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Some of you may have noticed that BBN has been less active over the past month or so. There is  a reason for that -  our original premise was wrong when we created BBN. We thought that the problem with Brady City Government was an apathetic citizenry. We thought that city leaders would be responsive and welcome citizen participation. Wrong, Wrong and Wrong again.

Recognizing personal error is a difficult, humbling process. It usually requires a stark, shocking event to get it started.

One such event is the Brady Police Department showing up in force at public meetings to stifle public comment. The Police are there to forcibly remove anyone who offends the Mayor even though there is no violence or threat of violence, just verbal disagreement and a return of the same verbal contempt and disrespect the City Council so freely dispenses upon its citizens.

Whether the Police will forcibly deny American Citizens in Brady their right to verbally disagree with their political leaders hasn't been tested, but the threat is so foreign and Un-American that it shocks and chills the soul. How can this happen in Brady, Texas? How are citizens supposed to respond when peaceful dialog is no longer permissible? The implications are tragic. No sane person wants to go there.

It is true that the citizens of Brady elected the City Council and Mayor. But they were elected to represent citizen interests, not dictate. There is a difference. Responsible people in Brady see that Government at all levels is spending more than the citizenry can ever hope to pay in taxes. It is as true in Brady as it is in Washington, DC. Sensible citizens know it will collapse into chaos when the bills come due. Avoiding that chaos and the resulting conflict will require doing something different.

The Government, including the City of Brady, has a monopoly on the threat and use of violence to impose its will upon the citizenry. Governments also have the power tax the citizen and borrow money the citizen is obligated to repay with interest. Both of these extreme powers were freely granted to the Government by citizens. When not abused by our political leaders, they are absolutely necessary for a peaceful, functioning community.

Make no mistake - if any citizen or group of citizens directly challenges either of those extraordinary powers, they will be crushed and suffer personal loss of income, property and freedom.

Even in the unlikely event that such a challenge succeeded, the winners would find that they would have to grant similar powers to a new group for the community to function. Police exist to protect honest citizens from human predators. Taxes, in one form or another, are necessary to provide common public services.

Doing "Something Different" must start with those realities.

Bread on a Dinner PlateThat "something different" begins at home and extends into the community where we live. We are going to have to become more self-reliant because the cascade of federal and state money showering down on us is certainly going to end. When? No one knows. It may be sudden or it may be gradual. It may be that there isn't much money or it may mean that there is lots of money that won't buy much.

But it will end, because printing money will not make one single slice of bread. Not printing it means we, as a nation or a city or individuals, can't meet our obligations.

What do the citizens want from the City Council? They probably just want basic public services at an affordable price and a City Council that is transparent and responsive.

Created: 16 December 2012