DIY Democracy
First Hawaii, now Chicago: citizens are acting independently for own welfare:
Do you have gaping potholes on your street and feel the city is not fixing them quickly enough? How about patching them yourself?
That’s what a group of residents on Chicago’s West Side did Wednesday. Members of the South Austin Coalition bought eight bags of a pavement mix for about $100 and used shovels, rakes and a 250-pound push roller to fill 15 holes on the 4800 block of West Van Buren Street.
“The city’s not doing it, so residents need to take the matter into their own hands,” said Elce Redmond, an organizer with the coalition.
The group’s members hope their efforts will shame the city into repairing neighborhood side streets and inspire other residents to band together and patch their own blocks. They also hope residents will create a citywide Pothole Repair Day.
City officials don’t think that’s a good idea.
Of course they don’t. How are you going to keep them in public housing after they’ve seen a split-level ranch (or something like that)?
Is it merely coincidence that two similar stories the past couple of days—in which citizen initiative triumphs over sclerotic government—follow the pilgrimage trail of one Barack Hussein Obama, the evangelist of massive, overweening government?
I would suggest that we look for trends in other stops along the Obama Trail, but school vouchers in Washington, DC were smothered in their crib, and I wouldn’t dream of making such a suggestion to Indonesians.
Maybe George Obama will undertake a rehab of his shack.
Keep the bare wood, George, and maybe accent it a bit with the French rustic look.
We don’t mean to imply anything disrespectful, but this washstand would look great against some of your more polished timbers:
And make sure you do it yourself, George: don’t accept a penny from your half-brother. Like that’s ever going to happen.