Government and Society – Page 39 – Rural Tompkins County

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – “The New Urbanism” Bumper sticker

“The New Urbanism is entitlement for planners.” If you want to gather money and power – enable those richer and more powerful than you. That’s the main ingredient for success in today’s stratified bureaucracy. The New Urbanism and Form Based Codes are elitist mapmaking of a new territory — all that we had left of us.

Our communities; always growing and changing to meet the needs of those who lived in them — were “inefficient” – or more accurately; did not conform. Form Based Codes give planners the chance to create building block neighborhoods; and officials the power to control everything within them.

It’s a ground up paradigm of the new society: People are encouraged to make comments – and officials do whatever they please.

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – Mind Games – “The dot.gov game”

A simple game for “brainstorming” government strategy. The schisms and arguments between players mimic the daily bureaucratic and political infighting of our would-be and be leaders.

The addition of alcohol quickly brings out the characters of those who will rule – and those who die in hotel rooms.

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – “COEXIST with Crime” Bumper sticker

COEXIST with Crime? Not a good idea. You think you’re getting along with criminals — and they just haven’t gotten around to you yet.

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – “Obliviousness = Oblivion” Bumper sticker

It’s bad enough to become extinct when you have no chance to avoid it. But when the roof is falling on your head and you blame gravity — you’re too clueless for a clue-filled universe.

Things are bad and they are getting worse. And if we don’t wake up; they’re going to get much, much worse. And much, much, much, much, much, much worse.

Somewhere; there’s a “much” with our extinction written on it. And it can’t get much worse than that.

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – “Underserved” Bumper sticker

2022 – Using the word “underserved” can be a trademark infringement. Everybody’s in the race to merchandize righteousness — and what better tool for personal gain — it’s the “virtual reality” that obscures a conflicting reality: wisdom.

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – “CO-Void” – NEW Word

Like the Monty Python sketch where the insured’s “no pay” insurance was a great deal – if he never had to use it — our new world, “be the change” advertisement was a smug Peaceable Kingdom paradigm – until the Pandemic – until the predators sensed an injured prey.

It wasn’t just the media noise of the pandemic that should have caught our attention — it was the silence and emptiness where our humanity used to be. How far have we moved from the “caring and sharing” 1960s to a “using and abusing” 2020s? And if we keep traveling around our spinning world – will we meet up with that time again?

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – “Freedom” Bumper sticker

“Freedom – It’s not ‘rent-to-own’ – it’s only rented.” It’s been endlessly repeated in stories and in life — if you give up your responsibilities; you’ll give up your rights. Government was a burden – now it’s a Boss.

Will they tell us how we can change that? Or just tell us not to worry. When one door closes; another door opens – it’s a good description of an abattoir.

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – “The only transparency . . .” Bumper sticker

“Tompkins County: The only transparency is the thinness of their excuses.” It’s filling in the form without accountability for what you write. It’s giving an answer . . . without answering the question. It’s the throng that cheers the dictator; because someone might report that you weren’t there – or didn’t cheer. The reasons for their policy decisions carry the weight of no alternative. Who cares what you believe.

“All Roads Lead to Cornithaca” – “The Shroud of Policy” Bumper sticker

“The Shroud of Policy” Religious beliefs must be open to examination and proof – but secular beliefs are too sacred for dispute.

Aren’t you tired of people just “saying” – and demanding unquestioning acceptance of their policy decisions? Materialistic beliefs are amenable to materialistic examination.

When they put lead into one end of their black box; and take out gold from the other end: it’s called fraud. When they put lead into one end of their black box and take out nothing from the other end: it’s called “policy.”

O.K. That didn’t work. So then they bring out another black box . . .