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In the case of making pro-active and constructive changes that diminish the size of government and increase its efficiency...not so much.
As with any initiative of this sort, an initial outlay of funds is involved (to purchase the equipment and to train people how and when to use it, in this case).
In the long run this initiative could well prove to be a cost saving measure but, given the fact that our City's so-called balanced budget enjoyed that distinction for all of about a week and because we have been operating at a deficit ever since, its quite possible that we just dont have the initial funds necessary to get this particular show on the road (so to speak).
At least not to the degree necessary to realize an appreciable return on our investment.
I think you miss my point, which is our city leaders are still much more focused on increasing fees and spending taxpayer’s money rather than collecting significant past due revenue sources.
When you say the speed of government is necessarily slow, I disagree for two reasons. First, I don’t believe that should be the expectation. Second, I didn’t see anything slow about Mayor Foster’s proposed Measure I or Councilman DeLong’s wetlands swap. Both of those were spending issues that were pushed through with little notice or discussion. Why can’t these same people champion issues like the boot or collection of check cashing business license fees?
My comments weren’t intended to be a response to your own but, rather, to the original article. Your own point is, indeed, well taken and there are many aspects of the manner in which our City government conducts our business – and it is indeed “our” business and not their own - that are a mess; should be cleaned up, and certainly could be given the proper motivation.
I write this having just returned from the LB Junior Chamber’s monthly Beer & Politics event at Gallagher’s. Tonight the Jr. Chamber hosted a 1st District Council Candidate’s forum and 6 of the 7 candidates attended and shared their views with the audience. Although I do not live in the 1st District I have a great deal of interest in all of our City’s District races because the candidate who eventually prevails will not only be representing their own District (though some tend to forget this truth) but the entire City, including myself, as they sit on various Council Committees and cast what very well could be deciding votes on public policy issues of citywide scope and significance.
As to the speed of government being “necessarily slow”, I said not so. My personal expectation of government is that it be both: slow to grow itself or to spend our funds or to assume still more of the authority necessary to engineer every aspect of our lives for us. And quick to respond in the event of emergencies (the real sort, like flooding or riots. Not the kind that are manufactured solely to achieve public acquiescence, like infrastructure repairs that positively must be funded “now” – and, by the way, through borrowing and higher taxation – when they were quite content to permit such repairs to languish for so many years beforehand).
The axiom: “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part” seems more apt then usual.
I would say that our elected and appointed officials will “champion” issues that we direct them to, unless we fail in sufficiently and clearly providing our direction, in which case they will “champion” only those issues that best suit themselves, or none at all.
Whenever the latter occurs its only because we have permitted it to.
History has clearly shown us that whenever the electorate recalls its rightful and sovereign place in the construct that we call responsible self-government and, in remembering, acts accordingly, then and only then do our elected and appointed officials act predominantly and consistently in our best interest, rather than predominantly and consistently in their own.
Thus, for me, the question is less one of: “Why can’t these same people champion issues like the boot or collection of check cashing business license fees?” and more along the lines of:
“Why are we, the electorate, not more successful in compelling our elected representatives to champion the issues that matter most to us?” and,
“Why do we continue to elect, and re-elect, representatives that are more interested in serving themselves, rather than us?” and,
“Why, when we observe evidence that an elected representative is more interested in serving him/herself, rather than us, do we not exercise the true authority of the electorate and remove him or her from office?”
For me, the answer to these and similar questions is painfully clear:
“Because we, the electorate, have forgotten much of our responsibility as a self-governed people. We have become complacent, lazy and irresponsible in our citizenship. We do far too much to abdicate our authority as a free people and far too little to protect our individual and our collective liberty.
Please pardon the rant, Mr. Ruehle and others, but this cannot possibly be said loudly or often enough: As a self-governed people in a free society, at the end of each and every day that we breathe the air of this great City, State and Nation of ours, we truly do get the government we deserve.
I wholeheartedly agree with pretty much everything you wrote. Thanks for taking the time to do so.
Most of the questions you asked were answered during City Auditor Doud's presentation to City Council over 6 months ago. During the presentation, she indicated that there was an incentive of over $1 million above what the city is doing today to implement the system. Maybe you are right that the city is doing the due diligence in this program. However, I'm willing to bet that if this article wasn't written, this subject would have died on the vine.
Along these lines, I'm curious whether the city has implemented steps to collect the $1 million in past due license fees for check cashing businesses that they chose to ignore in the past. Sure would be nice to have some of that money to fix some of our roads and sidewalks.
And this is the same Public Works Dept that recently spent lots of money for brand new 'efficient' street sweeping equipment. Sounds extremely rational, until you ask the politically incorrect question, exactly what high priority purpose is all this efficiency serving? What does their ceremonial once-a-week rain-or-shine-or-nothing routine street sweeping (not just storm drain cleaning) actually achieve for residents? (Especially us residents who DON'T believe that eventual city sweeping absolves you from responsibility to pick up the litter you've just tossed into the street.) Maybe the real 'reason' is to provide an excuse for the city to weekly ticket parked cars? - and someday give 'em the boot?