Jordan writes:
>Ms. Becker would make more
>of a contribution if she could share
>any information she has that any of
>this money is being wasted, rather than
>superficial rhetoric and
>statistics to advance an anti-environmental,
>pro-corporate machine politics agenda.
Carol Becker has certainly made many other detailed points about the park
system; in a post on the same day, she noted specific wasteful duplicate
systems such as two street planning departments. She is adding another data
point to her argument, not presenting it in isolation. To characterize such
as superficial is itself superficial, in my view. I also believe it's
similarly shallow to label anyone who questions park-city spending
inefficiencies as "anti-environmental."
I'm persuaded by those on the list who have argued to keep the Park Board
independent. However, I am not persuaded that the current (or past) park
boards have lived up to their responsibilities to help build the most
efficient system (and in this, they are complicity with City Council members
also eager to literally "protect turf.") Can any "civilian" citizen make
sense of what is the park board's and what is the city's? Shouldn't we
demand our leaders produce a rational system we can understand?
I oppose corporate welfare. But I certainly oppose wasteful spending in
other public functions as well. Yes, there is potential hypocrisy from those
who support excessive construction subsidies yet eagle-eye the park board
budget; however, there is similar hypocrisy from those who criticize
corporate welfare yet mau-mau critics of structural inefficiencies.
I think most of us want a high-cost, high-accountability park system. We
should reject the "environmental correctness" that any critic of park
spending is a local James Watt, while at the same time rejecting the phony
argument that high spending is bad. Instead, we should embrace the best of
those sides. We should back those who proudly argue our park system is great
and worth making a fiscal priority, while embracing fiscal watchdogs who can
help us get more green for our green.
David Brauer
King Field - Ward 10
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