Closures Breed Resentment

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Editor, 

Looking at the uproar about City Hall closing every second Friday, I know that the offered solution was useless or inadequate at best.

Discussing how much work is done, for how much money, and when, will hardly lead to a satisfactory solution. We all can justify that our reasons are valid by arguing about semantics forever.

It seems obvious that there is a misunderstanding on a higher level, namely the function of government and citizens. Is not government supposed to be exemplary, and therefore, would it not be the last body that shifts to a four-day work week after everyone already did? Is government to serve us? How and how much? Are we to serve or accommodate the government? How much does government accommodate us?

These are all questions about our functions in society. One thing is for sure. Convenience and consistency are still among the most overseen and undervalued forces that help us navigate an increasingly busy world. Having City Hall open from Monday till Thursday, with phones staffed for emergencies, would have been a more acceptable solution for our time. Inconsistencies like every second Friday closures could not work well for any service industry. Services would commit suicide when offering inconsistencies in scheduling and any inconvenience to use their service. Other companies would move in right away.

The lack of a clear definition of what is to be expected and what not is the cause of what people are really upset about. Accommodating without being accommodated reverses and distorts the function of who serves whom. Inconsistent opening hours could have worked perhaps 15 years ago. Today, such inconsistencies are unthinkable and would likely fuel more disdain. These times require any community to work together not against each other. I am asking both sides, how does that feel if your supermarket, gas station, car repair are to close every second Friday?   Experts say for every problem there are at least 100 solutions. We are just not aware of them. I know one thing for sure. There are better solutions out there. So put your thinking caps on instead of wasting time arguing.

 

Michaell Magrutsche, Laguna Beach

 

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