You might be suspecting that I am going to tell you to "show some enthusiasm and pride in Whyville, put effort in and prove how much you love it." Well, I'm not. The Editor was disappointed. They were prepared for a flood of posters from their loyal citizens. Although there were some, the Editor reported that they were surprised at the lack of submissions. A perk was added to try and motivate us: you might win a Why-Pass, which will come in handy around prom time.

Sure, when I read about the Why-Pass, even I got a bit excited. But I really don't think I'm going to submit anything. What went through my mind is: I'm supposed to remember that Whyville needs to grow, get more sponsors, more support, etc. Well, I thought, then it will be so busy we'll never get in! Look at how many complaints are made about the waiting room as it is. Or having to pay money to get into Whyville through Why-Passes. Now add another 100,000 people -- it's not going to get much better. You can argue that with more money, more computers, Whyville should be able to handle it. But how do you know? It might just be a larger version of what we have now.

I guess that sounds a bit selfish. That's when I realized that I don't really care if Whyville grows. And although many people won't admit it, I bet they feel the same way. You can call me a liar, you might not even realize it, but I'm right. As long as we can get in, sell our clothes, make tons of money, look beautiful and chat, who really wants a bunch of newbies swarming around? Don't get me wrong. I'm serious. I'm not going to turn around and say that this attitude is wrong. In real life, everybody is self-absorbed, it's survival of the fittest, and there is nothing wrong with that. It's a controversial statement to make, but if you look at life you will see that it applies.

In school, you always get the goody-goody type of student who is always involved in volunteering and extra activities. Sometimes they are generally nice people, other times they are annoying show-offs. They can be irritating, like a grain of sand under your skin, but with them putting so much effort in, it takes the spotlight away from the rest of us. This is LIFE -- you just have to be able to observe and see how people work. A lot of you are in an innocent plum-fairy world and may think that my views are cynical and depressing -- whatever floats your boat. Everybody grows up, some people have a different perspective.

To get back on topic, this Poster Contest, it's a good idea and all... but I'm just not interested. And I do believe it would look more professional if the leaders of Whyville designed the posters themselves. Instead, they are attempting to show just how important Whyville is to its citizens by making us design them.

Just because we don't make a poster doesn't mean we are disloyal. In real life, their are many other distractions -- sports, hanging out with friends, homework -- and these things are important, they make you well-balanced, instead of spending all your time on the computer. Whyville shouldn't be the most important thing in anybody's life. And is it fair to say that a Whyvillian who every day helps newbies and is an overall good person, that when they don't make a poster, that they aren't supporting Whyville?

GoT Ta JeT... Liss22

Note from City Hall: Thanks for your thoughts, Liss22. I want to clear a few things up, though. You have a very popular misunderstanding that by not increasing the size of Whyville, we'll somehow be able to maintain our town the way it is. That's just not true.

We at City Hall cannot afford to keep Whyville static. The company is still losing money! It's just not as bad as it was before Why-Passes. The fact that *some* citizens are buying passes is exciting, is revolutionary even, but it's not enough to keep us going forever, or even for a few months. There must be more.

There are many different kinds of "more": sponsors, advertisers, merchandising, etc. All of these options rely on Whyville becoming better known. If Whyville becomes a household name, sponsors and advertisers will pay attention to us.

Until then, Why-Passes is Whyville's most important source of support. Why-Passes are absolutely fundamental to our survival. What many citizens don't realize is, every time someone buys a Pass, they're doing more than guaranteeing that they can get into Whyville whenever they want. It's better than that. They're also helping pay for the servers which allow *everyone* to get on.

The more citizens, the more Why-Passes -- hopefully in an equal share, or better -- and thus the *more* servers we can afford. That in turn means more citizens will be able to enjoy Whyville. You're understandably afraid that it won't get better. I'm here to tell you that we WILL do everything in our power to MAKE it BETTER.

I hope you understand, Liss22. In Whyville, helping your community IS helping yourself. That's how we make it work.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.