Ezra Klein: Priorities

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October 17, 2007

Priorities

I'm not sure whether taxi meters will actually make my cab trips cheaper, given that I live fairly far out, at the bottom of an absurdly long street. But one way or another, they'll certainly affect me. Indeed, on the list of Things That Will Affect My Everyday Life, this policy change will rank second only to the smoking ban DC instituted last year. And if DC would only change the zoning laws to allow larger buildings and thus cheaper real estate, I'd be even more set. Local politics matters! And yet I spend all my time arguing for an expansion of health coverage that I already have, and an end to a war I'm in no danger of fighting. It's weird.

Update: James Joyner proffers an answer:

The only explanation that comes to mind is that most of us interact with politics through the mass media and the national version does a better job at creating a sense of drama. It’s the difference between a high school talent show and “American Idol” or between community theater and Broadway.

October 17, 2007 | Permalink

Comments

It's not that weird. Your probability of having an impact on an actual policy outcome is so low that you might as well allocate your time based on your tastes rather than the impact of policies on you.

Posted by: henry evans | Oct 17, 2007 11:52:37 AM

Indeed, on the list of Things That Will Affect My Everyday Life, this policy change will rank second only to the smoking ban DC instituted last year.

Do you smoke, or was it just a change in the social/bar scene?

Posted by: latts | Oct 17, 2007 11:54:12 AM

I don't smoke, and now the bars weren't smoky.

Posted by: Ezra | Oct 17, 2007 12:05:10 PM

And yet I spend all my time arguing for an expansion of health coverage that I already have, and an end to a war I'm in no danger of fighting.

That's simply because you're a good person.

On the taxi meter issue, I'm unpersuaded that it will be an improvement. Expect fewer cabs, concentrated in the hands of a few big companies. One of the effects of the zone system was that it discouraged big companies from operating cabs in Washington, as there is absolutely no way to monitor their employees' behavior without meters (i.e., the drivers could rob them blind). This resulted in very easy entry into the taxi fleet for individual entrepreneur drivers. It's easier to get a cab in Washington than just about anywhere else on earth because there are so many of them.

To me, the big problem with the zone system has always been the damned zone map, which seems calculated to daze and confuse.

Posted by: Herschel | Oct 17, 2007 12:07:25 PM

Since I love local politics and local issues, the fascination with national politics puzzles me slightly. So far. So diffuse. So difficult to talk to the people involved.

But, you do what you love and you don't usually get to choose what you love. You're doing a good job, so as long as you're enjoying it, there's no need for deep introspection over this.

(Although, I still wish you would check your gut feel by going to actual places that handle health care. I trust site visits like little else and I don't know how much of your expertise was developed firsthand.)

Posted by: Megan | Oct 17, 2007 12:15:52 PM

And yet I spend all my time arguing for an expansion of health coverage that I already have, and an end to a war I'm in no danger of fighting. It's weird.

You should start attending local meetings--city council and whatever neighborhood stuff y'all have going on. I think showing up counts for a lot more at the local level than it does nationally.

Posted by: greg claxton | Oct 17, 2007 12:35:13 PM

I'm very excited about the taxi meters. It will take forevah to implement but hey, I've waited this long.

You are probably right, Herschel, in that there will be consolidation (and you are definitely right about that blasted map); however, I'm not sure that I agree with you, Herschel, that there will be fewer actual cabs. It's always been difficult for me to find a cab unless I'm in the midst of many bars, at a sporting event, at Union Station, or at one of a few particular hotel stands. Many, many are the times I've had to hoof it to the JWMarriott to find a cab home from the office on Penna. Ave. Maybe I just look like a suspicious character, though. Either way, we're sure to find out...

Most of all, I'm really, really hoping that meters and "for-hire" lights will be connected as in normal cabs, so that we won't all have to go blind looking inside oncoming cabs to see if there's already a fare inside!

Posted by: ajw_93 | Oct 17, 2007 12:45:57 PM

Second that, ajw. I work in Eastern Market and it's damn near impossible to find a cab around here, especially after work.

Posted by: Dan Miller | Oct 17, 2007 1:05:58 PM

Right on. I think about that paradox a lot.

I actually stand a much better chance of influencing local politics/issues, but spend all my time on national ones where I probably have zero impact. Weird that.

Posted by: xerixes | Oct 17, 2007 1:14:26 PM

I don't smoke, and now the bars weren't smoky.

Good-- I hate to see nice-looking young people smoking, lol. It's one of my soapboxes.

