Priority of Chicago reflects governments

Governments at virtually all levels do interesting things. I often think that governments - and by that I mean the people we elect to act as our leaders - address issues they think they can solve while simply studying those issues that are harder to address.

Case in point today is the great city of Chicago. The city council in Chicago has in recent weeks banned smoking in all public places, banned the use of cell phones while driving and outlawed the sale of foie gras, a goose liver delicacy created by force-feeding birds to fatten their livers. The council is now proposing to restrict fast-food chains from cooking with trans fat oils which are thought to clog arteries.

In the meantime, gang violence is near epidemic proportions there and a number of top city officials have been arrested for illegal acts.

You see, government realizes they can force us not to use cell phones while driving, for example. But they are clueless on how to reduce gang violence and drug sales. So instead of placing all of their resources in the real problems, they instead opt to make changes where there is less opposition and an easier solution.

The problem with this policy, of course, is that issues get addressed and changes do indeed happen. But in the larger picture, those issues that truly impact a city go unaddressed. It's not always for lack of concern. It's the inability to know how to change the bigger issues that drives governments to address the less difficult issues.

Take the issue of a constitutional amendment against flag burning. Now I'm as patriotic as the next guy and I am absolutely repulsed by anyone who would burn the American flag. But let's be honest; there are so very many other much more important issues facing this nation. The problem is that those issues are more difficult to address. So instead of concentrating on those important issues, governments tend to tackle other less important subjects perhaps just to show that they are doing something. I'm really not sure.

Local governments - including our own - are guilty as well. We tend to turn our focus on issues that have some importance but we lack real action on issues that are much more important. Everyone, I believe, knows the real issues that Sikeston is facing. The make-up of our community has changed substantially over the past decade or so and those changes have put pressure on our ability to delivery the services that are required. We are addressing this issue without a doubt. But are we doing all we can, as fast as we can with as much commitment as we can?

Chicago tackles a foie gras ban because it's easy. They are concerned about the homicides and the gang violence but they lack the answers. What they should do, in my opinion, is forget the goose livers and put all of their resources into eliminating that element that is killing their city.

But they're not going to listen to me. So what else is new?