We have a couple of letters to the editor this week from Arlington readers concerned about the county leadership’s higgledy-piggledy rush toward implementation of not-quite-sketched-out Missing Middle housing policies.
One of the readers said that the language being used by Arlington leaders was positively Orwellian. But another took it to new heights, accusing Arlington County Board members of adopting tactics from the Donald Trump playbook in trying to bulldoze opposition from concerned residents.
Calling Arlington elected officials Trumpian certainly is a low blow. Yet it may fit in this case; you can read the letter and decide for yourselves.
Keep those letters coming, on both sides of the Missing Middle issue and on any other topic you’d like to see get some publicity. We’re ready and waiting.
GET IN LINE AND GET READY TO WAIT A WHILE: Between you and me, I’d rather have a colonoscopy (just for kicks) rather than reading the new ghost-written memoir by that sniveling Sussex, Prince Harry himself.
But different strokes for different folks. Apparently there are people with the good sense to at least not pay for it, even if they want to read it.
I’m sure it’s the same with other public-library systems across the region, but I checked in with Arlington and found, as of yesterday, 502 people on the waiting list for the 81 hardcover copies; 464 on the waiting list for the 60 e-audiobook options; 378 on the waiting list for the 75 e-book options; and 129 on the waiting list for the 12 large-type books, which are on order but have not yet arrived.
Doing the math with my fingers, toes and any other appendage immediately at hand, if each person who has the book takes an average of two weeks to read and return in, one of those 81 copies of the hardcover — by then a little bit ratty — should make its way to the 502nd person currently in line in about 12 weeks. Did I do that right?
– Scott McCaffrey