I’m not against change. Change is the natural state of the universe. Change is as inevitable as gravity. Or friction.
And I’m not against stupid. For the same reasons I’m not against change.
I’m against bullshit.
I’m especially against bullshit used to enact stupid change, and stupid bullshit to justify change.
In El Paso, we’re up to our necks in bullshit. That’s what local government does here. If we could sell it, El Paso would be the Saudi Arabia of bullshit. We’d be the sheiks in charge of OBSEC. But the supply of low quality bullshit way exceeds the demand, so the going rate for schwag quality bullshit is close to zero.
In the most charitable evaluation of the situation, lots of people, including some of our elected officials, lack the critical thinking skills to recognize bullshit. Others use bullshit as a means to an end.
Some of our elected officials, and their civil servants, decide what they want, and then try to work out the bullshit that supports their position.
Or maybe it’s the civil servants and their elected minions. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which way the water runs.
El Paso was way ahead of the rest of the nation on this bullshit trend. Witness, for instance,
“We talked to Union Pacific about putting the arena in the railyards.”
“We have tapes and emails documenting those conversations.”
“The arena has to be within a thousand yards of the civic center.”
And the cost estimates for the Quality of Life projects.
And, perhaps my favorite,
“The Hotel Occupancy Tax will pay for the ballpark.”
You’re going to have to look that one up yourselves for now. I’m tired.
The City, our elected officials and civil servants, have all the resources, including a billion dollar budget and thousands of employees. They have the backing of the city’s fat cats (and their private “brain trusts”) who stand to benefit from the city’s largess either directly, through contracts, or indirectly, through policy. Given this tremendous asymmetry of resources, how bad do they have to be fucking us, how little must they think of us, to pull out these ham handed lies?
The bullshit that those bullshitters try to dump on us is bullshit! Unless it’s a councilwoman. Then wouldn’t it technically be cowshit? And are they the ones causing that smell on
I-10 between El Paso and Las Cruces? Because, if they are, that stinks, literally, and is bullshit! But I’m pretty sure it’s mostly cowshit. I hope. Or I’m never drinking milk again.
There others wonderful taxes you may not be aware of such as the rental car tax.
Ummmm, there is no rental car tax that I can find. There is a tax used to support the airport. The HOT was specifically raised to pay for the ball park but it’s not nearly enough. We’re dropping in an additional 500 grand every year from the general fund to pay for it. IF the arena gets built, we’ll do the same for it.
Robert Clark means that there is a tax that the City collects from every local car rental.
We spend a lot of time and effort reacting to these dickheads. Any suggestions.?
I’d like to think that we could shame them into reason, but maybe they’re incapable of shame. They get to retreat to their mansions and country clubs and Netflix and chill. But if we can get enough El Pasoans to spit every time their names are mentioned, that’s something.
That’s pretty much the thing. As exhibited by Wilson back when she was sending those precious emails, we’re nothing to them except a pocketbook. We’re stupid, we’re worthless and our only utility is the money.
Ralph Nader has a couple of books, Breaking Through Power and The Seventeen Solutions, that may provide some ideas or seeds for thought on how to fight back.
Ever since he was ostracized from the MSM and D.C. he continues to work as an advocate for the people.
Agreed. But where then do they keep all the bulls?!