Council's Funding Up in Air Over Sculpture's Bird Theme. Rebecca Elliott, HoustonChronicle.com($$$)
"Bird migration. Why?" Councilman Robert Gallegos asked during an 18-minute debate alternately tense and jesting. "How are we promoting the city with global trade, space exploration? That's what Houston is. I don't have a problem that you want to promote the birds, but promote global trade."
Further down the article District A Councilman Brenda Stardig weighs in, which is always fun...
"I've expressed my concern to Houston First about our branding and trying to make us something that we're not," Stardig said, referring to the agency that runs the city's convention and entertainment facilities. "We need to embrace our space. We're known for NASA. People come here, they don't talk about the migration of birds."
Uh-huh.
Ignoring, for a minute, the continued waste of money on trinket governance that this sculpture represents (Funding couldn't have come from private sources, or fundraising?), the idea that sculptures are to be taken literally reveals a stunning lack of creativity on the part of Council members Gallgos and Stardig.
First, there is a long literary history tying birds with space, and flight in general. Second, global trade can certainly be signified by birds. The winged messenger Mercury anyone? Third, Houston is not really "known" for either of those things, despite what the councilmembers think. Houston is known as a place to get business done. To be honest, it could have been a sculpture of key buildings in Omaha and no one would have given it two thoughts.
Even more amazing is that this became an issue in the first place. With all of the problems that Houston is currently staring down the City Council decided they needed to pause and spend 20 minutes talking about carved birds?
You've read before where I've said that the US Congress is nothing more than a collection of America's lowest common denominator in D.C. I think you can say something similar about Houston City Hall. Often in politics we are stuck with a choice of the least of us, those striving for power or influence or just feeling the need to be important. The adrenaline shot of having a majority pick you out of a lineup and pull a voting lever for you is an insatiable drug for many. The true irony is that in politics those who are most capable of governing in a rational competent manner usually have no desire to do so.
This is because they can, and do, accomplish so much more in the private sector.
What we're left with then is a group of people who argue over bird sculptures and then turn around, with a straight face, and tell their constituents that they are "fighting" for them. I've no doubt that Stardig and Gallegos view themselves as fighters. Sadly, the Battle of the Birds is going to be pretty much their biggest fight.
And that says all you need to know.
