Those Who Help Themselves We applaud Wawarsing Town Supervisor Ed Jennings exploring every avenue to revitalize the town, though it is important to consider the likely effects the letter he has sent to U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Hilary Clinton may have — or, more likely, what effects it may not have. Without a doubt, looking for aid when aid is available is never a bad idea. But what kind of response might the town really receive, if any?

The recipients to whom the town supervisor chose to direct his plea are a curious choice when you consider what the senators are known for: Clinton, the former presidential candidate now likely to be named Secretary of State, and Schumer, who engineered and directed the Democrats' national Senate campaign. Sadly, these two seem far, far removed from the concerns of a small constituency like the Town of Wawarsing.

Supervisor Jennings probably realized that appealing to New York State government would be hopeless, particularly after Tuesday's emergency session between the leaders of the State Assembly and Senate and Governor Patterson, which broke down into shouts and recriminations. The governor's plan was criticized by both parties, but no one offered any alternatives. Seeking anything dynamic and responsive from Albany is pointless. Faced with a $1.5 billion shortfall, Kerhonkson's wooden pipes will probably have to stay wooden for the foreseeable future if it's up to the State of New York to fix them.

And the new President-elect? He has the entire world's hopes and dreams hanging off of him, having been elected as something of a savior who all-too-soon will show us how human he truly is.

Unfortunately, this cry for help is going out into a very noisy world. That's why it is up to us to make our own destiny. Surely we can demand our fair share, but the demand has to be specific. If we want to fill a factory, we have to be the ones to go find the tenant, determine what incentives they need to move in, and then ask for the specific assistance required to make it happen. If we want to fill empty stores, we have to decide with what we want to fill them, who will run them, and how best to attract them here. Once we have a plan, then we can ask for help.

If we want to pay less in taxes, we have to decide what to cut and then cut it, and accept fewer services, a dissolved village, or lower-paid teachers, before we ask for more appropriations from larger government entities.

Supervisor Jennings has the right idea in trying to get as much assistance for our community as possible. After all, there's no shame in admitting when problems have gone beyond our abilities to fix. But simply asking for whatever help there is may not get the job done.

A rescue isn't coming anytime soon. Not from our senators, not from the state — not even from Wal-Mart. The cavalry is occupied. It's doubtful that they'll be coming over the hill anytime soon. But if we offer a road map for turning the community around, some form of assistance is more likely to come because being part of that success could benefit the helper as much as the helped. Requests for assistance for a well thought-out plan have a much greater chance of being heard, and honored.

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