History can be a great teacher if one has the ability and acceptability to learn the lessons being taught. Tonight's Kissimmee City Commission meeting presents us with a rare opportunity to see an example of history working hard to teach a lesson that most in the audience, and on the bench, will not recognize as a lesson because of the silly subject matter. That subject is of course pot-bellied pigs, which even the WayneWho staff thought was a desperate grab for ratings by our Access Osceola public information department.
For those of you who do not remember this issue from the last time it came before the commission, let us set the stage. Several years ago the owner of a Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig, Ms. Piggy, was brought before the commission because of complaints by neighbors about the owners choice of a swine as a live-in companion. The commission at that time sluggishly took action and decided to hear the issue. During that commission meeting swine-pet advocates stepped forward and explained the advantages of pigs as pets. They described the porkers as loving, smart and clean animals that required very little attention. The pro-pork advocates then brought out their secret weapon to finish off the terrified commission, a crying little boy who explained the mutual respect he and his pet pig shared. The commission buckled like a cheap pig-leather belt and the pro-pork advocates won the day.
How could anyone fall for the cute cuddly piglet to grown up aggressive, smelly, and destructive hog bait and switch routine? Personification. Personification is the act of giving human traits (qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics) to inanimate objects or abstract ideas (things, colors, qualities, or ideas). The farm animals were given human characteristics which then afforded them protection under our ordinances instead of a trip to the meat packing plant. The commission's only action at the time was to recognized the animals as domestic pets and turn Kissimmee into a swine sanctuary city. Now this commission is left to deal with the results of the last commission's inaction.
Which brings us to the lesson that history is trying to teach us. (Yes, we are using personification to give the idea of history human qualities.) The Lynx Transfer station is also on the agenda again tonight. Commissioner Irizarry requested last week that this item be brought back before the commission again, even though he has given his approval on the preliminary work twice along with the rest of the commission. He requested this because he has fallen victim to the personification of evil the opponents of the transfer station have created. "The station 'creates' loitering and litter" and "The station 'violates' the lakefront master plan" are just two of the arguments against the station that give it bad human qualities to again scare the commission into inaction.
And therein lies the lesson. Inaction, or limited action, ensures that an issue will come back to haunt the commission and the public in the future, usually with larger, smellier, and more painful consequences. Inaction is almost always the preferred course during election seasons, which is why so many of the same issues reappear right before elections. While voting down the transfer station may seem like plausible action, we hope that commissioners realize that this means they are voting against the transportation concepts that previous commissions have approved. This means this commission would be voting to support inaction for the near-future transportation needs of our community. Commissioners voting against the transfer station need to make sure they explain their views on our future transportation needs and exactly how they intend to improve them if the public transportation is not part of their plan. Voting 'no' does not fix the problem. Worsening gridlock and skyrocketing gas prices smell far worse than our friends of the porcine persuasion and need to given some serious discussion before the politically safe route of inaction is taken.
History teaches us well.
For those of you who do not remember this issue from the last time it came before the commission, let us set the stage. Several years ago the owner of a Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig, Ms. Piggy, was brought before the commission because of complaints by neighbors about the owners choice of a swine as a live-in companion. The commission at that time sluggishly took action and decided to hear the issue. During that commission meeting swine-pet advocates stepped forward and explained the advantages of pigs as pets. They described the porkers as loving, smart and clean animals that required very little attention. The pro-pork advocates then brought out their secret weapon to finish off the terrified commission, a crying little boy who explained the mutual respect he and his pet pig shared. The commission buckled like a cheap pig-leather belt and the pro-pork advocates won the day.
How could anyone fall for the cute cuddly piglet to grown up aggressive, smelly, and destructive hog bait and switch routine? Personification. Personification is the act of giving human traits (qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics) to inanimate objects or abstract ideas (things, colors, qualities, or ideas). The farm animals were given human characteristics which then afforded them protection under our ordinances instead of a trip to the meat packing plant. The commission's only action at the time was to recognized the animals as domestic pets and turn Kissimmee into a swine sanctuary city. Now this commission is left to deal with the results of the last commission's inaction.
Which brings us to the lesson that history is trying to teach us. (Yes, we are using personification to give the idea of history human qualities.) The Lynx Transfer station is also on the agenda again tonight. Commissioner Irizarry requested last week that this item be brought back before the commission again, even though he has given his approval on the preliminary work twice along with the rest of the commission. He requested this because he has fallen victim to the personification of evil the opponents of the transfer station have created. "The station 'creates' loitering and litter" and "The station 'violates' the lakefront master plan" are just two of the arguments against the station that give it bad human qualities to again scare the commission into inaction.
And therein lies the lesson. Inaction, or limited action, ensures that an issue will come back to haunt the commission and the public in the future, usually with larger, smellier, and more painful consequences. Inaction is almost always the preferred course during election seasons, which is why so many of the same issues reappear right before elections. While voting down the transfer station may seem like plausible action, we hope that commissioners realize that this means they are voting against the transportation concepts that previous commissions have approved. This means this commission would be voting to support inaction for the near-future transportation needs of our community. Commissioners voting against the transfer station need to make sure they explain their views on our future transportation needs and exactly how they intend to improve them if the public transportation is not part of their plan. Voting 'no' does not fix the problem. Worsening gridlock and skyrocketing gas prices smell far worse than our friends of the porcine persuasion and need to given some serious discussion before the politically safe route of inaction is taken.
History teaches us well.
3 comments:
Swine or Swan, it is all the same.
It is just like the events they hold in the downtown. The Lakefront residents complain about everything. They think they own the lake and the downtown.
Let's knock down some closed buildings on 192 and put back the cows. At least we would know the source of the pure bulls*** the Commission keeps feeding us
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