Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Speak in the Microphone: You Have Two Minutes
Last week at the County budget hearing, an old advocate started shouting at the County Board to stand up and be leaders. STAND UP! he yelled. And then gestured wildly with his hands repeating over and over, STAND UP! And all the County Board members looked at him until his two minutes were up and he sat down.
After his ranting, there were a dozen people talking about one sad topic and then another dozen talking about another and I saw out of the corner of my eye that the County Board folks were keeping score, making marks on their agenda like they were taking inventory in a grocery store. Okay, well, there’s this many cans of green beans, this many of corn, and hardly any cans of peas. Alrighty! The green beans have it!
The lesson here is don’t go for eloquence, go for quantity. One compelling, reasoned out plea is no match for twenty iterations of the same complaint.
This week I am hearing about how ‘the people spoke’ last week at the budget hearing and that’s why certain budget decisions are being made. And yes, the people did speak and speak and speak, but not the ones with no way to get to the meeting or who couldn’t maneuver a night meeting with their wheelchairs or walkers or who are too detached from government to ever dream of speaking at a public hearing.
We all feel better though for having a public hearing. Like we did the right thing. Listened to the people. Kept score.
Next time, maybe the underrepresented folks will do better, bring more green beans.
Get counted.
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Photo by Robinson Recalde on Unsplash
One Comment on “Speak in the Microphone: You Have Two Minutes”
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Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
I cover many government meetings for cable access as part of my job. You are right, showing up in numbers may not guarantee the result you wish, but it certainly makes elected officials know how the voting public feels.