- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 34,817
- Reaction score
- 18,576
- Location
- Look to your right... I'm that guy.
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- Political Leaning
- Centrist
How pro-active are you in reviewing proposed legislation? Federal, state, and/or local.
I don't spend nearly as much time as I know should. Especially on local stuff. Part of it is an admittedly somewhat naive view that my representatives shouldn't be doing dumb-ass things to begin with, but I've been blindsided by so much dumb-ass stuff over the years you'd think I should be cured of that by now.
Example: A town I used to live in several years ago passed an ordinance banning the playing of baseball in city parks. Why? Because ONE resident that bought a house next to an already existing city park complained that their windows might get broken. Didn't happen, just might happen. It wound its way through city council and eventually passed. Then, other people in town noticed and complained. The mayor's defense was that it was up for city council and nobody opposed the idea. To be fair, that was a valid point, citizens should be more pro-active, but... that doesn't absolve them from not doing stupid stuff to begin with just to please one squeaky wheel.
I don't spend nearly as much time as I know should. Especially on local stuff. Part of it is an admittedly somewhat naive view that my representatives shouldn't be doing dumb-ass things to begin with, but I've been blindsided by so much dumb-ass stuff over the years you'd think I should be cured of that by now.
Example: A town I used to live in several years ago passed an ordinance banning the playing of baseball in city parks. Why? Because ONE resident that bought a house next to an already existing city park complained that their windows might get broken. Didn't happen, just might happen. It wound its way through city council and eventually passed. Then, other people in town noticed and complained. The mayor's defense was that it was up for city council and nobody opposed the idea. To be fair, that was a valid point, citizens should be more pro-active, but... that doesn't absolve them from not doing stupid stuff to begin with just to please one squeaky wheel.