On 1/13/14 1:42 PM, Marcus G. Daniels wrote:
On 1/13/14, 10:49 AM, Steve Smith wrote:
Once a month (I forget the schedule .. Nth something of the month I
think) neighbors would gather to maintain the park... trim, dig,
plant, prune, etc. Nobody was in charge, but there were a few
leftovers from the original design/creation. It was very
self-organizing.
[..]
It was the most self-organized, ad-hoc, functional neighborhood I've
ever imagined. Far from perfect, breakins now and then, mostly cars.
[..]
it gave me hope for the viability of a commons.
I have plenty of work to do and other interests.
As did I, and continue to.
If there is a place to take my dog for a run, that's great. What I
want is to do is pay into a pool, with everyone else.
The rest of the "commons" *was* managed by taxes... this was a tiny
oasis within it. It had a quality that could not be bought with taxes
or any other mode. Too bad if you have never experienced something
like that.
It is obviously the sensible thing to do, and because makes many more
big things possible. I want professionals to do the job. I don't
want to be sneered at when I accidentally sit on a `community' swing
or picnic table or whatever because I don't show up for the weekend
love-in. (I'm not going to show up.)
If you read what I wrote you might recognize that roughly half the
population in the neighborhood did *not* show up for the love in. The
homeless who slept there and hung out mid-day did not show up... or the
teens.. and nobody ran any of them off, nor sneered at them. They were
all relatively welcome, and they did their part by NOT abusing the
situation... fading out when it was time to fade perhaps?
Then I do what I'm relatively good at, and the the landscaping people,
etc. do what they are good at.
Landscaping people aren't good at investing themselves in their own
neighborhood. They are good at (if you are lucky) doing what they are
paid to do better than those who pay them.
I'm a tax and spend liberal because I don't have the time or patience
for all this.
Ok... you have convinced me... no sense in having any hope for the
commons. It clearly requires patience... and showing up... and what
else? Other sensibilities that are either hard to come by or in some
way perceived as inappropriate (love-in?)...
Marcus
Carry on,
- Steve
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