The Soapbox View: THE PATRONAGE SYSTEM?

Is Not Criminal Enterprise?

Since fortune was always a sovereign's purview?

Before royalty became less pervasive?

Individual toeholds bartered footholds that begat

So handling immorality must be morality's obligation?

As decipherable from the kind executive tolerance Afforded FIFA officials and common criminal alike?

As for the full weight of the law not sufficing?

It's the full weight of revenge for behavior,
That's not really human after all behind it?

So in this curious vein wondering if incentives for ruthlessness are irrevocable?

This inevitable quote jumped out from New York City's Mayor Ed Koch in CITY FOR SALE by Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett.
Mayor Koch:

"Most people don't realize that this administration is pretty unique in running a city without using patronage."

The gist being political necessity required his administration's ignoring their compatriots' devious abuse of commercial networking that warps any business. But the authors in no way insinuate Mayor Koch accepted a corrupt nickel in his pursuit to remain politically framed.

Slapstick (1977) by Kurt Vonnegut, page 32: They were fabulously well-to-do, and descended from Americans who had all but wrecked the planet with a form of Idiot's Delight - obsessively turning money into power, and then power back into money again, and then money back into power again.

But Caleb and Letitia were harmless themselves. ...

Page 50: Elected representatives, hence, could be expected to become members of the famous and powerful family of elected representatives - which would, perfectly naturally, make them wary and squeamish and stingy with respect to all the other sorts of families which, again, perfectly naturally, subdivided mankind.

Page 164: I was impressed. I realized that nations could never acknowledge their own wars as tragedies, but that families not only could but had to.
Bully for them!
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Uncorking Political Reality

Conundrums made meeting in bars preferable for convenient exist. Rather than the boat where our alibi was fishing and being bored with the excitement of waiting for fish. It was work to arrange that thought for them so I waited for him to speak.

"A man came to see me," the Mayor said and tipped the server which was unusual. Then said, "The man said he has jobs up the ying-yang. Its impossible for our town to prosper without him.'"

Of course I assumed Sanitation since the mayor last week admitted there's another brother-in-law landing there. And now again though, he even said the same thing. "What's more important is loyalty."

Then even more importantly? His Honor shifted his weight and lit a cigar inside as if outside wasn't the norm for exposing the innocent to unhealthy tobacco smoke. And of course the first ring of smoke came at me while he smiled.

I said, "So why are we here?"

"Because," he said, "Police and Water Commissions must approve the lake skyrises. All projects take on a momentum that if you lose it, the project loses. You see, they're right, you know. To relieve city congestion and not destroy nature expanding the city limits. We must build downtown. You can't hold back progress and their factory by the river could float anywhere downstream and plant anywhere. Then where would we be?"

I said, "Self-sufficient" and we both scoffed. Then, "Where's your money?"

He said, "Same place as yours."

And I looked out the window wondering how Mayor Potter wasn't more diversified? He didn't care? His job was just coordination? It's Water Commissioners that get their hands wet.

I looked at the Police Commissioner's grin before he said, "The people in those new buildings will be best. We'll know what they're up to so they're no problem. They're an asset."

What a guy. Heart of gold. Well, what's left? I said, "They'll ruin the view and location's atmosphere except as an enclave. Closing off that exact location will detract from the enjoyment of the long shoreline." I even asked, "No one should own the view?"

But the Mayor said, "I told you. This project has momentum and city money in it. If we don't expand by accommodating the prosperous, there won't be money to run this town. Government is not a charity like healthy forests." And he winked.

Right. I looked out the window because nothing was discussed to fight about. I'd just cut my purse strings.

Then the mayor stood and said, "Next week then. We'll appraise this and discuss how it turns out, fishing. ...

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Crime is vast. For example, Among The Barbarians by Paul Sheehan provides scope to understand just how really vast and channelled criminal enterprise is. And how incredulous this compromise of relying on enforcement sustains our suffering from vice as an inevitable tax enforcement, inevitably exploiting ourselves at war with ourselves?Compassionandunderstanding are more than words solving social idiosyncrasies. They're the key. I'll even conjecture however easy or necessary it is to criticize the U.S. Government for exchanging prisoners with Afghan Taliban, it's also necessary to remember all the participants need reminding to do humane things. _____________________

And now. In the Interest of Perspective. A short snippet from, How To Get Ahead In Advertising+ documentary, The Censoring of Bill Hicks (Comedy) and Your Thoughts Are Not Your Own by Neil Sanders "The Culture Industry" - "dumbing down"