....© 2000, Kimit A. Muston
I like to re-read the Declaration of Independence every once in awhile and then read the political news in the morning paper. Sometimes this juxtaposition of lofty goals and reality makes me want to cry and sometimes I can't help laughing out loud. And then crying.
"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands..."; that's one of my favorite concepts in the Declaration, the idea that there are bands connecting a government and the governed together, like some kind of ideological rope.
The citizens of Van Nuys thought they were bound to their government by audio tape. They've been calling a hotline for years to complain about noise from Van Nuys airport. Whenever a loud airplane took off late at night or very early in the morning they would dial a well publicized telephone number and, with a tape recorder running at the other end, they would detail their lost sleep and declining standard of living, not to mention the decline of their property values.
And then it leaked out that nobody was actually listening to these messages. The citizens were appalled they had been hoodwinked and the bureaucrats seemed appalled anybody was appalled. The operators of Van Nuys airport freely admitted (once they were caught) that the hotline was just a ploy to keep the masses occupied while they, the bureaucrats, continued with their public business in private. "Wasn't that obvious?" the bureaucrats seemed to ask when challenged by reporters. And yes, in retrospect, it sure was. In retrospect what bound the city bureaucrats to the citizens of Nan Nuys was a lot more elastic than audio tape, maybe something closer to a bungee cord.
The other end of this particular political bungee cord can now be found wrapped around the neck of Gil Garcetti, who is seeking a third term as District Attorney. Mr. Garcetti has been involved in a bit of a flap over the LAPD corruption investigation. The Chief of police thinks Mr. Garcetti is dragging his feet because he has yet to charge anyone. Mr. Garcetti insists he is just being very, very, very thorough.
The chief became so frustrated that he threatened to go to another prosecutor to get results. Mr. Garcetti was outraged at this betrayal as were most city hall power brokers, their vision of government in L.A. resembling a toy boat on a plastic sea; it may be dragged from one imaginary port to another but it is never actually supposed to get anywhere and it is never supposed to be rocked. The Chief had clearly rocked the boat and he was publicly chastised for going public. After the chief was forced into retreat you could practically hear the smug smiles being put on by the gang down at city hall.
And then the Times published a poll of potential voters in November's election, which showed that Mr. Garcetti was coming in third in a two man race. The numbers are so bad for the D.A. that even if all of the undecided were to vote for Mr. Garcetti en mass he will still lose.
What a shock it must be for Mr. Garcetti and the other city hall power brokers to discover that the bungee cord they see as connecting them to the public can still serve as a hangman's noose.
Mr. Muston is a writer living in North Hollywood. His work may also be seen in The L.A. Times.