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A crappy tale.
Author: Raine    Date: 04/12/2010 13:30:14

This weekend, we had the lovely pleasure of attending the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. It was wonderful seeing Mala, laughing and enjoying the marching bands, the balloons and the floats. At one point, I needed to use the 'facilities' and took a walk over to a line of portapotties. I saw 2 lines for a row of about 40 or so- and found out quickly that for some reason, only 2 were unlocked. Yes, I was irritated at this unfortunate turn of events but in line I went.

As luck would have it, a few minutes later more people arrived. They immediately started complaining. It didn't take long for one man to proclaim (in disgust) "These are my tax dollars at work, what a joke". The anger from this vocal group increased as we waiting in line, as did the decibels. One man kept calling a number expecting to get someone to come down and unlock the doors. The woman suggested calling 911. Once again 'it's our tax dollars, after all'.

These folks were definitely from out of town, they came to DC to enjoy the Cherry Blossom festival. They were not pleased. Hell no one was pleased. There is nothing pleasant about seeing over 40 bathrooms and only 2 are available for usage. What struck me was the amount of complaining they were doing was actually upsetting the people around them. We were all in the same boat after all. But that comment -- about 'our Tax dollars' stuck in my craw. They were told that there were other facilities available but 2 refused to leave the line- 'out of principle'. More complaining when their friends returned refreshed. As for myself, I would not have been able to make the walk. So I resigned myself. Choices were made.

When I got back half an hour later, and one phone call to see if I was alright, I told my tale. Mala hit it right on the head- 'No this wasn't THEIR tax dollars at work, this was the City of DC's tax dollars at work'.

It seems typical anti-government conservative anger these days: Be angry, don't let facts get in the way, blame something for your anger and refuse to acknowledge you were given a choice. Also, it's important to let this all foment on a foundation of simply being against something. David Gergen wrote an essay reminding people that you can't just always be angry, worried and against something.
A little cheering up will lighten spirits and fortify us for the tough journey ahead.

Remember back in the mid-’60s how disgraceful it was—and how insoluble it seemed—that a third of Americans over 65 lived in poverty and more than half had no health insurance? Today, less than 10% are impoverished, and every senior has insurance. Only a third of young children attended nursery school or kindergarten in the mid-’60s; today, some two-thirds do.
[...]
"Remember, too, in the 1970s, when waves of criminal violence swept over us and in big cities people were afraid to venture out after dark? Now nightlife bustles from San Francisco to Boston, Chicago to New York. Since 1993, the year before New York City introduced its innovative methodology, CompStat, grand larcenies are down more than 55%, homicides by 76%, and auto thefts by 90%.

Americans rightly worry today about jobs and about the economic ascendency of China and other Asian nations. But we still have the capacity to win out because we remain the most creative, entrepreneurial people on the globe. There are more than four Chinese people for every American, yet Americans have won 30 Nobel prizes in science and economics in the past five years, while the Chinese have been awarded one. Even though our numbers have fallen some, Americans earned 49% of new patents, the Chinese, 1%. In the most recent statistics available, the U.S. also accounted for a fourth of peer-reviewed research articles in the world and a third of research and development investments, and we continue to grant more doctorates in engineering and science than any other nation."
Too many people are still out of work, and many are still struggling. People still have problems, even if things are getting better. Economically, these past few year have been a terrible burden for many Americans. That said, Gergan has a point that you aren't going to be able to go forward if you have no hope for the future.

If people only fuel themselves with anger and resentment they will only beget more anger and resentment. The Tea party and the Conservatives know this and work on it twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. The media helps fuel it. They are trying to take away all hope for the future, so people will become so despondent that they will not even vote their own best interests. Or, in this case walk to another toilet.

If you have to wait in line you have a right to be angry, just be angry at the right things and figure out a solution to the problem. Otherwise, you become the problem. Most of us have enough already.

Happy Monday!

and
Raine




 

44 comments (Latest Comment: 04/13/2010 00:35:52 by TriSec)
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