Tell Me Lies

I don't know about you but we're not even halfway in to campaign season in Kansas City and we've been inundated with promises that guarantee nearly everything from a chicken in every pot to a white woman in my bed . . . Which is all I really care about anyway.

Don't get it twisted, some of the things being mentioned are downright essential to the survival of this city and it's good to hear somebody talk about these issues but most of you might remember Country Club Kay promising attention to KC's Neighborhoods when she entered office and doing anything but pay attention to the will of her citizenry once she earned the title. Put simply, there is no promise that people in KC haven't heard from a politician.

What might be just as important is what they've already accomplished and a bit of their rep.

But when a member of the City Council starts talking smack about changing this town you can't take it too seriously.



On a very personal note Beth Gottstein's vicious and misguided little whispering campaign against yours truly in the Latino community points out quite a few things as well . . . First of all, she wears Black way too much to be trusted (Goth chick?). She can't take a joke. Unlike smarter web denizens she doesn't know this page is half satire, mostly links and all B.S. AND the fact that she would even bother with my dumb ass proves that her priorities are insane and she doesn't know that I only date white women with big asses.

Additionally, I find it puzzling that Janice Ellis is making Education one of her main issues when THE MAYOR HAS ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER WHAT HAPPENS IN THE KCMO SCHOOL DISTRICT. Of course, she's talking about using the office as bully pulpit but those of you who have any history in this town might remember Mayor Cleaver's efforts to cut down truancy only resulted in a few kids forced to attend violent, inefficient and substandard schools and after a few months nobody remembered his efforts anyway.

But don't think that I'm claiming that political experience is a must . . . 4th District Council Candidate Mark Forsythe is a newcomer to political office but he has clearly shown everyone what he thinks about the issues facing this city and his thought process regarding this town's problems. Not to mention that he actually does have a decent amount of experience in neighborhood issues and not just small time politics and cocktail parties.

But the thing is . . . And this is a constant complaint of mine . . . Is that oftentimes local political coverage often fails to report the cynicism that's an integral part of Kansas City's election process. If you really look around the upcoming primary you'll see few people attending events, sparse voter turnout come the cold ass day of the election and little overall interest . . . But the stories will make it seem as if this next election is the center of the universe for people in KC and local politicos unfortunately believe the hype as well.

Whereas, the reality in this town is that people seldom trust promises from strangers but instead would rather know what kind of person your are, what you've accomplished and why they should care.