We've had a lot of fun here bashing San Fran of late ( http://jerseynut.blogspot.com/2005/11/san-francisco-renegade-province.html); so how about giving that other living example of liberal paradise its due? I speak of Seattle, of course, or at least Jonah Goldberg, in a series of posts on The Corner, does:
I always have such mixed feelings about Seattle. On the one hand, there's a lot to like about this town and this region... But I'm always amazed at how pre-Giuliani so much of the downtown is. I'm baffled at how the business community and the tourist industry can cave to the drug-addict romanticizers and panhandler enablers. There is so much skeeviness and bummery going on right at the heart of why people come to this town in the first place... I don't folllow Seattle politics so I don't know how the arguments play out, but I'd have to guess there are West Coast versions of the same jackasses who thought drug dealing, transvestite hookers, and robbery were what gave Times Square its authenticity and "charm."
Goldberg's Seattle readers respond:
...it's not Guiliani chic that makes seattle accept the winos and dopers in downtown, it's pure political correctness. No one is accountable for their state in life, we are all hapless chips in the swirling tide...
...Let me try to explain Seattle politics giving 3 examples.
1) It is against the law for any city of Seattle employee, including the police, to ask anyones immigration status.
2) The Seattle School District is 20 million in the hole yet the Seattle city council pays someone to read poetry at council meetings : http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/council/licata/poetword.htm
3) We have a 10 year plan to end homelessness which contains 6 principle actions. The first one listed... "Prevent Homelessness". Not sure why we need the other 5 actions. http://www.cehkc.org/10-YearPlanFinal.pdf
I checked out the poetry link and almost wet myself...
Upon his election to the City Council, Nick instituted poetry readings before his committee meetings believing that the personal insight of poetry has the power to enlighten the routine of government...
And the first random poet whose worked I opened was a specialist in the poetry of the Japanese internment camps - sigh, another victim specialist...
What happens when ivory-tower liberal sciooeconomic theory gets put into practice? Together, class:
"IT FAILS MISERABLY!"
Two cities, one train wreck.
Corner links here: http://corner.nationalreview.com/05_11_27_corner-archive.asp#083337
(may need to scroll up a bit)
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