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Editorial

It's easy to ignore the news from the White House because there is so much of it, and it is generally about people saying things about each other and not so much about actual accomplishments.  So the story that stood out for me this week was the 30 year old Camillus man who finally moved out of his parents' house after a judge ruled last week that he must leave. 

I was thinking the other day about how much I miss my children, both of whom moved out of state.  One did live with us for a relatively short while after finishing school, and it was not a particularly happy time, I don't think.  Because even if you have the best parents in the world, as my children obviously do, living with your parents isn't exactly the most self-affirming experience for a young person in their 20s.  And I have to say that while I really do miss them, it is enjoyable spending time with my wife in our empty nest.  So I am finding it very hard to understand how this 30 year old could be so adamant about staying.

Mark and Christina Rotondo of Camillus, just up the road from here, wanted their son Michael to move out so much that they sent him several eviction notices, and offered him money to help facilitate a move.  When nothing worked they took him to court, and today he will finally be gone.  It has been reported that the move was made possible by a bizarre interview by Alex Jones on Info Wars for which he was paid $3,000.

Jones told Rotondo he should thank his parents for giving him life, get a job, be a productive member of society, and follow his big dreams.  He said, "The liberal media and one of the conservative media piled on and called you a bum, and a joke, and a schlub, and a delusional idiot."  He added if that is true that we're all bigger morons for thinking other people deserve free housing and services.

There are certainly times in a person's life when he or she loses their way.  It may be losing a job as Rotondo did eight years ago, which evidently prompted him to move back in for what his parents must have thought would be a brief period of rejuvenation.  Or anything that throws a person for a loop -- a bad breakup.  A realization that the job one trained for and attained is no longer satisfying.  An accident...  There's nothing wrong with having a difficult time or a bad spot of luck.

That I get, but I'm going with the other media on this.  This guy, despite his protestations, doesn't seem to have done anything to get a job or at least make an effort to take charge of supporting himself. When he was asked to leave, he pretty much just said no.

Maybe he got that from Nancy Reagan, who famously said "Just Say No".  But she was talking about saying no to drugs, not saying no to stopping mooching off your parents.   Parents, in general, want to help their children, but I have to admit I have an enormous amount of sympathy for the elder Rotondos.  It's as much about Michael's attitude as about the duration of his stay.  I honestly wonder if I would have had eight years worth of endurance that they had before they felt it had gotten bad enough to take their son to court.  With the result that this shadow of a grown man has arguably been enjoying the most pathetic '15 minutes of fame' in history since his story hit the national news.

I really like my kids, but this has given me an even greater appreciation for them.  You don't think about how lucky you are in your kids until you read a story like this.  They want to be independent, and as much as I wish we lived closer, I am thrilled at seeing them be independent humans.

As for national news, I'd say the president is lucky, too, that the only one of his children who regularly shares his address at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW is 12 years old.

USA Today reported yesterday that Rotondo will stay in an AirB&B for a while until he finds more permanent digs, which may turn out to be his cousin's home.  And the article reported he thinks it is unfair that he has to move out so quickly, without time to prepare for a proper move.

Cousin, beware!

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