Fighting Corruption and Politics

 

“The goal of you the governed is to select for yourselves a government that will remove impediments and allow prosperity to be possible for everyone”, - or kick them out of office.

 

What happens at the edge of homelessness?

Ray was not happy with me. He thought I was improvising without a plan.

“Why do you want to do what the City staff can do just as well?” He asked.

“They are not interested in leveling the playing field. I am.” I didn’t mention the obvious that we could do it better.

“How so?”

I was improvising, but I did have a conceptual plan.

“There are a few things I want to implement. The City doesn’t see it the same way. Here is how I see it. For one, to limit to only 25% the money from the government coming into the Barrio, to use it as a catalyst to get started for three years and no more, to have all of it land inside the Barrio, and to leverage it, allocate bringing in the rest 75% to be private money. Number two. Five years of city assistance and efforts, with seven years of protection of property owners and renters from the outside forces beyond their control, so they get up to date, such as keep taxes low. Number three. I want a very comprehensive approach to provide incentives, from the bottom, the middle, and the top, simultaneously. Number four. We must have an educated approach that totally incorporates and improves using the values and strengths of the existing Barrio residents, or as a swimming team for example, so they can play football with the city. Five. We need a recognition of reality and not wishful thinking. Number six. We must raise the economic level of everyone with jobs and skill training. Equalize competition. And seven. And this is the most important element of them all, DO NOT GIVE ANYONE ANYTHING!” That was to be the most integral, fundamental, and imperative mandate of the entire effort, except for emergencies of course. When you give people things, you weaken them, and it may even enslave them due to the dependency it creates on the giver. This is the key to how communists maintaining control. “Nor take anything from anyone.” I continued. I was not going to work for anyone. I was going to work to make conditions advantageous for those that wanted to do things for themselves. Assist the weak in gaining strength and knowledge. Encourage them to improve their lot in life. Afterwards, it’s every man and woman for themselves. Let them lead the way to take care of those mentally and physically disabled and elderly around them who need care. “Hispanics take good care of their elders, let’s not spoil that. There is nothing wrong with programs in which the individual who contributed while young get it back when old, as it is with social security.” I proceeded. The one thing that the Barrio family could have done better to improve their future was to read in both languages - educational literature - to their children when they are young. They seldom did but adding reading would make a huge difference.

“And what do you get out of this?” He said suspiciously.

So, what was I getting out of this? That question had to be put on hold, since at that moment, I had no answer that made any sense, other than it was in my perspective the right thing to do. Moreover, I liked to see difficult problems solved.

The hours spent in Café Olé were very productive. The beatnik and liberal customers at Olé were from a different world than the Barrio. They had no idea what I was doing and the few that did were mostly passively supportive. A few of the newcomers to the Barrio also frequented Olé and provided a link, but I never saw any old-time resident of the Barrio in Olé’s French atmosphere. There were also very few in Cushing Street Bar and Restaurant. I fit in those three places, yet I was also like a fish out of the water in each of them.