It’s Always About Power

Many of our major cities today face out of control homelessness, rising crime, a collapsed central business district because of COVID, and poor public schools. But many of our mayors know what to do about . . . climate change.

The midwits at Axios report on a poll of mayors asking what “tools” they want to fight climate change. Guess what? They want more power. Who could have seen that coming. Here’s the chart:

More “influence.” More “control.” (I like how mayors want more “control over streets and sidewalks,” but don’t expect that “control” to extend to the homeless encampments making city streets and sidewalks into outdoor latrines.) More “authority” to ban things and control behavior.  More subsidies. More propaganda (though they call it “persuasion” here). The point is: for the left, any excuse to acquire more power will do. This is one reason for the durability of climate change as a political cause: it offers nearly endless possibilities for government to acquire more power and control over people and resources.  There may never be an issue as good as this for the left.

Here’s an idea: how about we not give more “tools” to these municipal tools until they start doing a more competent job of basic tasks, like controlling crime and unhousedness. (Yes, I’m deferring to the new PC term “unhoused,” because it offers up the perfect slogan: “The ‘unhoused’—brought to you by the unhinged.”)

By the way, check out the lede of the Axios article:

Many mayors want to take forceful steps to combat climate change — like banning gas stoves or leaf blowers — but fear such moves would be political poison, a new poll shows.

Wait—I thought banning gas stoves was right-wing culture war demagoguery? “Political poison” you say? I know where I’m going to stick the leaf blower I don’t have but now intend to buy for a new use.

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