Through the Looking Glass: 10. 'Efficient Government' an oxymoron?

Friday, November 23, 2012

10. 'Efficient Government' an oxymoron?

Many Canadians might be tempted to readily agree. The infamous 1998 $750 M purchase of four used British diesel submarines that are all sitting in dry dock comes to mind. A federal fund meant to give impoverished veterans a dignified burial that has rejected over two-thirds of the applications strikes a chord. A Canadian Member of Parliament qualifying for a pension after serving for a mere six years rankles the sensibilities.

Many more examples could be touted but one must take a balanced, honest approach in examining this idea. As in describing 'intelligence' and accepting the variety of types of ability, we must accede that there exist a variety of 'government efficiencies'.

Efficiency in use of language by government is obvious on a regular basis. Any group that can effectively disguise a tax increase as 'fourth quarter equity retreat' and worker layoffs as 'initiating a career alternative enhancement program' has obviously mastered efficient semantics.

Long range planning is a natural skill governments have honed. An excellent example from the provincial level is MLAs voting themselves a twenty percent pay raise BEFORE slashing all public sector pay, including their own, by five percent as an austerity measure. Creation of paid committees that never met by the same government was a superb example of efficiency in action... no minutes, no resolutions, no recommendations, no follow-up and not a single minute wasted.

Transportation has been streamlined as well. Government are quick to commandeer aircraft to deliver them to 5 star hotels for various nonpolitical functions. Delivery of personal vehicles intercontinentally via armed forces aircraft is not made overly public to save economic strain for the host country is an excellent of efficiency crossing international boundaries.

I submit that while every political undertaking, due to human involvement, has a measure of inefficiency, we must never lose sight of the aforementioned efficiencies that do exist.

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Introduction

Having moved at least twenty-five times in fifteen years has opened a world of learning to me. In six decades, an education ranging from the coldness of large cities to the isolation of remote rural locations to the busybody gossip of small towns and the wonder of the prairie and it's ocean of grass have all left their impressions on me.

Recently I relocated to a small city in British Columbia. It touted itself as a historical, cultural, educational and, over-all wonderful, place to live. Once I was past the trees and the rocks, the heights and the hills, the water and the wind, I calmed down and was ready to look at the people I was sharing that space with.

Every location I have ever squatted has had it's share of characters. Players in the cities along with the wide range of tinfoil hat wearers and baggy pants skaters were a given. Pop up strangers at odd hours surprised me with their appearance in the middle of nowhere. Rumours of my serial killer past from neighbours I had never met never swayed me. The wonder of gazing on the effects of wind on the grass ocean interrupted by a landowner enquiring why I was leaning on his fence was oft forgiven.

In this new locale a variety of characters as I had experienced elsewhere was a given. The density and variety of them however gave me more surprise than I would have expected.

I had heard comments about this place being a time warp to the sixties. However I only saw few that , by their appearance, I could say lived through the sixties. What apparitions appeared were younger and more colourful than I remember from that vague decade.

Purple haired strong armed accordionists, heavy head shaved violinists clutching tiny instruments, winter coated scarf wrapped individuals in shorts and oddly calm people with large coffees wandered the streets.

They wandered in and out of new age crystal shops, expressed opinions on local radio, bought nothing but organic food. They played jazz on squeeze boxes, made strings and wood sing in ways not intended, talked to themselves as they tightened their scarves and became more serene with each sip of coffee.

Characters here are more concentrated than in any other locale I have ever lived. It is a point of interest as well as point of concern.

It remains to be seen whether I will be mugged with organic carrots, side swiped by hooligan mountain bikers, be harangued with advice on dressing warmly or kept awake nights by jazzy sounds from an errant squeeze box. Whatever the outcome I am certain I could find it in no other place on earth to explore these particular uncertainties.

Until I am transplanted again, I extend every new-ager and boarder, every subculture economist and spiritualist, every would-be and wanna-be my deep thanks for extending me the opportunity of educating myself one measure more.