Tony: A Week Of Meaningless Victories

This week in Kansas City featured a LOT of talk but very little was accomplished.

In fact, for every big press conference touting great things for this town, there was an underlying reality which suggests that the mass media propaganda isn’t really going to make a difference for the average dude on the street.

So, let’s take a look at local promises that mostly focus on local government being used as a prop for powerful interests.

Check it:

1. Kansas City landing the All-Star Game might have been the highlight of the week despite the fact that most sports experts acknowledge that the game doesn’t even come close to generating the $70 million worth of revenue it promises.

2. The Big 12 isn’t going to fall apart just yet – But in the process of saving the conference, the regional colleges came off like money grubbing bastards who were more than willing to endure mass upheaval for a couple of bucks. Make no mistake, mass media only interviewed dimwit sports fans, but all of the adults watching realized it was simply a fight over television revenues.

3. The Mayor’s Final State Of the City Speech Was A Hilarious Bust – The last remaining legacy of Mayor Mark Funkhouser is that he has made everyone realize that his office is essentially meaningless in a “strong City Council and City Manager” form of government. Proof: A Northland in-district Councilman thwarted the speech and made sure the Council business and legislative sessions were canceled so that the crowd for the event was small and mostly full of City Hall Staffers forced to attend.

While all of these events were sold as victories for Kansas City, none will really have an impact on the everyday life of residents who 1) don’t want to buy a ticket and 2) don’t care about the cult of personality that makes mediocre athletes and celebrities almost indistinguishable and just as unimportant as failed politicians.

Tony Botello