This week on his blog, Central Dallas Ministries' president and CEO Larry James ponders what he would do were he Dallas' mayor. The Willie Nelson fan who drives a 1953 Chevy pickup and reads books about liberation theology offers 16 campaign platforms that would never fly in a city such as this one. After all, how can you expect to create Utopia when Dallas has been operating more like Freedonia for years? Still, "it's a fairly fun and distracting game," James writes, as he imagines a city in which politicians actually care about the entirety of the population as opposed to their individual fiefdoms. So, what would he do as mayor? Well, in short, he'd do this:
"The Mayor's office would be dedicated to the development of human and social capital to the end that Dallas would be known as one of America's friendliest cities for making a life and a home for everyone. Or, as we often say around Central Dallas Ministries, we would devote ourselves to 'creating Mayberry' like communities and neighborhoods all over Dallas for the mutual benefit of every resident!"
The longer version you should read yourself, then keep reading James' blog every day. Oh, and James needs your help, if you can be bothered: CDM needs at least $100,000 by October 31 "to pay the required acceptance fee to the State of Texas to receive our low-income, housing tax credit award, to keep our architects working on our City Walk @ Akard project and to pay down our food supply account at the North Texas Food Bank," as James mentioned earlier this month. Me, I can't be bothered with sincerity, compassion and thoughtfulness. Snark, baby. The kids eat it up. --Robert Wilonsky
