I live in a small town in the outer suburbs of New York City, where I have spent the greater part of my life. My family moved here in 1955 when my parents escaped our tiny city apartment and purchased a small summer cottage for about $7,000.

Back then, we could live on just my dad’s earnings from the railroad. My mom didn’t have to work, and we kids thought we’d moved to a national park. There was no town water or sewers, and the roads were pretty bad, but as my dad often said, it was a little slice of heaven.

Fast forward to 2023, and there is still no town water or sewers, and the roads are pretty crappy, but the taxes on our old house are now over $12 grand a year. That once-healthy lake that we loved as kids is no longer usable. There is still no commercial tax base, and all the money that pays for our schools, roads, and other amenities comes from the residential taxpayers.

 New York is no longer a friendly state for the rich or what we used to call the middle class. Our taxes are some of the highest in the land, and we have our own version of the Green New Deal that makes AOC and the other Commies proud.

Image: Across the Hudson Valley in the Foothills of the Catskills (1868) by George Inness. Public domain.

Despite all the political disadvantages, the Hudson Valley is still one of the most beautiful places on earth as far as I’m concerned. I live near another magnificent lake that’s surrounded by hundreds of acres of forever-wild parkland. I can go paddle boarding and watch eagles and their young in the high trees. I swim with ducks while herons fly overhead on their way to find their next meal. The water is clear, and there are plenty of fish thanks to all the preservation work that our community has done.

Over the years, I became involved in local politics because I wanted to preserve all this for my children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, the politicians who have been running things have made my town a disaster area. Our bridges have been “under construction” for nearly two years, making our lives and commuting a daily nightmare; septic and other problems have ruined one of our beautiful lakes; spending is out of control, and taxes have never been higher.

What’s clear is that the corruption and chaos that we see on the state and national level have made their way down to even our smallest towns and villages. New York is controlled by the most horrific bunch of Demo-Marxists in the USA who seem hellbent on destroying not just what was once the Empire State but the rest of our country as well.

So, what can ordinary Americans do to make a difference? Virtually nothing in the higher echelons of government, but each of us can make a difference at the local level, especially when candidates don’t have to state their party affiliation. This is where change really can happen.

That’s especially true this year and will, I’m sure, continue to be true next year. People are awake and engaged. Not only seniors but also young families are being forced out of their homes, and they’re mad as hell. I hope and pray that their rage will translate into votes in community elections. There’s no such thing anymore as an unimportant election. We are literally fighting for our Republic and Western Civ, one town at a time.

Irene Heron is a pseudonym.