Crowds

Dear Crowd:

We're used to the minimalist argument for democracy, the argument that even though the mindless masses are stupid as cattle (nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public, right?), it's still better to let people participate to some degree in their own self-governance. Let them vote every two or four years, and then let the experts who know better make all the decisions between elections. Certainly, that's the assumption behind the way local government is conducted in DC. Whether it's building a baseball stadium, redeveloping entire neighborhoods of the city, or running the public schools, experts and the special interests meet with the bureaucrats and the elected officials, and when the plans are completed, they are either sold to the public in medicine-show tents disguised as town hall forums or passed so fast the public doesn't become aware of them until after they are a done deal. Things are done this way because the experts and the special interests and the bureaucrats and the elected officials know that they know best — they know that the public couldn't have anything of value to contribute to the process.

Well, the minimalist argument for democracy is all wet. Democracy works because the people, the stupid mob, the ignorant crowd, are smarter and make better decisions than all the experts and special interests and bureaucrats and elected officials combined. Let me recommend a book. James Surowiecki, a columnist for the New Yorker and Slate.com, has written The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies, and Nations. Here's how the publisher's web site describes its central idea: “large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant — better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future” (http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=0-375-43362-7). The review in the Christian Science Monitor explains: “As counterintuitive as it sounds, however, the mathematics work so long as Surowiecki's three key criteria — independence, diversity, and decentralization — are satisfied. 'If you ask a large enough group,' he says, 'to make a prediction or estimate a probability,' the errors they make cancel each other out. 'Subtract the error, and you're left with the information.' In this fashion, the TV studio audience of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' guessed the right answer to questions 91 percent of the time, torching the 'experts,' who guessed the right answer only 65 percent of the time” (http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0525/p15s02-bogn.html).

If you want an informed, intelligent, wise decision on matters of public policy, leave the decision making to the much despised masses — to us. If you want bad government, leave it to the small, closed circles of people meeting behind closed doors who make the decisions now.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Evans Says Ballpark Machinations Are No Big Deal
Ed Delaney, profeddel@yahoo.com

Even though the Post pointed out that “the amendment directs the mayor to begin negotiations with federal authorities to acquire Banneker Overlook, and to build a 'deck' [code word to start a measure of stadium site work immediately, since that "deck," or "platform," as it's referred to later in the article, above I-395 is where the stadium would go] around the overlook that straddles Interstate 395” (http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20040531-125834-8263r.htm), Evans insists that the amendment is practically meaningless, so no one should worry about it, despite the fact that the Post indicated in yesterday's article that “the approval of [the amendment to be offered by Evans] would put the mayor and council on record in support of a plan to finance a stadium.”

Also, the magic fountain of TIF dollars is being bandied about again for stadium financing, which is ridiculous since Wall Street bond rating agencies are understandably concerned about having sufficient backup lined up to guarantee payback. Also, I don’t know what DC’s TIF capacity is now, but it had been $300 million over a year ago. If TIF dollars do have a limit in the city, their use for a ball park that will host a private concern like a ball club (as well as for a superfluous concert venue — which DC already has plenty of — if the rumored use as a "combo stadium/performance amphitheater" comes to be), it will indeed prevent dollars from being spent somewhere else on a project more worthy to receive such funding and which couldn’t get financed otherwise.

Either way, Evans is sending out the message that no one has to bother concerning themselves with this harmless amendment, that he suggests he might table if he feels like it, which is a sure signal to me that he wants to continue to keep this as low profile as possible, lest the public weigh in on his cozy scheme with Herb Miller, Major League Baseball, the Washington Baseball Club, the embryonic Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, et al., let alone influence it or stop it.

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Special-Interest Rezoning Proposal Threatens Last Affordable Housing in West End
Deborah Akel, dakel@earthlink.net

It's a David and Goliath story: powerful millionaire developer tries to convince DC Zoning Commission to rezone his and surrounding property to increase market value and clear the way for big, expensive luxury condo project. At risk: a 45-unit rent-controlled apartment building, two historic townhouses, and the neighborhood library. Want to grab a slingshot and help? Come to the hearing on Thursday, June 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the DC Zoning Commission, 441 4th Street, NW, 2nd floor (Judiciary Square Metro Stop).

If you're for rent control, affordable housing, diversity, and inclusionary zoning, come to the hearing and let your voice be heard! If you're a friend of the West End Library, or libraries in general, come and speak out! Or if you just like rooting for the underdog, come and support our cause!

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As Well Planned As the D-Day Invasion
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom

And not only well planned but well organized and well implemented. That was my impression of the World War II Memorial dedication celebration over the last four days. I was a volunteer for two days at the event including the very crowded Saturday events. The folks who did such a fine job in making this celebration so successful were the same folks who conduct the Folklife Festival for the Smitshsonian. It was an emotional experience for me to meet and talk with so many of those old vets who gave up a big part of their lives in support of their country.

How times have changed. In no US war since the “good war” has the whole country been united behind the government and the forces that fight for our government. Everyone that I knew, or read about made sacrifices to help in the war effort from 1941 to 1945. Can you imagine telling SUV drivers today that they could only get enough gas to drive 240 miles for the whole month?

Great job you folks at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival have done.

