Wanna know how to do the two step? Watch the City Council Meeting...DANCE DANCE DANCE!!!

I can't help myself...please excuse the title line of this post...I just couldn't help it!

If you had the stomach to catch the council meeting last night (or were ULTRA brave and went like my homey Corky Booze), you saw something interesting: an innocent man defending himself for wanting to fix a problem.

Let me explain:

After the postings on this blog, you might think I have it out for the good Rev. Shumake. Actually, this is not the case. I respect the man and his passion for finding solutions. We've had inspired discussion on a few things, including our mutual dislike for poverty pimps.

I believe that Rev. Shumake in his heart wants the violence stopped; as does his organization (the truth tazer digs this).

Here's the problem:

Last night should have never happened at all. If the Council would have followed procedure correctly, they would have alerted Rev. Shumake at the March 21st meeting that he needed more information to fulfill the requirements to seek funding, matching or otherwise and given him proper instruction.

This is what happens when agenda items come up late at night (I mean REALLY late at night...this alone raises questions based on past results, but that's another post).

Instead, this whole thing went to a vote and was given the go ahead to make a stop at the City Manager's desk.

So we fast forward to last night. The City Council is doing the ol' Texas two step because they knew what had happened was a screw up in a major way. All the buzz leading up to this item at last night's meeting fired up both those for and against to come out of the gate swinging.

Long story short, Rev Shumake took the bulk of his time defending his position, when instead all he needed was the 30 seconds he used to mention the fact that he's done what the Council had asked him to do in order to get to this point. That would have been enough to help people understand that neither he, nor RIA are really the issue.

Tom Butt has said it and I will agree: This issue isn't with RIA; it's with the Council and the process! How does an agenda item go from "discussion" on the agenda to getting voted on?

Then we had the pleasure of enduing the back and forth of whether breaking the rules was right or wrong...you would have thought I was watching my beloved 49ers playing the way I was screaming at the TV.

In closing, I will admit watching that BS inspired me. I don't like the process, nor do I like my public officials having that much control over me. I'm going to work to change the rules they have to play by so that there are no more "mistakes".

I look forward to a healthy discussion on this. My take is just one of many!