Post in I am a citizen not a consumer

Jul 23 16:36 UTC

On 23-Jul-08, at 10:20 AM, Mark Cassell wrote:
> when a public official asks a bureaucracy or agent of the state to
> treat customers with more respect, I think included in that notion
> of customer are all individuals who have contact with that public
> institution whether it's users of public utilities, public
> education, or public services.

Exactly the kind of distinction that needs to be held in mind by
everyone in our public institutions: governance and operations.
Sometimes as a resident of a particular jurisdiction I am a consumer
of services delivered by public sector institutions.  As a citizen I
heap expectations upon politicians to govern the public sector
institutions in a manner that suits my perceived needs.

If the politicians who govern in this jurisdiction are of any
description (from dictators to popularly and directly elected
democrats) there's still a whole lot of interpretation going on in
that relationship between governing politician and citizen. Hackneyed
example: Mussolini made the trains run on time, so he was meeting the
needs of consumers not by becoming a train engineer but by governing
in a manner that somehow reflected some of the expectations of citizens.

On 23-Jul-08, at 10:20 AM, Mark Cassell wrote:
> as representative of citizens, the connection between a public
> official and non-citizen is ambiguous and vague. Some argue that we
> have little responsibility for the needs of non-citizens. Others
> take a more altruistic or pragmatic view, arguing that we should
> address the needs of non-citizens because it's the right thing to do
> or because it makes the most economic sense.

I think most elected politicians don't have a problem with this.  If
they rely on popular votes for re-election then they know that non-
voters know voters and the issues always overlap. eg: the immigrant
was sponsored by a voter, and the youth will become voting age some
day. They still might choose to demonize immigrants and blame those
pesky teenagers for problems or address the issues. The real problem I
think this whole thread might be about is the shift politicians make
into selling themselves in public rather than governing.

...john miller (sorry to post so much yesterday and today. I just
started a bit of vacation and haven't shut off the computer yet. I'll
stop now. Thanks for the ongoing stimulation)