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7/27/2009
$50 million to learn how to talk with each other
Why can’t we just talk to each other – like over the backyard fence? When a Madison resident was awakened by wind chimes recently, she called the police.
Oh geez.
"I had thoughts of going down and cutting the thing to shreds," admits Jones, who asked that her name not be used because she doesn't want to "create disharmony" with her neighbor.
Jones, who for medical reasons is hypersensitive to the noise, called the 911 Center's non-emergency number. She heard back from a Madison police officer, who told her the city's noise ordinance covers only electronic or mechanical noise. Ok. I can identify. Really identify. Stuff like this can make life hard – and make you really angry. Yeah, I can identify. And ok, it’s tough to go over and talk with your neighbor about the situation. Yeah. Tough. But dang it, why are we asking Daddy Government to do it? No potential for violence here, I’m assuming. Just a bit of “disharmony.” And we call in the government.
And then, because we can’t talk to our neighbors, now the New York Times thinks we absolutely must find room in the budget to finance more “opportunities for Americans to participate in national and community service.” What? The irony of it all was depressing.
Just a few months ago, Congress overwhelmingly approved the Serve America Act…. Now, having taken credit for their good deed, lawmakers cannot seem to come up with the money to back up their votes.
…. Most egregious, the House omitted $41 million sought by Mr. Obama to expand AmeriCorps next year by 10,000 members, who would be put to serious tasks like mentoring at-risk students, cleaning up parks and responding to emergencies. Applying the House math, AmeriCorps would field about 75,000 to 76,000 volunteers in fiscal 2010, roughly the same level as this year. And that’s not all. The New York Times also thinks it’s absolutely critical to spend $50 million to find new innovative ways to talk with each other.
In another mistaken move, the House bill also shortchanges a newly created Social Innovation Fund intended to provide money for proven private approaches to social problems. The aim is to spread their good ideas and programs. Mr. Obama requested $50 million; the House allotted $35 million for the fund. That seems particularly unwise given the need for fresh approaches and the willingness of foundations and philanthropists to match the federal investment. We’re spending dear tax dollars so a police officer can respond to a neighborhood dispute? And health care is today’s poster child for over-the-top government encroachment? Geez. Look around you – what else are you willingly giving to the government to take care of what your grandmother’s generation used to take care of via groups of friends, church communities, and face to face, over the backyard fence?
Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net
COMMENTS
Happy Birthday Jo. I hope your birthday cake was not nearly that expensive.
James Wigderson (Mon Jul 27 13:19:40 2009)
Thanks James! Surely try to keep the costs down - and that blaze of heat from the candles.
Jo (Tue Jul 28 6:57:15 2009)
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