And wrt the topic at hand, I'm much more a big-issue person even when the issue in question doesn't particularly affect me. A bit of distance from the debate helps, actually, although there are certain gender issues that really get me going and are also pretty inescapable.

Posted by: latts | Oct 17, 2007 1:15:57 PM

What you write about directly affects me. It's definitely better than hear no evil see no evil elitism or mindless political gossip.

Posted by: Kazumatan | Oct 17, 2007 1:17:54 PM

For people who are into politics, it's a kind of hobby or leisure activity. So just as some people enjoy knitting and others golf, some enjoy health care and others zoning. It's not paradoxical once you recognize that for the average Joe or Jane politics is a form of recreation.

Posted by: henry evans | Oct 17, 2007 1:22:15 PM

Local politics is also the place where you can begin diversifying the political system, by recruiting more women and minority candidates to office. I did a study on this way back in my college days, at the Electoral Reform Society in London. Good times, good times.

Posted by: Redstar | Oct 17, 2007 1:40:53 PM

Taxis don't currently have meters in DC? Do you have to negotiate/haggle a fare, then? That's a potentially fun part of developing world travel, but I'd hate to have to do it at home.

Posted by: djw | Oct 17, 2007 2:17:58 PM

I hope this doesn't lead make the DC hacking world too professional. One of my favorite memories of the city was waving down a cab that was a station wagon with a ridonculously large spoiler.

Posted by: Senescent | Oct 17, 2007 2:58:11 PM

I have become -- relatively recently -- deeply involved in local policy and politics (as with national politics and policy, separate but related).

Roughly speaking, there are three different species of local issues:

1. Abstractions that ultimately have an enormous impact
2. Concrete issues that have an immediate effect
3. Symbolic

In the first category are planning and zoning issues. Zoning ordinances shape the way we live, but nobody can be bothered to get up to speed or to participate.

In the second category are issues like traffic changes or, in our city, a proposed ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. People can see the effect the law will have and they get animated.

The third category has fewer issues, but the effect can be enormous. In my community, a letter to a local weekly newspaper about the Armenian genocide triggered our city to withdraw from the ADL's No Place for Hate campaign. This was part of a reaction that, ultimately, led to the congressional resolution.

Posted by: Sean | Oct 17, 2007 3:55:11 PM

Another thing about local politics, fewer people are talking and writing about the issues. It's lonelier, unless the city's big enough and there's a community like the one you find on Streetsblog.org (which advocates for livable streets in New York City).

And, there's not a lot of room for action-free commentary in politics. If you take a position, you've got to do some work.

Posted by: Sean | Oct 17, 2007 4:10:20 PM

Taxis don't currently have meters in DC? Do you have to negotiate/haggle a fare, then?

We have a zone system, unique in the world, wherein you pay based on the number of zones your trip traverses. The zones are represented on a bewildering map, posted (or supposedly posted) in every cab. You can have a look at it here.

The orientation of the map is quite unusual. North is not up. But then neither is West, South, or East. The map is skewed strangely. The diagonal line you can see, with N.W. on one side and N.E. on the other, is actually the North-South axis. Additionally, there are very few streets or landmarks represented, making it difficult for the hapless traveler to get his or her bearings on the map. It was clearly designed to confuse. It's been in use for decades. The Fenty administration early on actually proposed a new zone map, but it never went anywhere.

Posted by: Herschel | Oct 17, 2007 9:06:09 PM

The focus on national politics over local seems to be a... national phenomenon. But this is a relatively new thing, right? Historically, Americans have cared far more about local politics, even well into the 60s. I blame the media. Or the massive rise in activist-style politics during the civil rights and anti-Vietnam movements. Maybe.

Posted by: General Mobius | Oct 17, 2007 11:59:52 PM

Damn, that's weird.

Posted by: djw | Oct 18, 2007 12:57:47 AM

I thought Fenty actually got the map oriented correctly (that is, north is actually north, etc).

Posted by: Mike P | Oct 18, 2007 1:37:55 AM

I thought Fenty actually got the map oriented correctly (that is, north is actually north, etc).

You may be right. I knew there was a proposed new map, but I thought it hadn't become official. You can see it here (at an official DC website). Is this actually posted in taxis now? (I haven't taken a cab since Fenty became mayor.) It is a big improvement. Unlike the old map, it actually sort of looks like DC. And now they're going to get rid of it.

Posted by: Herschel | Oct 18, 2007 9:39:03 AM

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