Re: shuttle disaster

[DvB <imasu@earthlink.net>]

Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net> writes:

> On Sat, 2003-02-08 at 12:00, DvB wrote:
[snip]
> Now, whether that means privatization or replacing the existing Civil
> Servants, must obviously be looked at on a case-by-case basis...
> 

That I can agree with.


> > > And don't get me started about the streets!  A national survey shows
> > > that New Orleans has the 2nd worst streets in the country.
> > > 
> > 
> > Yes, the south is known for it's urban sprawl and poor planning. Where I
> > live, the central city has terrible streets and crumbling infrastructure
> > while my tax dollars get spent to provide new roads and services in far
> > outlying areas that I'll probably never visit in my entire life (BTW,
> > N.O. streets are, IMO, better than the ones where I live).
> 
> That's pretty darned bad!  Maybe (a) your city's citizens haven't gotten
> fed up enough with the status quo, and (b) a viable reform candidate
> hasn't appeared yet.  Here in N.O, it took some black men who were
> respected by the full spectrum of society, powerful enough to effect
> change, yet outside of the existing, corrupt power structure, to *begin*
> to effect change.
> 
> Bizarrely(sp?) enough, that turned out to be the branch manager of the
> region's cable company!
> 

I hope sombody shows up soon. Honestly, though, I don't know if anyone
would vote for a reform candidate around here since many people don't
admit that there's a problem and, if they do, they won't admit to its
cause.
I think both (a) and (b) are probably responsible :-)