I enjoy politics. I like talking about them, reading about them, and when it applies, mocking those directly involved in them. But I’ve never been particularly active in the political process. Sure I vote but I don’t really give much of a hoot for local policy making and watching C-Span. Although I used to watch C-Span in high school to look smart and sexy. I went to a weird school.

So, a week or so ago, Dan and I found out the Honorable Provo City Planning Commission is planning on changing some zoning in our area. The affect of the re-zoning would depreciate our house by about $20,000. So we’re more than a little interested in the political process now.

Active in our cause

We set to the streets (well, Dan set to the streets. I stayed at home with a cold) collecting signatures from other concerned neighbors. It seems more that just a few of us were less than enthused about the proposed…proposal (crap). We gathered over two hundred signatures and compiled them to take to the planning commission’s monthly meeting.

Stupidity wears many faces

So to the meeting we trod with petition in hand, sure our overwhelming representation of opposition would be well heard and considered. We’re talking a majority of 399 to one on this issue. A group of us were allowed three minutes each to present our case. In all, 22 spoke in opposition, 7 in favor. That does seem a little convincing…no? But….I learned a valuable lesson. Nobody just ups and joins a city council or planning commission because they have genuine interest in the community. Nope. I discovered that these people already knew just how they wanted to act…regardless of our protests.

I sat there in utter disbelief as one commision member actually stated that she’d been wanting to vote for a rezoning issue like this for ten years and now had her chance. She heard not a word we said. She already knew what she wanted to do. Only one man really understood the property rights that are at stake in this whole stupid proposal. One out of ten. What a joke.

So…here I sit, once again disillusioned with the government. With Provo City. With small minded people. They decided not to make a decision until “further evidence is collected”. I want to pull my hair out and mail it to them.

PS. Just to enlighted you all; the rezoning proposal (made by one woman in our neighborhood who I can only describe as bitchy…at best) would outlaw homeowners from renting out their own basements to non-related parties. This would mean that a large chunk of basement apartments and the like would be gone from the already starving Provo student housing market. This woman argues that outlawing these already existing accessory apartments would lessen the population of our neighborhood and make it a more family friendly place to live.

If you can find one ounce of sense in that…let me know. Ooooooo. I hates me the Provo City Government. The end.

I felt like the viewers of this show must have felt.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 9:44 pm and is filed under Rants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.