The Dearth Of Public Participation
The Salina [Kansas] Journal had an editorial, September 14, 2006, bemoaning the lack of public participation in meetings on "a formal strategic plan that will shape the course of local education. The irony: Only about three dozen people attended the meetings, and many of them were community leaders. Parents and the community at large were not well represented."
My letter to the editor:
Dear Editor:
I wholeheartedly agree that people should get more involved in the community, particularly with the educational system that is shaping future generations.
However, Scott Seirer's editorial ignores the primary reason people do not step forward: The well-founded perception that their voices will not be considered.
The closing of certain schools over the past several years is a glaring example. Most people in north Salina wanted Hawthorne elementary to stay open so that they could continue to have a community school. However, it is obvious the powers-that-be already made up their minds otherwise before "seeking" public input.
There was a similar disconnect when the fate of Roosevelt-Lincoln was being considered. Many wanted that school also to be refurbished, rather than abandoned in favor of an expensive new one. The central location of Roosevelt-Lincoln was a compelling reason to find ways to keep it open. But one center of money, and thus power, is east Salina, and those who call the shots wanted something closer to *their* neighborhood. And young students brought life, vitality, and interest to the dying downtown, which conflicted with the desire for downtown Salina to wither in favor of expansion to the south.
When decisions are repeatedly made in advance, with "public participation" sought only to give the illusion that it is a meaningful factor, people naturally get discouraged.
Silence feeds and rewards the plutocracy. It is only when people stand up and speak out that government will respond. Each person that comes forward despite the willful deafness of government encourages other citizens, and together, their voices will ultimately be heard, perhaps in the form of Regime Change at the ballot box.
And if the ballot boxes are replaced with touch-screen puppets, people must be prepared to stand even taller. For government is the one structure in our society that is subject to the will of the people, whether rich or poor. And that is what the elites, such as those who ignore the public at school board meetings, fear most.
Were Benjamin Franklin were today asked that famous question, "Well, Doctor, what have we got--a Republic or a Monarchy?" he would answer: "A Republic, if you can reclaim it".
Sincerely,
Terry L. Clark
My letter to the editor:
Dear Editor:
I wholeheartedly agree that people should get more involved in the community, particularly with the educational system that is shaping future generations.
However, Scott Seirer's editorial ignores the primary reason people do not step forward: The well-founded perception that their voices will not be considered.
The closing of certain schools over the past several years is a glaring example. Most people in north Salina wanted Hawthorne elementary to stay open so that they could continue to have a community school. However, it is obvious the powers-that-be already made up their minds otherwise before "seeking" public input.
There was a similar disconnect when the fate of Roosevelt-Lincoln was being considered. Many wanted that school also to be refurbished, rather than abandoned in favor of an expensive new one. The central location of Roosevelt-Lincoln was a compelling reason to find ways to keep it open. But one center of money, and thus power, is east Salina, and those who call the shots wanted something closer to *their* neighborhood. And young students brought life, vitality, and interest to the dying downtown, which conflicted with the desire for downtown Salina to wither in favor of expansion to the south.
When decisions are repeatedly made in advance, with "public participation" sought only to give the illusion that it is a meaningful factor, people naturally get discouraged.
Silence feeds and rewards the plutocracy. It is only when people stand up and speak out that government will respond. Each person that comes forward despite the willful deafness of government encourages other citizens, and together, their voices will ultimately be heard, perhaps in the form of Regime Change at the ballot box.
And if the ballot boxes are replaced with touch-screen puppets, people must be prepared to stand even taller. For government is the one structure in our society that is subject to the will of the people, whether rich or poor. And that is what the elites, such as those who ignore the public at school board meetings, fear most.
Were Benjamin Franklin were today asked that famous question, "Well, Doctor, what have we got--a Republic or a Monarchy?" he would answer: "A Republic, if you can reclaim it".
Sincerely,
Terry L. Clark
posted by TLC's Place at 7:07 AM
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