Last week in class my professor made a remark about how cynical I was towards to planning profession, and towards the public democratic process as well. It is hard not to be cynical after working the in the public sector. I have never been one for idealism. At least, not in terms of policies and planning. I don't even think I was idealistic coming into the profession that I may or may not end up in.
I lost faith in our government years ago. As much as I am happy to see Obama in office, I always have to check myself that not all the policies, regulations, and recommendations come from one singular person in office. The staff that surround said politician do a lot of the research work.
But part of the blame also falls on our shoulders. People shouldn't complain if they didn't vote. People shouldn't complain if taxes are increased and they voted yes to many of the propositions that are backed by future tax-payer money. Sometimes we don't hold ourselves accountable for these projects.
There was this NPR article on homelessness in downtown Los Angeles, dubbed Skid Row. Good or bad, I don't think the answer is to arrest and fine a homeless person because, well, how are they supposed to pay the fine when they are homeless? I don't have a solution to the answer, because frankly, I don't really see one. I do think it is a drain on the system for arresting a homeless person, fining them, and throwing them in jail because it seems to turn into a repetitive cycle. Either way, I'm just apathetic towards everything these days.
I view politicians as though they are actors, because, really, what else are they? We know that deals are negotiated every day "for the public's best interest." Once you are exposured to the bureacratic process, you become numb to the idea of efficiency, and to the idea of serving the people. Or maybe it is just me. But the truth is, action is a deal made by the process of give and take. No one is every really happy. We just settle for results that aren't truly understood.
I lost faith in our government years ago. As much as I am happy to see Obama in office, I always have to check myself that not all the policies, regulations, and recommendations come from one singular person in office. The staff that surround said politician do a lot of the research work.
But part of the blame also falls on our shoulders. People shouldn't complain if they didn't vote. People shouldn't complain if taxes are increased and they voted yes to many of the propositions that are backed by future tax-payer money. Sometimes we don't hold ourselves accountable for these projects.
There was this NPR article on homelessness in downtown Los Angeles, dubbed Skid Row. Good or bad, I don't think the answer is to arrest and fine a homeless person because, well, how are they supposed to pay the fine when they are homeless? I don't have a solution to the answer, because frankly, I don't really see one. I do think it is a drain on the system for arresting a homeless person, fining them, and throwing them in jail because it seems to turn into a repetitive cycle. Either way, I'm just apathetic towards everything these days.
I view politicians as though they are actors, because, really, what else are they? We know that deals are negotiated every day "for the public's best interest." Once you are exposured to the bureacratic process, you become numb to the idea of efficiency, and to the idea of serving the people. Or maybe it is just me. But the truth is, action is a deal made by the process of give and take. No one is every really happy. We just settle for results that aren't truly understood.
1 comment:
I heard that article on NPR this morning. I don't think it helps the situation to arrest everyone on the sidewalk in downtown LA.
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