Friday Morning Rant

THE BUREAUCRACY deals with a lot of community groups, everything from fully functional Community Development Corporations (CDCs) through Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) to Homeowners Associations (HAs). There's a continuum of Community Groups from the highly organized, established, and effective to the disorganized, unestablished, and ineffective. Some of the best are responsive, not only to their boards of directors, but also to market conditions and the community at-large. Some of the worst are totalitarian cliques, sensitive only to their ability to make money, gain power, or attain glory.

All of these groups purport to represent "their community"... even if there are five different splinter groups in "their community."

THE BUREAUCRACY gets hammered all the time for what it does, and the media, politicians, and pundits continually call for the end of our fascist bullying. If you ever want to see what real micro-totalitarianism looks like, however, check out your local community group.

Don't get me wrong, there are several very effective Community Organizations out there that are genuinely interested in the well-being of their towns, neighborhoods, or blocks. These groups are effective at leveraging their skills and their resources in order to drive development or to maintain their existing community.

There are more groups, however, that are interested in demagoguery over democracy, self-importance over self-improvement, and control over cooperation. These groups are dangerous; even more so if they have the ear of a unwitting political lackey.

At least THE BUREAUCRACY is ultimately subject to the political will; no one votes for a self-forming community group.

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This post brought to you by: Local Newspaper Article that Trashed "O" Personally.