Not long ago, the Star Tribune published a letter from a citizen who complained that "while violence continues to erupt in North Minneapolis, with delivery drivers and children being shot, the focus of the Minneapolis City Council is on banning the circus, abolishing cigarette butts from sidewalks, and other nervous busywork. It appears members do what they can—and not the hard work their positions demand."
I can understand the letter writer's frustration, and I can understand why that frustration would lead him to write that letter. But I wouldn't have been able to write it myself, because there's more to it than simply eliminating what—in one person's eyes—is just trivial.
Obviously, addressing issues like crime and homelessness and truancy and drugs ought to take precedence over reconfiguring one-way-street patterns or deciding whether or not ice cream vendors can have their carts on Nicollet Mall. Not many would argue with that. As a matter of fact, I once proposed in this column that the state legislature be required to assign a priority ranking to all proposed bills each session—and be required to resolve "Priority A" bills before being able to move on to "Priority B" bills. I proposed it, but I'm not sure it could actually work.
The problem is, there aren't any unimportant issues. Our communities and our society have become so complicated that practically every seemingly isolated decision has a ripple effect, the result of which is often near-endless discussion and, too often, lack of action.
A hypothetical example: A "morally fit" citizen wants to get a liquor license for his neighborhood restaurant, which is located an adequate distance from schools and churches. Does he get the license? Not yet.
First, we have to hear from the neighbors. Neighbor 1 is against the idea altogether, because it spells the end of the peaceful, family-oriented neighborhood he has enjoyed for 27 years. Neighbor 2 is okay with the license, but insists there be no loud music, live or canned. Neighbor 3 wants the city to ban an outside patio, because otherwise her kids would be able to see adults drinking. Neighbor 4 wants the city to add bus service to coincide with closing hours, so that drunken patrons won't get in their cars and inflict life-threatening damage on some innocent person or, at the very least, drive on his lawn.
The point is: What's trivial to one person may be all-consuming to another. City leaders, wise and thoughtful as they might be, have to treat all citizens with respect and try to address their concerns. And in so doing, they may appear to some of us to be wasting time or failing to get their priorities straight. They're just trying to do their jobs, folks, and we need to take a deep breath and get that concept through our heads.
The second reason it sometimes appears as though our elected officials are wasting time on trivia is that the processes of examining and dealing with major problems seldom merit speed. Lowering the murder rate in North Minneapolis, eliminating homelessness in our cities, and improving the school dropout rate in inner-city schools are not problems that can be addressed by appointing a committee or pushing a button or buying a new software program.
These problems are overwhelming, complex, multicausal, and deeply entrenched. Not coming up with quick solutions does not mean they are not being studied and acted upon in many ways. Results may be slow to come, partly because some of the solutions that are being tried are the wrong ones, partly because each new effort must be given time to play out, and partly because time must be found to address those other problems that you or I might consider trivial, but which other citizens consider high priority.
Could our mayors and city councils and legislators do better and move faster? Of course they could. Could you and I learn to have a little more understanding and patience? I'll let you answer that one.
