By Al Ballou

Ah, island life! Peace and harmony in an idyllic setting. Eagles soaring, waves dancing in the glistening sunlight, colorful sleek sailboats gliding by … but wait. What evil lurks in the trees behind yonder property line? Could it be your busybody control-freak neighbor out for a stroll in the prickly bushes with binoculars? Maybe it’s mister “they told me no one could ever build here so I’m gonna try to prevent it” neighbor. Or possibly it’s the “we were here first so to heck with your property rights” family. It’s hard to tell – they appear very similar to the rich “we’re used to getting our way and you’ll do what we say” couple. Of course, it could be the “I’ll be darned if you’re going to build here and drive up my property taxes without a petition fight” ex-builder and professional tax appealer.

I used to think that life in a somewhat isolated and rural setting on large acreages would engender a sense of camaraderie and closeness among its inhabitants like in the barn-raising, farming country days of old, but at least on the parts of this island that I have dwelled nothing could be further from the truth.

The sad part is that the pot is often stirred by only one or a few individuals who manage to get other lemming villagers up in arms and carrying torches against an unseen enemy. Worse yet is when these individuals waste your tax money and mine by involving the county with trumped up complaints, unnecessary and revengeful appeals to court decisions and tax assessments, selfish neighborhood petitions and applications for permits for businesses of a dubious or deleterious nature. Oh sure, it’s a free society, go ahead and exercise your “rights.” But why not give some thought to the cost to the “system” that we all pay for first, and the fact that other people have equal rights to use and enjoy their properties in safety and peace.

If you don’t like what your neighbor is doing, have the courage to go talk to him about it face-to-face first. If you don’t like your taxes, buy a cheaper home. If you want to run a strip club, move to Las Vegas. If you don’t like a court decision, consider the likelihood and cost of a successful appeal and the impact to your neighbors and your local reputation, if you care.

Just stop wasting our county tax dollars when there are none to waste. Oh, and get a life. There’s more to life than snooping, complaining, appealing, challenging, controlling and dictating to others. Go out and watch the eagles soar, the waves dance and the sailboats glide. Please. For everyone else’s sake. Life is short. Our Whidbey Island should be a “no whining” zone, especially this time of year.

Al Ballou lives in Oak Harbor