Tony: Only Kansas City Losers Are Counting On The Economy To Improve

As local elections move closer, I’ve been speaking with a great many Kansas City hopefuls and I’ve been able to pinpoint one particularly annoying catchphrase which provides a clue that the candidate in question doesn’t really have a plan.

The quote used by the Kansas City clueless: “When the economy turns around . . .”

For the most part, this simple string of words indicates a basic lack of understanding about local government and a willingness to treat taxpayer funds like their own, probably screwed up, personal finances.

Sadly, all we can do with aspiring politicos is take them at their word since they don’t have a voting record. But once this cliche is thrown out it becomes a lot easier to peek into the psyche of a loser who would spout such nonsense.

First of all, this phrase simply means that a politico doesn’t have real plan or idea about how a government budget works. For instance, in Kansas City proper there is very little wiggle room regarding how elected officials can allocate resources. For the most part, the budget is set and so much fighting is simply a result of PR opportunities. Also, believing the good times will fix nearly institutional freewheeling ways with public money is simply irresponsible.

What I like about private industry and small publishers like KCC is that this kind of lean and mean business model can prosper even in the harsh times I’ve observed as I approach the one year anniversary of writing on this blog. Still, even public/private cooperative efforts get bogged down in this kind of silly logic given that so many folks are counting on a better economy saving the P&L District while failing to realize that fickle party crowds aren’t always guaranteed. In fact, the longer the timeline of the place, the more likely there might be another drinking destination that will inevitably siphon off business.

Also, as China and India step to the stage as economic superpowers while American Industry continues to get even more bogged down in Obama era regulation that starts with Health Care reform and continues with silly immigration requirements, we can’t be sure that the American economy will ever return to levels idealized by Baby Boomers. In fact, in the West we’ve seen European economies prepare for a prolonged period of austerity. Back at home, horrible housing data continues to suggest that this Great Recession will have a more profound and negative long term impact on the finances of average Americans than anyone (other than me) ever realized or predicted.

So, this is just a bit of rhetorical advice on what to look for from politicos who obviously don’t know that of which they speak. Some day soon I hope that better people can afford a run for public office and access to all of the resources that could power more informed class of aspiring politicos. I don’t know when this will happen, maybe someday when the economy turns around.

Tony Botello