and cleaner air. What our elected officials want to give us is quite another thing. And the most solicitous offender is the holder of the Corner Office.

The Governor wants to give us a better tourist infrastructure; more bikepaths. He wants to fix our traffic problem at the bridge, answer; a flyover. But make no mistake, these aren't really for us.

The bikepaths are for those visitors that want something to do when they get here. We'd prefer to fix the roads we have. The flyover will make it possible for the part-timers and seasonals to get here faster, no waiting. That means more visitor trips and more commuting residents. So much for less traffic on Cape. And let's not talk about what that will do to already outrageous real estate prices.

Energy costs are higher here. And the air is dirtier. Windmills may actually help us do something about it. No matter, electricity prices don't bother them, they're only here in the summer. Clean air? Not necessary, they're only here a few days a year when it's bad.

You want less traffic, too bad. You want cleaner air, so what. Windmills would help, you say? Tough. We like a room with a view.

The thing is the Governor is actually listening to his constituency. It's just that they're not us. They're the voters that live in the rest of Massachusetts.

Can't blame him, I guess. He talks to these swells, who want to drive to the Cape to ride their bikes and sail their boats. And it doesn't bother him a bit that's it's not what we want. The Governor vacations in New Hampshire.