Jan 30 2009
Hopenchangeâ¢, Longmont style
Just when you thought youâd had enough to lose your lunch on, Longmont has itâs own helping of Hopenchangeâ. Granted, itâs not nearly as eloquent as the real thing, but witness the gushing (and reading with the hands) of our cityâs version of President Obamaâs inaugural speech, courtesy of councilmember (and rumored Mayoral candidate) Sean McCoy.
Were you moved? Or was that just part of your digested food shifting around? But Mr. McCoy is right in some respects; some change is needed here closer to home. He asked, via Obamaâs speech, whether our government works. The local version doesnât seem to be working so well. He also mentioned âdoes it help people find jobsâ? This coming from one of the most anti-business, anti-growth councils, where open fields (aka âgreen fieldsâ) donât pay building permit fees or much in the way of property taxes. All things to keep in mind as services are cut, wages are frozen, and city workers laid off.
âAnd those of us who manage the public dollarsâ(pause)âwill be held to accountâ, you got that right. I wouldâve paused too at that point given this councilâs propensity for procrastination when it comes to making serious decisions, chickenâs not withstanding. If this council wants to âput people at easeâ, as Mr. McCoy put it, how about putting their political career where their mouth is and make some kind of pledge of self term limiting or stepping down for their performance, or lack thereof? I know, not likely.
The other form of Hopenchangeâ thatâs getting a little old is the weekly gloating about âserviceâ. Doing things for charity or good causes loses some of its luster when you go around bragging about it. Most people I know who donate food, clothes, money, and time do it because they want to, and donât have to be forced or reminded to by a group of people. They also donât wear it like a tiara in public, âhey, look what I did, did you?â Iâm not sure what the mindset is here, do they think itâs a small minority of people who give, in whatever form that is? Do they think because they maybe donât give year-round as much as they should, the rest of us are like that, or feel some guilt?
Ironically, these are the same types who relentlessly tear into organizations that donate on a level that dwarfs their own once in a decade events â oh, like Lifebridge. The only time I heard someone from Lifebridge go through the long list of community services they provide was when one of these other people asked, in their usual snotty way. Otherwise, Lifebridge, like the majority of people, donât need a âcall to serviceâ to serve. They just do it, and they donât constantly remind everyone about it.
Were you moved? Or was that just part of your digested food shifting around? But Mr. McCoy is right in some respects; some change is needed here closer to home. He asked, via Obamaâs speech, whether our government works. The local version doesnât seem to be working so well. He also mentioned âdoes it help people find jobsâ? This coming from one of the most anti-business, anti-growth councils, where open fields (aka âgreen fieldsâ) donât pay building permit fees or much in the way of property taxes. All things to keep in mind as services are cut, wages are frozen, and city workers laid off.
âAnd those of us who manage the public dollarsâ(pause)âwill be held to accountâ, you got that right. I wouldâve paused too at that point given this councilâs propensity for procrastination when it comes to making serious decisions, chickenâs not withstanding. If this council wants to âput people at easeâ, as Mr. McCoy put it, how about putting their political career where their mouth is and make some kind of pledge of self term limiting or stepping down for their performance, or lack thereof? I know, not likely.
The other form of Hopenchangeâ thatâs getting a little old is the weekly gloating about âserviceâ. Doing things for charity or good causes loses some of its luster when you go around bragging about it. Most people I know who donate food, clothes, money, and time do it because they want to, and donât have to be forced or reminded to by a group of people. They also donât wear it like a tiara in public, âhey, look what I did, did you?â Iâm not sure what the mindset is here, do they think itâs a small minority of people who give, in whatever form that is? Do they think because they maybe donât give year-round as much as they should, the rest of us are like that, or feel some guilt?
Ironically, these are the same types who relentlessly tear into organizations that donate on a level that dwarfs their own once in a decade events â oh, like Lifebridge. The only time I heard someone from Lifebridge go through the long list of community services they provide was when one of these other people asked, in their usual snotty way. Otherwise, Lifebridge, like the majority of people, donât need a âcall to serviceâ to serve. They just do it, and they donât constantly remind everyone about it.