Fifty years after 1971: and people don’t worry about what they think – they worry about what they believe. If you think for yourself: you’re probably counselled by past experience. But if you’re counting on the warnings of people who do your thinking for you — you’ve got a problem: they can always get another you.
You have to look a little deeper than the surface; if you want to heal the surface of the earth. For too many years I have followed the billboard-sized butts of behemoth SUVs with environmental stickers. “Be the Change” has inspired no rising tide of responsibility. And their environmental efforts amount to no more than electing someone else who claims that they will do something about it. “Environmental” is an established marketing segment. We keep borrowing — and the bill collector is coming.
The most important criteria for government experts and contractors is how well they work with the government. Our taxes pay for the Town lawyers who defend the government from the encroachment of the public into the policy and decision making process. Always and everywhere; the minimum possible legal participation is the maximum allowed to the people.
Everywhere in Tompkins County: self-serving policies and draconian regulations are enacted – without the involvement or oversight of the people — while contracted experts gain career longevity by showering the residents with carefully worded misrepresentations and intellectually dishonest paradigms.
At Town and County policy “hearings”; the public is informed that they can’t ask questions, and should be grateful they can sign up to speak for two minutes; because they don’t have that legal right.
County Authorities [and their cronies] don’t worry that a thoroughly cowed and conforming public will burn down their money-changing halls and establish a radical form of society: representative government.
Abraham Lincoln said: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Tompkins County government is overwhelmingly liberal and Progressive: so it is the ideal place to study the character of its adherents — While the universal opinion of area residents is that County government is corrupt and there is no meaningful public participation; authorities continue to do as they please. There are no rules – only tools. The character: Self-serving, Authoritarian and Corrupt. Tompkins County is leading the way to our “Lies and Lubyankas” future.
Abraham Lincoln said: “How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn’t make it a leg.” — but today’s self-serving society gives legitimacy to assertions of “goodness” that spring from greed, the love of power, and hate: Backing up excuses that wouldn’t fool a child; with an intimidation that would convince almost anybody.