When Politics is Just Virtue Signaling
Which is a lot of the time
A bent piece of metal caused technocratic heads to explode last week. The instigating event was an announcement from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Yes, La Sombrita. It means “the shadow” in Spanish, and also means “the problem of bad municipal government has become undeniable” in any language. LADOT spent $200,000 to develop but not perfect an awning, which is technology that small Italian restaurants have had for at least a century. Each unit costs $10,000, even though sheet metal and a drill bit will run you $61 at Home Depot. Plus, you could also — whoa, brainstorm here — not drill the holes and get even more shade!!! La Sombrita features a solar-powered light, and if that makes you think “then maybe it’s not completely fucking stupid,” hold that thought until you see the light:
Many liberals (including me) have noticed that cities run by progressives are often terrible at, you know….progress. We can’t build anything. Our red tape fetish is so severe that it should probably have its own PornHub category. Every stakeholder must have a say, even — nay, especially if they’re nuts. And, as La Sombrita demonstrates, cities sometimes partner with nonprofits who add value to city government in the same way that a grisly murder adds value to real estate.