Michael Atherton says: > Which is why I am a strong supporter of REPRESENTATIVE government. > I can go to the polls once a year and help select who will > be deciding where my tax dollars go. I don't have to worry > that someone who I do not know, who's actions are not > documented or publicized, and who is ultimately unaccountable > will be deciding what kind of street light goes up in front of > my house or what developer will be building government subsidized > housing down the block. I want my ELECTED representative to > be responsible and accountable for these decisions. > > I believe that the NRP is funding pump for the neighborhood > activists and if the Republicans in the State House had any > smarts at all, they'd kill this program quicker than you can > say, "pork barrel."
My reply: Michael has a major ax to grind on NRP because of his bad experiences in Prospect Park, and so he takes his arguments too far. But he makes a good point here. To a certain extent NRP is used by local activists as a mechanism to fund their small fiefdoms. There are only so many positions of power in the local and state government, and NRP gives activists a small taste of what it's like to spend public money. The proponents talk about the good things NRP has done, but mostly the activists like it because they want to be the ones deciding where the money goes. I have mixed feelings about NRP myself. I am on my neighborhood board, so I see what it's like from the inside, at least in my neighborhood. It is true that we know our neighborhood better than an outside bureaucrat, but also we are amateurs and volunteers without much free time. Everyone on our board is sincere about improving the neighborhood, and we work hard. But is it the best use of the public's money? By far the majority of the money we've spent recently has been to improve the housing stock. I don't know if that's where our tax money should be going. Mark Anderson Bancroft _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
