I struggle even for a day
or two to keep my New Year’s resolution to stay upbeat and positive when all I
see around me is the darkness of a gathering storm.
We are on a collision
course with ourselves, engaged in a civil war that nobody can win. We can only
hurt ourselves and each other as long as we remain in conflict over what we
disagree on instead of finding that we agree on most of the important things in
life.
We want to be free and
happy, safe and secure, to know where our next meal’s coming from and hopeful
for the future.
All the issues that are
being used to overshadow the values we share, to segment us into angry cells
fighting over so many things that really don’t change anything at all.
I set out over the
holidays to write about how Antonio Villaraigosa was LA’s Republican of the
Year, a symbol of how LA liberalism is no different than what it condemns in
conservatives except for the language of its rhetorical flourishes.
If you look at the action
line of our mayor, you would see how he has slashed taxes to the entertainment
industry, eliminated business taxes to mutual funds virtually on the day he and
the City Council were excoriating the wretched excesses of Wall Street,
proposed abolishing the business tax entirely with its more than $400 million
in annual revenue , heavily subsidized luxury hotels, plush office buildings,
expensive restaurants buyouts, car dealerships and many other prosperous
businesses with taxpayer money – and that’s just a short list of what he did in
2011.
For 2012, he wants to
impose increases water, power and sewer services and to open the floodgates to
giant skyscrapers with massive displays of digital signage in Hollywood,
Woodland Hills and any other neighborhood where rich developers and
multi-national corporations can turn huge profits enhanced by public subsidies
and elimination of red tape – especially the ability of the residents of the
city to even have their protests heard.
The man is no liberal, no
Democrat. He crushed to Occupy LA protesters with what he dared to call
“constitutional policing,” a euphemism for legally sanctioned abuses, even
after giving them blanket permission to encamp indefinitely at City Hall at a
cost to taxpayers of millions of dollars.
But what’s the point of
talking about how the mayor committed the ultimate act of betrayal, betraying
himself and his own ideals, when everybody who has paid the least attention
knows that already.
No matter what the facts,
those who have chosen to ignore the truth and settled for crumbs from the table
of power will still be seduced by the access to power and the expectation of
more favors to come.
For all the complaints
about corporate “personhood” and the power of corporate money to control
government at all levels, LA city officials are almost universally put into
office by the money of labor unions which has led to a long string of
sweetheart contracts in the public sector and guarantees of Project Labor
Agreements in the private sector.
For all the complaints
about how government gets in their way and makes it hard for them to succeed,
the business community is delighted about the elimination of red tapes, cuts in
taxes, massive public works projects expanding LAX, deepening the harbor,
building rail lines, a football stadium end other entertainment projects for
the rich.
I told you, it is a
struggle to be upbeat.
But I keep meeting
passionate and involved people working hard for their beliefs who feel the
winds of change are blowing in their sails and good times are just around the
corner. I’m not feeling that right now, but their faith keeps me going and
hoping for a sign that we will all begin to get along and work together to make
things better for everyone.
“To be vested with enormous authority is a fine thing; but to have the on-looking world consent to it is a finer.”………..
“You see my kind of loyalty was loyalty to one’s country, not to its institutions or its office-holders. The country is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be loyal to; institutions are extraneous.”
—-A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court….1889 Mark Twain
Ron, calm down. Of course the truth hurts. And of course villar is a liberal democrat. Exactly the kind you in LA and CA go for. Need some examples? Here you go:
Janice Hahn – she worried so much about illegals being possibly abused in Arizona, jobs for citizens in LA not so much.
President Obama who shoveled $700mil to a crony at Solyndra.
Sen boxer who cares so much about illegals and gay marriage so she can’t find any time to bring jobs to CA.
Nancy Pelosi – again a liberal democrat who made about $100 mil or so on the visa IPO
There was a choice in 2009 and Walter Moore may have not been a perfect candidate but he was orders of magnitude better choice than villar. By not voting and not supporting him, you reassured villar’s reelection.
Since I don’t live in CA anymore, I could care less but you do all deserve if villar ever becomes governor or senator. You get the government you deserve.
Hope and change comes from TWO places: A UHAUL VAN AND A CLOSE OF ESCROW REPORT WITH THE CHECK FROM THE SALE OF YOUR GOD=DAMNED L.A. HOME!!! Yes, that’s the only HOPE for the L.A. Homeowner. Every day I get closer and closer to Hope and Change. I heard that disgusting rat Dennis Zine on KABC radio tues nite and the host Peter Tilden slobbering all over this Clown like he’s the greatest! Obama in a way was right: HOPE: UHAUL VAN–and–CHANGE: the proceeds from the Escrow. It’s really the only way.
Ron you gotta keep the faith. A positive thing I’ve seen in the years Antonio “gangster” Villar has done is bring people who are on the same page and love our City together. There are some of us who are very active, we speak out, we network and get the word out about the corruption of City Hall and our politicans. Fact is Antonio Villar doesn’t like LA because he has destroyed it along with city council. We move forward and continue doing our good work and hopefully and soon all their bad Karma will catch up, it always does. The Bible says the Good Lord will punish those evil doers in his own time, not ours. Many of us especially cops don’t like the term, “constitutional policing.” ITS BS
Ron, really. Villar is behaving exactly like classic democrats do … lining his pockets and setting himself up financially while paying lip-service to the poor. Teddy Kennedy anyone? Nancy Pelosi?
Someone referred to him as the Kardashian Mayor recently, and that was spot-on. Known more for his sexual exploits than for any real talent, taking every opportunity to get his face in front of the cameras, chasing after every single avenue where he can increase his money/recognizability … the only thing he’s missing is a sham marriage.
Oh, wait …
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When the Mayor of Los Angeles serves the people he will be respected and supported by the people
Authorities such as governments, their agencies and large corporations affect citizens in important ways. If they are required to explain their action intentions, reasons and their intended performance standards publicly, fully and fairly, we will see increased fairness in society and reduced harm.
The need to show citizens, elected representatives and authorities why we need full and fair accounting from authorities. Secondly it is to show how citizens and elected representatives can achieve public accounting that meets a standard of public explanation that citizens have the right to see met.
The Need for Public Accountability
Any survey tracking citizen protest and distrust of the intentions and performance of authorities will show citizens failing to win the battle for fairness. In every society we have authorities’ driving forces largely unknown to citizens until they are launched. If we then think their intentions will lead to harm, it will usually be too late to stop them. Outcries after the fact do not help. We lack effective processes to prevent authorities’ intentions from leading to harm. Citizens placing blind trust in authorities simply condones a syndrome that citizens have allowed. .
Alerts by public interest organizations, internet exchanges, journalists’ columns, protest letters to the editor and hitting the streets obviously contribute to fairness. But they cannot by themselves be expected to change underlying agendas of those in power when authorities’ intentions, if known, would be fairly seen by citizens as leading to harm.
YJ Draiman for Mayor of Los Angeles 2013