they've "got issues"

...on the other hand things look one way from the Outside and probably another way from the Inside...thinking about the two largest "cities" or towns in the state where I live -- the biggest town in the Eastern part, and the second-biggest out West -- in my mind, was somewhat "dissing" on the idea of someone I knew -- or knew of, sort of -- moving to the western one.  But when I Google the crime rate in each, looks like the eastern one is worse...if am reading the figures correctly. ...

And when I consider the big town out west, realize I've met plenty of perfectly nice people from there -- multi-layered impressions of that area came from someone telling me years ago that the western town didn't have much of a "middle class" -- it was a few people with a lot of money and a whole bunch of people without much money.

And an impression derived from lobbying experience in the state capital -- in the 90s some member or other of the state legislature representing a district in the second biggest town out west, would bring a bill to -- like -- get rid of their county commissioners.  I mean, not -- have them killed or anything, but to remove them and -- to recall them, or something, or have a new election....

And then the following year it would be the school board instead of the county commission, and some other year there'd be a bill from that town to "do something" about the representatives on the city council.

No one told me this information; I noticed it, over a period of years, reading summaries of proposed bills -- information which comes to a person in this way is sort of -- gradual, peripheral -- it isn't the information you're looking for, or watching out for, but somewhere in your brain you notice it anyway and then one day you just go, "Hold on a minute!  What is the deal here?!  If these people in this city aren't 'kickin' the ass' of their county commission, they're gettin' - after their city, & if it isn't the city it's the school board -- arrrggh!  can these folks not handle local government????"

They'd bring it on up to the state capital and say, Hey, our local mucky-mucks are doin' us wrong, we're going over their heads to get some help from the state legislature. 

And they'd stand in the committee meeting-room, and watch that committee.  They'd have a guy lined up to testify. ...

Legislators' response to these salvos was usually -- "Those are your local elected officials.  If you do not like the job they are doing, vote them out, next election."

And some would add:  "If we micro-manage your city / county / school from up here in the capital, you would probably feel like the State was Micro-Managing your local processes, and you would say, Hey!  We want Local Control!!..."

micro-manage
local control
blah blah blah

And as I would observe these processes, I would remember my high school teacher who told me it's a sort of polarized city with sort of a lack of understanding, sometimes, because there's no middle class, and no social or economic mobility.  And -- thought:  This is what it comes to -- this is why they -- live there, but during Legislature, almost every year, they're Here trying to redress a sense, or concern, that the powers-that-be who run things in their town do not understand their needs and aspirations and maybe -- (would it be possible?) -- do not give a damn.
(Don't ask me I don't give a damn -- next stop is Vietnam...)

It's that kind of dynamic which creates divisions between groups of people, and sometimes discord, and then, hopefully, a Creative Plan for Progress that makes everyone happier.  Somewhat.  Hopefully.
(well come on Wall Street, don't move slow -- Why man, this is war au-go-go -- There's plenty good money to be made...)

One year as I was reading a list of bills to be heard in a committee and there was another one of those "take our local officials -- please!" bills from the western city there happened to be a lobbyist with decades of experience lobbying in this state, so I just asked him -- Why is there a bill like this, almost every year, from that town...?
He kind of looked at the committee schedule for a minute, frowned a little, and then looked at me with this bright-eyed look he always had, of being Very Interested in his work, and said, curiously, "I don't know!  [pause]  But it's always been that way. ..."

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