Speaker is full of herself, among other things

From the Observer:

The speaker of the New York City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, has an unusual strategy for solving city problems. When she came upon a broken Walk-Don’t Walk sign, she didn’t call 311 to report it. Nor did she shoot an email to the Department of Transportation’s chief to convey the importance of fixing this particular safety device—perhaps more quickly than normal. Instead, Mark-Viverito tweeted about it.

Surprisingly, a staffer at DOT saw Mark-Viverito’s tweet. But this on-top-of-it staffer almost immediately responded in kind—via Twitter—and informed the speaker that the most effective way to get fast action was to call the 311 hotline.

Mark-Viverito responded in full huff: “whaaaat???” she tweeted. “This a joke? Or an auto response? Or maybe even an intern? Not a response for an elected.”

Unfortunately, Mark-Viverito made it all about her: you don’t know who I am? Is an “elected” a new protected class? Is her sense of self-importance so out of control?

If Mark-Viverito had called 311 or emailed the DOT commissioner and not gotten results, a tweet would certainly have been appropriate. But we’d like to suggest to Mark-Viverito that a public servant—yes, that is the more appropriate word for an “elected”—is here to serve, not to huff or berate. And that includes disparaging interns.

Woodside film shoot starts too early

"I took these pics about 4:00 yesterday (Tues) on 48th ave and 43rd street in Woodside where they are doing a TV shoot today. As the notice clearly states, there is no parking as of 10:00 PM Tuesday night, yet as you can see, they were already blocking off spaces at least SIX hours (probably even earlier) before the stated deadline! They are really taking advantage!

Thanks." - Anonymous

PS: I just noticed they are parking their trucks and trailers in front of the fire hydrants again.

What a country we've become

From the NY Post:

For most of our history, it was a given that success and failure were two sides of the same coin -- and that both were necessary. The world was a nasty place, and for generations of newcomers, liberty was blessing enough.

No more. Our culture now demands not just the chance for happiness, but also the result. Millions of Americans believe that are entitled to get what they want because they want it.

They are not pursuing happiness. They are demanding it.

Meanwhile, failure gets a bad rap. And why not? If happiness is available on demand, failure is for suckers.

This cultural switch is ruinous, and a betrayal of the spirit of 1776. The idea that their countrymen would demand bailouts for their businesses and homes, handouts for not working and a life without duty to family and community would shock the founders. They would find it hard to comprehend the popularity of notions like "spreading the wealth around" and the desire to punish earned success by seizing its fruits.

Never mind that you lived with the old values, that you sacrificed and worked and saved for what you have. Now you must pay and pay again for those who didn't. Oh, and shut up about it, too.

That is the fault line of America's culture war in 2011. Pray that the spirit and wisdom of the founders prevails. Otherwise, our nation won't.