There are economies of scale to be achieved in the tension between the NRP
neighborhoods and the CPED leadership that have apparently not been explored
in any dispassionate way.
I have to rebut the idea that "economies of scale" is always helpful to neighborhood revitalization or even useful in most government functions. People have come to regard the phrase or idea of "economies of scale" as a pure truth, a pure good: it always applies; it always works.
Nothing could be further from the truth. And it is furthest from the truth when it comes to government.
In private business, often what looks like an economy of scale is simply pushing the costs of something off into externalities that the entity does not have to pay for, but instead someone else pays for -- usually the tax payer through subsidy or remediation (think pollution, for example).
Many people fall for the mistaken notion that government should be run like business, and thus the idea of economies of scale would be wonderful. Again, this is completely off the mark.
Governments should not be run like businesses. Businesses represent the sole interests of their small subset of society known as owners. Businesses' primary motivation is always making a profit. Businesses, by and large, especially in our current corporate structure, are amoral and uncaring by design and function.
Governments are presumably by the people, for the people and of the people. Governments are there to deliver services to all citizens as equitably as possible. Governments are there to provide as equal access to and opportunity to use those services as possible, and are not there to make a profit which often entails "cherry picking" and leaving large segments intentionally unserved.
Yes, yes, of course, it often makes sense to pool purchasing power to arrange better prices -- if the cost savings are not offset completely by the extra effort required for such pooling. And so forth and so on.
But the idea that a bunch of planners and bureaucrats at CPED, who have decades of history well known for corruption and controversial handling of tax money and favoring certain developers, have a better idea than the residents what certain blocks within certain neighborhoods need to improve the quality of life there is ludicrous.
And given CPED nee MCDA's history of far more numerous spectacular failures than even moderate successes, as well as wasteful spending and back room dealing, they are the last people who deserve one more thin dime of tax payer money.
My recommendation is still the same as I made more than a year ago: clean house. Fire every upper level management person at the organization. With the money saved, provide more funding to the NRP.
Chris Johnson - Fulton
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