Don't let incompetence hold you back

Lately, I've been trolling around the local political scene for Dos Mundos and because I've always been pretty close to Kansas City neighborhood politics.

There was a time when local politicos once dazzled me (No homo) and I would think that they were somehow superior simply because of a career aspiration. No more.

Blogs like The Flogging of America are really great for closing the distance between people and their politicians. Also, Mark Forsythe happens to a brilliant guy and simply checking out his blog will clue you in to the fact that he's very approachable and the ideas and ideals he would bring to the City Council aren't just lofty notions or the benefits of an advanced education . . . I think he's somebody who knows that much of public governance is about trust, accountability and at least some small measure of transparency. Put simply, I've talked to the guy and he doesn't seem like he'll be one of the several people currently on the Council who hide on the 24th floor like it's a goddamn thrown room of a castle.

What I've been thinking about lately is the distance that local media creates between people and the personalities that dominate the local news coverage. True story: Things that are on TV just don't seem real. I was entertained recently by the fact that a group of young women couldn't possibly fathom the idea that Phil Whitt would grab a slice of pizza at the mall just like everybody else. (Ugh, they even asked for an autograph) I might be guilty of falling for it myself. I've portrayed Kathryn Shields as Jabba the Hutt - a larger than life fictional character that's a symbol of corruption - but after seeing her in person recently I've come to find out that she's actually pretty short and it's simply her career that reminds me of Jabba. Don't get me wrong, this space is strictly reserved for taking apart locals who I want to make fun of but it's always important to remind myself that behind these personas there are real people whose feelings I'd like to hurt as well.

I guess what I'm trying to get across in this post is that there are all kinds of folks in City government and local politics/media/music/art and other ghey stuff and their station alone isn't enough to bestow the kind of respect and kid gloves handling that the local media treat them with . . . If there is a benefit to blogging at all (I'm not sure) it's that people can type whatever they want and only their employer can hold them accountable.

Also, Kay Barnes is the devil and I have no idea how she became Mayor of this city when I wouldn't trust her to make a sandwich. The financial mess that she's left this town in is proof enough that I'm right and as far as most other politicos are concerned: The attitude regarding the recent election was truly a whole different kind of "Kansas City sad" . . . People were basically resigned to the fact that this new batch of politicos "couldn't possibly screw things up any worse" and even though it may be tough, I'm sure that more than a few of the newly elected will manage to disappoint even those low expectations.