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On Saturday, we had a nice big snowstorm here in the Twin Cities. My house had 7" of wet, heavy snow. I shoveled it, but this isn't about me. This is about a phenomenon that I think affects the politics of this country. When it snows, the City of St. Paul (and other cities) declares a snow emergency. When that happens, people have to move their cars off the street to allow the snowplows to clear the streets. It's a big hassle for some people, especially those who live where they have no off-street parking. Such is not the case in my neighborhood, where every house has a driveway and a garage. Those who ignore this and leave their cars on the street end up with them towed to the city impound lot, and retrieving them costs about $200.
The media covers these snow emergencies thoroughly. Even on weekends, every radio station and television station broadcasts the snow emergency declaration and talks about getting cars off the street. The city also sends out emails to everyone who has registered for that service. Plus, it's not like this doesn't happen every time there's a snowstorm. You can't live here without knowing about snow emergencies. The plowing happens in the same way each time, so you'd pretty much have to not be paying attention at all.
So, here's my neighborhood: 1950s houses, almost all owner-occupied. A driveway at every house. So, on my block alone, six cars were towed. Six. What can that mean? Six cars, all in running condition, to my certain knowledge. Our street was plowed a day after the storm, so it wasn't as though it happened suddenly. The snow emergency rules have been the same for the entire 6 years I've lived here. There are half a dozen of these snow emergencies every year. What does it mean?
It means that six people were not paying enough attention to the world around them that they ignored 7" of snow, didn't hear the radio or watch television, and just left their cars on the street. This morning, of course, the teevee news was all about the outrage from people who had to get to the impound lot and cough up a couple hundred bucks to get their car back. Team coverage.
I suppose an argument could be made about the unfairness of all this, but the fact is that if the plows plowed around the cars, the streets would be an even worse mess than they already are over the winter. In Minnesota, the snow on the street stays there all winter if it's not plowed. It slowly turns to rock-hard ice blocks, and is a serious hazard.
Where does politics fit into this? Well, if those people cannot be relied upon even to notice that there's 7" of snow on the street, listen to the radio, read the newspaper, or check their email, what is the chance that they're paying any attention to political issues. So, when things happen that affect them, they're suddenly outraged - just as they are when their car gets towed and costs them money. They take no action by voting, but they're incensed when things don't go their way - just as they're incensed about the city towing their car so the streets can be cleared. Lots of people aren't paying any attention, but they're pissed anyhow. I see this as a real problem, and have no idea what to do about it.
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