To: Neocon who wrote (39981 ) 9/27/2000 1:32:55 AM From: Doughboy Read Replies (2) | Respond to Oh c'mon, Neo. You're totally proving the point why we shouldn't give local control to taxpayer money as conservatives are so enamored of right now. If having local elections and ballot issues is "trivial" because there are "too many" as you say, what does that say about local control? What it says to me is you let small, well-organized groups coopt the system for their own parochial interests. The one example I can think of off-hand is religion in schools. In Fairfax County, VA (ironically, where Dick Cheney's real home has been since he left government), as you are likely familiar with, the highly wealthy, educated elites cannot be bothered to vote in local elections and as a result they have a school board dominated by people who want to cram creationism down the throats of students. Aren't you a little bit fearful of local control. In my field--telecommunications--local control is a disaster. Though the federal government sets basic ground rules through Congress and the FCC, state public utility commissions set prices and oversee service quality. Because state commissions are elected or are patronage positions, there is virtually no accountability to the public. And because power is concentrated at such a microscopic level, the Baby Bells can easily identify where they have to throw their money around. Criticize federal bureaucracies all you want, but one thing about them is that they are very hard to buy off. Bottom line--local governments and officials are not ready to take control, and what you're really doing is letting insular groups hold us all hostage for their particular cause.