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WWII Memorial Dedication
Annie McCormick, amccormick@itic.org

I realize that the dedication of the WWII Memorial was a huge and arduous task. It was still disorganized. Many roads were blocked off and it wasn't clear (even with maps from the dedication commission and the Washington Post) the best way to get there on foot. We walked down 17th Street and wanted to cross 17th Street to the Corcoran side. We were told by District officer in a car in the middle of the street to stop right there in the middle of the street and go back to the other corner. So here are fifteen to twenty pedestrians going back and forth like a school of fish while he rudely ordered us around. Then the park police on the side we were told to go to, told us to cross the street. We told him that the officer twenty feet away from him in the car told us to stand where we were. When I asked about going down the side of the street on which we were ordered to stand, (there were people coming up the sidewalk) he said "that's an exit". We were finally allowed to cross the street (never being told why we were ordered about), and got across Constitution. After several security check points, we could not find seating section 2, nor any signs indicating Section 2 where we had tickets. When we asked, a “helpful” volunteer pointed to a sign that clearly said 1B and said “this is section 2.” What? We never did find section 2. We sat down in one section for over twenty minutes and the program had just started when we were told to move because it was handicapped seating (there were no signs indicating this or we never would have sat down in the first place). What a mess. Frustrated, we left and went down to The Wall. Afterwards, we went to Farragut North Metro station. The announcement said there was a train at Dupont Circle disabled and red line trains were sharing one track. We had to wait over 25 minutes for a train. Great, on one of the busiest tourists weekends of the year and Metro is messed up. In all Saturday was a good day, but it was frustrating and confusing.

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National Zoo Tiger Cub Web Cam
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com

This web cam has to be seen to be believed. The mother tiger spends a lot of time licking her cubs. It makes me want to go hug her and maybe rub her stomach. Very gently rub her stomach. And rub her behind the ears. Very gently rub her behind the ears. http://natzoo.si.edu/Animals/GreatCats/. (You'll need Windows Media Player and a high-speed Internet connection to view this web cam.)

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Don’t Take Fundrace.org Too Seriously
Am Turnip, amturnip@yahoo.com.mx

Fundrace.org (themail, May 30) doesn't show, for some reason, my donations (to Howard Dean). Also, by the way, I heard a relative remark some time ago about having made a contribution to a certain candidate, and the relative isn't in Fundrace's list either. A flaw in Fundrace? Evidence of rampant fraud in donation reporting? Who knows? But the bottom line is, the absence of an entry on Fundrace might not mean what it looks like.

[Fundrace.org uses Federal Election Commission report databases, and translates them into an easily searchable format. Neither Fundrace nor Eyebeam, its parent nonprofit, describes how that is done on their web sites, but I'd imagine that omissions and errors are more likely to occur in individual campaigns' reports to the FEC than through the software's manipulation of the data. Another explanation of donations missing on Fundrace is that their database doesn't report donations that total less than $200 to a single campaign. — Gary Imhoff]

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

DC Public Library Events, June 3, 7
Debra Truhart, debra.truhart@dc.gov

Thursday, June 3, 10 and 11:30 a.m., Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403 7th Street, SE. Author Dia Michels reads from her book, Look What I See! Where Can I Be? With My Animal Friends, at this Southeast Neighborhood Library kick off of Summer Quest 2004: Readers Rule! Children will learn how to make an edible butterfly, play a camouflage game, do animal measurements and learn how mammals breathe. Ages 2 –5. Public contact: 698-3377.

Thursday, June 3, 12:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room A-5. 2004 Brown Bag Recital Series. Pianist Ralitza Patcheva and cellist Vasily Popov perform music by Boccherini, Bach and Chopin. Bring your lunch! All ages. Public contact: 727-1248. Thursday, June 3, 2:30 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, Room 221. The Rivals, a play by Richard Sheridan, will be discussed. Public contact: 727-1295.

Monday, June 7, 6:30 p.m., Northeast Neighborhood Library, 330 7th Street, NE. Capitol Hill Mystery Book Club. Enjoy a good mystery! Come to a lively group discussion that is held each month at the library. Copies of the current book are available at the library. Adults. Public contact: 698-3320.

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Sixth Street Church Yard Sale, June 5
Suzanne Kramer, dckramers@earthlink.net

Sixth Presbyterian Church, 16th and Kennedy Streets, NW, will hold its annual yard sale on Saturday, June 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A wide assortment of items will be available for sale, including appliances, computers, baby and adult clothing, books, air conditioners, plants, yard utensils. Hot dogs, baked goods, and other food items will also be on hand.

We invite you to join us on Saturday on our front lawn to search for bargains and enjoy yourself.

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McLean Gardens Yard Sale, June 5
Trudy Reeves, trudyreeves@starpower.net

McLean Gardens community lawn sale, Saturday, June 5, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., on Porter Street at 38th Street, NW, two blocks west of Wisconsin Avenue.

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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE

What to Do with an Old Car
Paul Penniman, paul@mathteachingtoday.com

We are practically giving away an '87 Civic that looks like hell but runs OK. In fact, we will give it away (your suggestions are welcome) unless you come by Davenport just West of Connecticut to take a look — you can't miss it — by this Friday.

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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS

LPs
Diane A. Pecor, pecorda@earthlink.net

I have a very large collection of LPs and have decided that most of them need a new home. Does anyone have advice on where or how I might sell them?

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