 |
Re: NCRA - Brown Stuff
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 01-10-2009 - 13:49
Are you soliciting for the job!
The brown act is absolutely not about "Transparency". - NOT EVEN CLOSE
That may have been the original notion told to the general public, but it has never worked out that way.
General transparency in gov't might be a good idea, as it might cut down on corruption (ya right); but too much rigidity in getting it, is patently un-workable in the nitty-gritty details of accomplishing any industrial task. And repairing and maintaining a railroad is such a task. In that realm, you gotta do what you gotta do - when you gotta do it. Not after waiting for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to parade his uninformed irrelevant opinion around.
The brown act can be legitimately used at the policy making level. but once the policy has been decided by duly elected or appointed officials - it's over - it's a done deal. Or damn well better be; else we the people are being deprived of our representative government.
So in actuality, that is what the brown act is consistently being used for; to subvert the democratic process, which in this case has declared that the NWP shall be restored. Environmental laws have also been subverted to thwart democratically decided isues in the same manner. This problem is now pandemic throughout California. The NCRA is but one victim.
This subversion has been made easy to do; because of extremist provisions in those laws that allow and even facilitate, private unelected or un-appointed groups to enforce them by lawsuit, rather than necessarily being enforced by properly elected or appointed officers of government. Note that there is not even the illusion of such transparency into these groups; even while they act in the place of such officials - TOTAL SUBVERSION of the supposed intent of the brown act!
These groups are in very real fact, vigilantes, accountable and answerable to absolutely no one, similar to any other despot or dictator. Besides, from the time of the founding fathers until now, vigilante action has always been considered as the core of extremism.
It is interferences such as these that have in fact caused public works cost to skyrocket; as is quite apparent to those of us who must deal with it daily in our jobs. This is a large contributor to why California public transportation of any kind must spend 10 to 20 times what private industry spends per track mile; and several times what public agencies spend in other states. No wonder California is broke. Though there may actually be a need for such laws, they must be amended to correct the extremism they have actually actually caused. And then they must then be enforced only by those duly elected or appointed by the people to do so.
But I personally, like the "Caliphonyia Refugee", feel there is absolutely no hope for any such change to the better in California. The same group of politicians that passed these extremist provisions are still deeply entrenched in power; and the dummied down sheeple that now inhabit much of California are too concerned with their own selfishness to ever do anything about that.
Oh Well, I guess that as someone famous once said, "The people get exactly the government they deserve". I suppose also that I will not have to put with it much longer, as I am close to retirement. I should probably consider joining the hoards seeking refuge out of state somewhere.
OPB
The brown act is absolutely not about "Transparency". - NOT EVEN CLOSE
That may have been the original notion told to the general public, but it has never worked out that way.
General transparency in gov't might be a good idea, as it might cut down on corruption (ya right); but too much rigidity in getting it, is patently un-workable in the nitty-gritty details of accomplishing any industrial task. And repairing and maintaining a railroad is such a task. In that realm, you gotta do what you gotta do - when you gotta do it. Not after waiting for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to parade his uninformed irrelevant opinion around.
The brown act can be legitimately used at the policy making level. but once the policy has been decided by duly elected or appointed officials - it's over - it's a done deal. Or damn well better be; else we the people are being deprived of our representative government.
So in actuality, that is what the brown act is consistently being used for; to subvert the democratic process, which in this case has declared that the NWP shall be restored. Environmental laws have also been subverted to thwart democratically decided isues in the same manner. This problem is now pandemic throughout California. The NCRA is but one victim.
This subversion has been made easy to do; because of extremist provisions in those laws that allow and even facilitate, private unelected or un-appointed groups to enforce them by lawsuit, rather than necessarily being enforced by properly elected or appointed officers of government. Note that there is not even the illusion of such transparency into these groups; even while they act in the place of such officials - TOTAL SUBVERSION of the supposed intent of the brown act!
These groups are in very real fact, vigilantes, accountable and answerable to absolutely no one, similar to any other despot or dictator. Besides, from the time of the founding fathers until now, vigilante action has always been considered as the core of extremism.
It is interferences such as these that have in fact caused public works cost to skyrocket; as is quite apparent to those of us who must deal with it daily in our jobs. This is a large contributor to why California public transportation of any kind must spend 10 to 20 times what private industry spends per track mile; and several times what public agencies spend in other states. No wonder California is broke. Though there may actually be a need for such laws, they must be amended to correct the extremism they have actually actually caused. And then they must then be enforced only by those duly elected or appointed by the people to do so.
But I personally, like the "Caliphonyia Refugee", feel there is absolutely no hope for any such change to the better in California. The same group of politicians that passed these extremist provisions are still deeply entrenched in power; and the dummied down sheeple that now inhabit much of California are too concerned with their own selfishness to ever do anything about that.
Oh Well, I guess that as someone famous once said, "The people get exactly the government they deserve". I suppose also that I will not have to put with it much longer, as I am close to retirement. I should probably consider joining the hoards seeking refuge out of state somewhere.
OPB
