BORING!

BORING!

While I know you delight in hijacking comment threads, let's get back to what my post is about, not your masturbatory political fantasies of the day. Otherwise, please butt out.

While I know you delight in hijacking comment threads, let's get back to what my post is about, not your masturbatory political fantasies of the day. Otherwise, please butt out.

I always thought of it as tried because people could not be bothered to do things like clean the windows of their own business or take a step out of their way to pick up trash. Part of the tired reflects the changing demographics of such areas such as PA have one of the oldest populations in the U.S. Part of it is the union mindset that you only have to do the job that you were assigned for the time that it was assigned as nothing else. Part of it is the big government mindset that it is the goverment's job to maintain everything. And last, it probably is due to demographic make up of cities that makes people focus on their own group.

I always thought of it as tried because people could not be bothered to do things like clean the windows of their own business or take a step out of their way to pick up trash. Part of the tired reflects the changing demographics of such areas such as PA have one of the oldest populations in the U.S. Part of it is the union mindset that you only have to do the job that you were assigned for the time that it was assigned as nothing else. Part of it is the big government mindset that it is the goverment's job to maintain everything. And last, it probably is due to demographic make up of cities that makes people focus on their own group.

Or a lot of Obama voters!

Fear not, though. At Obama's big speech later this year, he can show photos not only of JFK and LBJ and MLK but … FDR. Even turn and bow before his picture! Great theater and continued appeal to emotion, that. (Bash Bush and Cheney during the speech with unattractive photos of the two being flashed before the speech-goers' eyes and Obama will score extra kiddie-appeal points.)

* * *

“The first time time a visited a rust belt city, I used the term “Tired” instead of “broken down-ness” because it is more than just the maintenance condition. It is the mix of people, businesses, and government that gives a city or area a tired look.”

Other terms are “gritty cities” and one I use, definitely known here in the eastern USA where failed policies of the past have wrought ruin — “Cyanide Nation” (mere “Blue” is not harsh enough) with business- and job- and economy-killing effects.

Another word I predicted my liberal friend from DC would use when I showed her the Upstate New York city where I lived for a couple of years is: “Dreary.”

You can see the same dreariness in many people's eyes in such places, if not the more disturbing, dangerous combination instead of dullness combined with open hostility to others and to society.

And photo selections, even for nonsensical purposes. He should stick to the good stuff.

Problems with Hyde Park (home of too many people's Father) or, say, Gettysburg, which predated Bush's first election, are not Bush's fault any more than Bhutto's assassination, hurricanes, fires in California, or any other handy object of dishonesty and pathology.

The Big Lie about McCain being another Bush is tiresome, too.

“In the interest of balance, can we expect to see a posting suggesting that voting for Obama is voting for Jimmy Carter's second term?”

Or McGovern's first, both suggestions of which are true unlike the Big Lie about McCain. And making Hyde Park prettier won't be at the top of the vote-buying agenda. Although we have time to see it promised to voters this year, too…

Inconveniently, this post is not about what kind of campaign that Obama is running (brilliant but uneven with some definitely problematic aspects) or what he would do to stanch the decay at Hyde Park.

I have written early and often about the problems I have with Obama — some of them focusing on leadership — and will continue to do so in the future.

Here is a recent foray into an aspect of Obama that his most sycophantic supporters are having fits over:

http://kikoshouse.blogspot.com/2008/06/barack-o…

If you really want to see broken down-ness, people should do back and watch movies from the late 1970's. They made cities like NYC look horrible. Of course, no one held former President Carter responsible for fixing up the neighborhood.

That's straight from a Dem talking points memo, Shaun. For a second, I thought you were John Kerry. In the interest of balance, can we expect to see a posting suggesting that voting for Obama is voting for Jimmy Carter's second term?

A critical reader would ask: Was Hyde Park in immaculate shape after Clinton?

an even more critical reader would ask “After Reagan, Bush 1,Clinton? The old, “But Clinton…” Rhetoric is tired in and of itself. Policymaking is always generational from one Admin to the next. It is not a wipe-the slate junta.

The first time time a visited a rust belt city, I used the term “Tired” instead of “broken down-ness” because it is more than just the maintenance condition. It is the mix of people, businesses, and government that gives a city or area a tired look. Well maintained empty buildings are still empty buildings. I always thought up the sum of previous history make a city look tire where you can see the signs of all of the previous businesses or government project.

Also, I have always though that the state of government buildings versus the rest of a city is a sign of the culture of an area. If the best looking building in a city is the city hall or school district headquarters, it is probably not a place where anyone wants to do business.

But using FDR's home as a paradigm of America is a stretch: ” Springwood is literally falling apart from a lack of funding. There is a broken down-ness to it — just as there is a broken down-ness in American society after seven-plus excruciating years of presidential lite”.

A critical reader would ask: Was Hyde Park in immaculate shape after Clinton?
Also SD makes a good point re. Obama: “How much did Senator Obama do to fix broken down-ness in Chicago…”

The answer is not a whole lot. Given Obama's rather expensive wish list…addressing the needs of the NPS is not on his agenda at all.

“The National Park Service is suffering from an operationsfunding shortfall now exceeding $800 million annually. Inaddition, several billion dollars are needed to protectarchaeological sites and historic buildings, and repair theextensive backlog of maintenance projects. Many parkfriends in Congress have spent years highlighting the fiscalcrisis in America s national parks. The Administration hasresponded with a budget request for 2008 that would increasethe National Park Service operating budget by $258 million”
http://www.npca.org/nationalpriority/pdf/NY-FS.pdf

Will Obama divert $600 million a year to help fix Hyde Park et al?

Or…if elected and in 4 years time…will Shaun and other Obama supporters just overlook what is VERY likely to be the still-sorry state of Hyde Park and the NPS?

Of course Senator McCain is totally unfit to be president and the Bush Administration has been such a disaster that will will end up making the U.S. a one party state well before demographic changes were going to do it.

Also, I wonder if most of the kids in public school in NYC even know who FDR was?