Maybe it’s because El Pasoans are used to paying less than retail. But we sure are in the habit of settling for less than excellence.
Take, for instance, Chico’s Tacos.
Take, for instance, the current crop of candidates. Oh, there are some glimmers of hope in the bunch. A few, faint, twinkling, rays of possibility. But by and large, we should expect the same dim low-wattage light bulbs we’ve been trying to read by for the last ten or twelve years.
Whatever sunshine that’s been brought into office in the recent past has been snuffed out by the prevailing fog of ignorance and self-interest. The City has a billion dollar budget, the tacit support of the major media, and a cadre of lawyers adept at double-speak. The past administration was anointed, and their misguided policies unquestioned.
And here we are. Two and half billion dollars in debt in the second poorest large city in the U.S. Taxes are going up and El Pasoans are fleeing for economically healthier environs. We’re porked.
The problem with local politics is that there’s no accountability. “Hey,” we say. “They messed up, but they tried their best. They’re nice guys.”
We say, “Sure, they borrowed billions of dollars, and then gave their friends millions of dollars in tax incentives, or control of the city assets we built for them, and we didn’t get anything for it except the bill. But at least they’re trying to do something.”
“Sure our streets are so pocked with craters that high-clearance vehicles are recommended for the whole city. But did you see? My City Rep knows my name.”
Good intentions aren’t enough. We should expect them to be right. Good stewards of our tax dollars.
And if they say “No one could have known,” point them to the prescient bloggers that forecast our current dire straits years ago.