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4-24-08 Ben Matthews FORUM
04/24/2008 09:40:38
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This is Ben Matthews with the WJBC Forum.
As an individual who is both interested and involved in the political process, I find myself doing a lot of listening.
And wondering.
And wondering why those we elect don’t listen more.
Sometimes I wonder if some of our elected officials have been listening to Homer Simpson ... it was Homer who proclaimed “The reason we have elected officials is so we don’t have to think!”
Of course, ideally those we elect to represent us would talk at us less and listen to us more. They would want us to think, and want to know what we were thinking. They’d want to understand the interests of their constituents and work to protect those interests as they govern.
But I know we don’t live in an ideal world.
I was reminded of that a couple times this past week or so.
Mayor Chris Koos, while being interviewed on WJBC about the potential independent league baseball team, was asked to respond to a snippet of another commentator’s forum. His response was, well, let’s just say it was disappointing. I expect more from my Mayor. We should all expect more from our elected officials. It led one to believe that Mayor Koos was less interested in the interests of his constituents and maybe more interested in the interests of some council members, an Ad Hoc committee and a consultant.
And then there was Bloomington Alderman Steven Purcell. When speaking about prior opposition to Coliseum, Purcell responded “It’s time to get over it.”
Certainly we must maintain realistic expectations of our elected officials. They’re not perfect. But I do think it’s realistic to expect them to listen. And I believe it’s realistic to expect them to be more careful and complete in their responses.
Maybe the wisdom of another Homer would be helpful to remember: “Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid.”
Thanks for listening.
Going Forward, this is Ben Matthews with the WJBC Forum.
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