A local politician made the excuse that paper correspondence delivered by Canada Post was not the best way to bring a citizen’s concern to his attention.
If municipal government (like all levels of government) didn't think their job was to help people, but simply to maintain public security, the streets (including lights) and sewers working, there would be little personal advantage to running for office.
Can you imagine how long it would take to chisel Peter's letter onto a tablet?
I lived in Baie D'Urfe (a small suburb of Montreal) back in the 1970s. I never wrote or spoke to the Mayor, but the town was small enough I suspect he would have listened to me.
The amalgamation of Toronto and it's (former) suburbs was a step away from 'decentralization.' But even before that, each municipality was a long way from local government. It occurred to me that the Condominium model is the ultimate in local government. Neighbourhoods of 100 homes, with streets and parks as the common areas, would make suitable condos. maybe even gated communities, Maybe a competitive market in things like water and sewer service would evolve, involving shared infrastructure as for cell phones.
Good point Attila. I did think of that, but it was a rhetorical question. :-)
Still, I suspect a machine tool would take about 5 times as long as typing, especially if you use stencils.
In ancient times they probably wrote (freehand) on soft clay tablets and then baked them. And I'm guessing the author would need to dictate his message to the slave/secretary as he wrote. Or maybe the slave had a good memory, and the author would only need to point out required corrections before the tablet was backed. Or maybe cuneiform was as effective as shorthand. And then a slave would need to deliver the tablet, which could take an hour or
month. Maybe there's a tablet that describes how tablets were created.
So in spite of my concerns, it would have been faster to create and personally deliver a stone tablet, assuming it got the counsellor's attention and a suitable reply.
The magic missing ingredient here is Leadership, in the public interest.
The public typically get the administrations that they deserve. The uninformed, ill-informed, and uninterested, all get a vote.
Too many so elected come with their own agendas, leading not in the public interes, but their own.
If municipal government (like all levels of government) didn't think their job was to help people, but simply to maintain public security, the streets (including lights) and sewers working, there would be little personal advantage to running for office.
Can you imagine how long it would take to chisel Peter's letter onto a tablet?
I lived in Baie D'Urfe (a small suburb of Montreal) back in the 1970s. I never wrote or spoke to the Mayor, but the town was small enough I suspect he would have listened to me.
The amalgamation of Toronto and it's (former) suburbs was a step away from 'decentralization.' But even before that, each municipality was a long way from local government. It occurred to me that the Condominium model is the ultimate in local government. Neighbourhoods of 100 homes, with streets and parks as the common areas, would make suitable condos. maybe even gated communities, Maybe a competitive market in things like water and sewer service would evolve, involving shared infrastructure as for cell phones.
It was a tongue-in-cheek suggestion.
They use machine tools for that now. Chiseling-slaves went out of vogue a while back. LOL
Good point Attila. I did think of that, but it was a rhetorical question. :-)
Still, I suspect a machine tool would take about 5 times as long as typing, especially if you use stencils.
In ancient times they probably wrote (freehand) on soft clay tablets and then baked them. And I'm guessing the author would need to dictate his message to the slave/secretary as he wrote. Or maybe the slave had a good memory, and the author would only need to point out required corrections before the tablet was backed. Or maybe cuneiform was as effective as shorthand. And then a slave would need to deliver the tablet, which could take an hour or
month. Maybe there's a tablet that describes how tablets were created.
Maybe Peter should ask for an appointment, 1 hour!
He has asked many times
So in spite of my concerns, it would have been faster to create and personally deliver a stone tablet, assuming it got the counsellor's attention and a suitable reply.