I take far too many life lessons from popular culture. Perhaps its because most people's lives are so consumed by pop-culture that lessons from high art and literature seem to be more valid. And perhaps for the same reason, as a result of a life spent with Mozart, More and Smith that I find the wisdom in Rock, Mewes and Smith.
-The particular wisdom to which I refer is of Chris Rock, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith with whom I'm Sure Wolfgang Mozart, Thomas More and Adam Smith would agree comes from a scene in Dogma in which Chris Rock tries to explain to Jay and Silent Bob why it's better to have ideas than beliefs. The salient point is that beliefs are to hard to change. The whole point of belief is that even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary it its still true.
As a result of receiving this wisdom I have a very high barrier for beliefs and have very few of them ... though its obvious to anyone that I more than make up for that with ideas which I think are true with a near religious fervor ... which I can then easily abandon when evidence proves me wrong (and hopefully before anyone notices that I was wrong).
I think it's important to have ideas but I believe its important to be right when the ability to be right is made available -especially when the question is on one of your beliefs.
I had the opportunity to test one of my core political beliefs. After a two year experiment I am relieved to have my belief that local government is way more important than national government confirmed. My belief in intellectual honesty helped confirm this belief because since I was concerned that my blind faith in my premise may leave me unable to see how wrong it was the evidence had to be overwhelming before I could accept this simple truth:
In order for Washington D.C. to wipe it's ass it needs to be agreed to by 218 members of the House of Representatives, 60 members of the Senate, signed by the president and found constitutinal by 5 judges.
the result is that well ... well at least you can't smell the swamp anymore ...
Though I went to Washington with substantial evidence that what happens at 1777 Broadway has much more impact on the lives of people living in Boulder and the events at 200 East Colfax more relevant to the happines of Coloradan's than the kabuki theater located on First Street NE. It was however the impotence of the federal government that finally opened my eyes to the truth I already knew.
The drama of Washington has captivated the attentions of American's led into this folly by news media. If you're job is to sell nationallized marketing campaigns designed by your "sponsors" its only "consistent" that you spend what little time you have left for actual reporting be tailiored to the largest audience (thus capitlizing on redundant costs). Add to that the consolidation of news media (turns out they weren't wrong about thinking about the bottom line the whole time ...oops!) there is very little coverage of our General Assemblies and City Councils.
Too bad because if you want the stop lights to work, the water to flow and the trash to go away, its downtown, not D.C. where those decisions are made. But more importantly if you want the stoplights to be solar powered, the water to be floridated (or not) or the trash to be recylced the only place you actually have a voice is at City Hall.
Local government is where good things can happen and bad things end (or vice versa) and FAST! I just got of the phone with someone who had a great idea. It's an idea already in practice by Boulder County though he was unawre of it but the basis of the call was the feasibility of such an idea being enacted by Congress. Aside from this very idea already being in place here I then explained that with the federal government currently on a continuing resolution through Novemeber. Which means something (a budget another continuing resolution deal) must be done by then. Following which there will be the super committee report ... Then it's January of a presidential election year.
In this context the idea could be to give orphans puppies that bark jesus; a bill introduced now will not see the light of day until the 113th Congress (assuming the person who introduced it is re-elected). Policy does not move through Congress based on merit alone. Being a good idea is way less important than say ... keeping the federal government open which seems to be an increasingly diffuclt -though constitutionally mandated task for the 112th Congress.
Meanwhile ...
Boulder Voters could vote to create a municipal eletric utility. Whether you're for it or against one must be impressed with how quickly local governments can move. Which is why it puzzles me that so few people care about local government. It's not glamorous, the characters are infreuntly charming or attractive and the prodcution values are clearly done on a modest budget. But rest assured this is NOT Kabuki theater. The events that actually shape your daily life, no matter where you live are being decided ... right now! BY YOUR NEIGHBOR! (unless you live in Washington D.C. of course in which case you are actually stuck with Congress, hope that works out for you ...).
This fall municipal governments across the country will be holding elections for councils, mayors, ballot questions ranging from social issues to taxation. All of these questions being asked in what folks in politics without a hint or irony call an "odd number year" which many local charters compell or local leaders request, in both cases cynically because odd election years are gauranteed to have the lowest voter turnonout of the four year presidential election cycle. Thus gauranteeing that the few politically empowered and savvy can have their way with the ballot box with self-limited noise from the plebes occasinonal voters. Being an occasional voter (i.e. votes religiously in presidential or even number years) is like being a "Christmas Catholic" and regular voters view occasional voters with the same open-arm comtept that devout believers reserve for their poser bretheren.
This contempt is so great that our Secretary of State is requiring county clerks to not send ballots to people who didn't vote in 2010. Christmas voters be damned! Flagrant voter surpression is bad, institutional voter supression worse.
As this pertains to Boulder, our Charter mandated voter supression of "odd year elections" which an elected official actually said "is better because people can focus on local issuses without clutter of national issues" will play heavily into the hands of the status-quo. I would agree with the above statement if it came with the voter turnout of national elections but unfortunately that will not be the case. And once again the most important decisions that take place in the public sphere with the greatest level of personal impact will be decided by a radical, righteous and entitled minority. For the sake of intellectual honesty I suppose I would be less offended (or to give them the benefit of the doubt) unable to see this inherent flaw in our so called democracry if I were in the majority of the political minority. However it is in the minority of the ruling class where the abuses of the ruling class become the most apparent and exacerbating.
My Clarinet professor at Juilliard once said "the difference between a rich musician and a poor musician is a poor musician needs to practice". Without going into the myriad implications of this statement about quality of life, work ethic and bandwith which I will let you ponder for yourself, this statement in which I do believe has a political implication as well. Just because an individual has spent a lot of time on an interest does not mean they are right about it. The best government benefits from the collective wisdom of the governend moderated by elected representatives. Having spent years away, I believe Boulder is a fantastic place to live. Given our status-quo or someone else's future I would choose stagnation everytime. These however are not the options.
Our options are to embrace the future and remain a vibrant exciting city or wallow in the swamp of stagnation as the world -and our ability to keep our bubble inflated- pass us by.
I say all that to say this ... Tired of Congress? Fed up with the Fed? Teach them a lesson, this fall ignore them! and focus your attentions on your local races. Even if at then end you still don't care about local government (which I say you do at your own peril), nothing will terriffy national lawmakers and the political establishment at all levels more than high voter turnout in an odd number year.
Politicians, like puppies and small children frequently mean well, and try to test boundaries but if you don't want them to go too far you need to make it clear you're actually watching. Voting in an odd year is to politicians as being called by their full name is to a 5 year old who's hand is moving slowly towards the cookie jar.
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