A Solution to the Rancor

At the forum for city council candidates last Thursday, (9-6-2012), we witnessed an astonishing phenomenon; agreement.  When asked what was the most meaningful goal each wanted to bring to the dais (I’m paraphrasing the question), everyone followed Jimmy Knott’s lead: a commitment to lower the acrimony and raise the civility of discussion and debate.

I think it’s important to examine the taproots that nourish much of the screeching.  One of the taproots, of course, is anger.  The other is fear.  Two of the five councilmembers take it upon themselves to carry the citizens’ anger and fear to the dais.  The other three confuse the dais with a pulpit from which they sermonize about their personal interpretations of the free market system.  In listening to them, I’m often reminded of a line I heard many years ago.  “What’s good for business is good for America [Oceanside].”  Anger and fear received with righteousness and preaching will usually get you some screeching.

Like everyone, I would like to see the pettiness and squabbling displaced by common decency and regard for civil discourse, but I think we need to keep in mind some facts.  It’s not unusual for some in charge of public policy to distribute wealth to the wealthy at the expense of protections of ordinary citizens.  Nor is it uncommon for them to be dispassionate and businesslike as they use public trust to insure opportunity and shelter for the privileged.  These approaches to public policymaking reach back to the beginning of time.

On the other side, when they’ve had their fill of it, it’s not unusual for the public to react angrily.  When the public’s comments to the council are ignored as though they were the rants of the dense and dim-witted, and their petitions signed by thousands are ignored as though they were mindless chattering, they get mad.  When people suffer such things as having their public trust violated, their homes invaded by threats such as loss of equity and imminent domain (for a roadway that goes nowhere), and their water supply threatened, we should wonder they get pissed off?

While Jimmy didn’t offer a specific formula for returning civility to public discourse, I have a suggestion.  Citizens of Oceanside need to vote for candidates who represent the citizens of Oceanside rather than those who promote nefarious “free market” forces that too often benefit outside interests and punish ordinary citizens.  We are fortunate in that we have three candidates who have consistently given us clear evidence for safeguarding the people’s interests.  Esther Sanchez and Dana Corso for the council and Jim Wood for Mayor.