Austin"s Open Government?

In gambling it's called a "stacked deck" when the cards in a poker game have been pre-arrainged so that particular people win and particular people don't have a chance.

The Austin Whiz kids that actually run city hall have worked out a new wrinkle. They schedule the "open" city meetings so early that the average citizen can't get off work in time to sign up on their version of first come first served basis to be heard, and add a really slick twist have the meetings held in a room just small enough to have the selected few accomodated and then to meet the "open meetings" statutes provide other rooms to accomodate the late comers.

This is a 2007 version of a "stacked deck", Austin style.

Thats just one more reason that so many folks like we who live in "urban sprawl" areas where the city dads hold their meetings at a time and in a place that is a level playing field for all their citizens, and get to participate in their government.

I just love to read in the Austin American Statesman when they report the council meetings where folks wearing matching "gimmy" caps have won the day for their cause.

Who in the heck do the Austin city dads think they are fooling with these shenaggans? Most of us didn't just fall off the Turnup truck, so once again we urban sprawlers are ahead of the game and invite all you disenfranchised Austinites to move out here and leave Austin to the California imports. They are already used to this style of government.