The letter that appeared in Oak City Gazette presents a view about the members constitutin
g the Oak City’s Civic Club. It says only city residents should be allowed membership in t
he club because they understand the local problems and issues better than non residents wh
o work in the Oak City. It is only the residents who pay the taxes and they should be the
ones to decide where to spend the money. The letter also mentions that it will not affect
the nonresidents to a great extent since another neighboring Elm City’s Civic Club which h
as an open membership has negligible number of nonresidents joining it. The letter, howeve
r, seems to be written without giving a proper thought to the issue. It may sound wise eno
ugh to restrict membership of nonresidents, but, instead of giving a one-sided view it sho
uld present a broader perspective by looking at all the concerned matters.First of all, th
e letter presents a step-motherly treatment to the people who work in Oak City and live el
sewhere. People working in Oak City are directly affected by any policies and changes made
in the city. They are equally involved in the business and politics of the city as the re
sidents of the city. There are many nonresidents who spend major time of the day in the Oa
k city than at their hometown. Therefore, they are bound to the policies and laws of the c
ity. If they have to follow these policies just like the local residents, they should also
have a say in the discussion of local problems and issues. It is likely that some policie
s that are suitable to residents may not be suitable to nonresidents and makes it difficul
t for them to work. For example, policies related to number of working hours, leisure time
allotted to workers, sale and purchase and other business related issues have equally to
do with those working in the city and living away from it as to those who live in the city
. This aspect should be taken into consideration before restricting the membership to the
residents of the city.It is true that city residents are paying taxes, but these taxes are
used for the betterment of the whole city. It does not isolate one city from another but
welcomes new talent, ideas, investments and business expertise from other places as well.
If such restrictions are allowed in the City Club, it will not attract many people to the
city which may prove a hindrance in the way of its development. Moreover, it should not be
forgotten that the nonresidents are paying their due of taxes in their respective cities.
Hence, the City Club should develop a better attitude towards them.Further, it can be sai
d that although Elm City’s Civic Club has not got many nonresident members despite its ope
n membership policy, it may not be the same with Oak City Civic Club. There could be many
reasons for a low count of nonresident members in Elm City Club, like lack of facilities,
high membership prices etc. It is also possible that there are very few nonresidents worki
ng in the Elm City to join the club. Therefore, there could be different conditions in bot
h the cities which cannot be compared. Hence, it would be a mistake to take a clue from th
e experience of Elm city of low count of nonresidents and restrict their membership.The ar
gument given above weakens the basis of the suggestion given in the letter. Nonresidents m
ay not be living in the city, but they are a part of the city dynamics. Moreover, with the
ir membership it will only benefit the city club with more money coming in from them. Ther
efore, instead of acting upon the suggestions blindly, a considerable thought must be give
n to other related aspects as well.