Save the Frogs!

    In the classic example of the danger of ignoring small changes, 19th century experiments showed that if you place a frog in a pot of boiling water, the frog will jump out of the pot. But, if you put the frog in a pot of cool water, then slowly raise the temperature, the frog will sit in the pot until the boiling water kills him.
    I don't want to sound overly dramatic, but the truth is that our liberties die a little at a time.  No one suddenly and completely denies citizens access to public records.  The City and School System will not lock the doors to keep citizens out of public meetings.  And, Central's ordinances controlling development will not be thrown out over night. If any of that happened, the frog would immediately notice and jump out of the pot.
    What does happen, is that small limitations are placed on larger rights and freedoms, and very gradually the water gets hot, and no one notices.  Then one day we all wake up to find ourselves in a boiling mess.
    When a citizen asks to see a public record that is on hand and is told it will be ready in three days, the public records law has been broken and a tiny piece of our liberty has died.  The water is just a bit warmer.
    When public notice of a meeting or the publication of meeting minutes is done just a day or two late, the open meetings law has been ignored, just a little bit, and another piece of our liberty has disappeared.  The water is getting hot.
    When "deviations" to Central's zoning code, not written into our laws, are granted, our liberty is again diminished. The water has begun to boil.
    So, when Central Speaks brings a seemingly small problem to light, or when I share a concern that may not seem like a crisis at the moment, remember that we are just monitoring the water temperature.
    A portion of the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists charges newspapers to "Recognize a special obligation to serve as watchdogs over public affairs and government. Seek to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open, and that public records are open to all."  Central Speaks takes this role to heart, and we will continue to comment and report on everything that affects our City.  Regardless of what’s cooking at the time, staying out of hot water would be Good News for a Great City.