When will we learn?

I picked up a free copy of the North Coast Business Journal earlier today and was treated to "excerpts" of Fremont Mayor Terry Overmyer's "State of the City" address. Yes, there is such an event. Now, I don't have anything in particular against Mr. Mayor, never met the man, and have only lived in town here for a couple of years. Yet, he was mayor when I was in High School as well....that gives me reason to be suspicious. It's been a while you see.

I mean reason other than the whole "politicians are sleazebags" notion that the "profession" so richly deserves, of course.

From what I read, this appears to have been the Mayor slapping the backs of those in attendance-city workers, cops, and firefighters, and telling himself what a great job he has done. Not a big surprise. Even though the pointiest parts of government are found locally, it is just not as sexy to get fired up over mundane things like ludicrous tax rates, or just what the H-E double hockey sticks is that "EPA Mandate fee" on the water bill(hint, it's not a mandate...).

The six or eight brave souls that gather on the bridge every now and then to protest war, will never ever effect the nasty national foreign policy-but if they put that effort at home, they might really make a difference. But I digress.

What did open my eyes was the ideology inherent in this passage,

"To the great citizens of
Fremont, I respectfully ask you to
pledge time and energy to your
community. Volunteer for the City.
Volunteer for your school, place of
worship, or for a non-profit
organization. Check in on a neighbor
who is aging or sick. Invite a neighbor
without a job over for a home-cooked
meal."

This is statism. It is not enough that we are taxed to pay for all of those public servants that he back-slapped, but we owe even more? Nonsense.

If one wishes to volunteer, fine, do so. But the idea that some public official has any business "respectfully asking" anyone to do any such thing is just wrong. It is patronizing and a bit insulting. Rather like putting "for sale by owner" signs on the old school. Bad form. We are not children to be directed toward a better life through a better "community". Particularly coming from the Mayor of a City that has so many serious, frankly dire, problems. How about taking a break from congratulating yourself and focusing on why there are so many without jobs-or decent places to live-Mr. Mayor, and stop telling the rest of us how to live?