Just as it would be madness to settle on medical treatment for the body of a person by taking an opinion poll of the neighbors, so it is irrational to prescribe for the body politic by polling the opinions of the people at large.
Plato
c. 427-347 B.C.E
We're not making decisions based on sticking our finger in the wind. We're making decisions based on what we think is in the best interests of the community.
Matthew Godfrey
Ogden council to take hint?
StandardExaminer
November 10, 2005
The advantage of public opinion is like that of the weather-gauge in a naval action.
Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe
ME 14:226
1815
In another city council shocker, the Gang-of-Six "delivered" for the Mayor last night, approving the $16 million rec center bonding, along with another $22 million in sundry and assorted long-term debt, and a pledge of BOO revenue as loan collateral. The mayor's rubber stamps performed predictably, with lame-ducks Filiaga, Jorgenson and Burdett in the forefront. The sitting council proved to the townsfolk yet again, even in the wake of their November 8 public spanking, that they don't give a dang what the voters of Ogden think.
This came as no surprise of course, to those of us who are avid Gang-of-Six watchers. Neither public opinion nor election referenda mean anything to mind-numbed Godfrey zombies. Jorgenson and Burdett had in fact publicly proclaimed their minds were already made up, several days before final council deliberations. They'll consider themselves "the annointed ones," the priestly neo-platonic "philosopher kings," even up to the very day they're given "the bum's rush," and are unceremoniously and summarily ushered out the city hall back-door in January. The result was really quite anti-climactic, I think.
For a succint report on last night's council session, you can read this morning's John Wright story.
And for an added bonus, the Standard-Examiner website kindly provides a truly weird video clip on the council session, including some classic Fasi Filiaga remarks .
I'm not going to go into a long discussion on this. We've been beating this dead horse on Weber County Forum for many months now, and said everything that needs to be said.
Still, I'd like to invite you all to post your impressions and outlooks, now that the rec center is all but a "done deal."
What are your thoughts, gentle readers?
Does anyone wish to do a post-mortem on this?
