Post by Bret Walker on Jul 2, 2007 10:22:17 GMT -5
So Friday, 6:00 PM, the hugely anticipated launch of the Apple iPhone finally arrived. This device which is said to revolutionize the way human beings communicate is a wireless Internet device, MP3 player, photo-dex, video player, touch-screen, caramel machiatto-dispensing (OK I made that one up but it's probably in the works), American imagination-capturing DREAM device. Hundreds waited in lines for days (I say "hundreds" facetiously; around Philadelphia they kept showing the same five geeks in line...and hey, they didn't even sell out on the first day! A Wii or PS3 release, iPhone wasn't!) to get their grubby little tech-deprived hands on this $500-600 device that they probably couldn't even use until the battery was fully charged, 24 hours later. Anyone who's ever bought a new cell-phone knows that pain. Not to mention the fact that AT&T left many customers hanging with no service. Talk about all dressed up and nowhere to go!
But the fervor wasn't all just about the phone itself. Here in the City of Brotherly Love we had another issue to deal with: Mayor John Street.
John Street has certainly had his share of national attention. Under his tutelage the fifth-largest city in the country (behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston) has slipped to the SIXTH largest behind Phoenix. PHOENIX! No doubt the sagging economy, deplorable education system, and sky-high murder rate had something to do with the declining population. So how does Mayor Street spend his Friday, June 29th? Beating the desk in City Hall, calling his cabinet members on the carpet? Working with police commissioner Sylvester Johnson and trying to come up with a solution for the epidemic murder rate? Working with school officials to stem the tide of student aptitude decline? Why, no! He puts on a jogging suit and hits the line for a new iPhone at 3:30 AM. And he stays there, all day long. Waiting. Until 6:00 PM when the store opens, and he's the proud number-three owner of an iPhone.
Bully for him.
To be fair, he didn't stay there all day, literally. No, he left at one point to make a personal appearance. He was going to leave a $45,000 per year city employee in line to hold his place, but thought better of it. Instead he left a city cop to hold his place in line. A city cop. Who no doubt had nothing better to do; after all, we've only had 348 murders in the first half of the year. Plus 20,620 violent crimes. The murder rate is over three times the national average (source: CityRating.com) and our illustrious Mayor leaves a COP to wait in line for him.
Many people questioned his logic. News outlets BEGGED him for a decent explanation. And yet the only thing Mr. Street could come up with is, "I'm taking care of city business. I'm fully and completely on duty." (source: Philadelphia Inquirer)
This is the true crime here. The man simply has no idea why people are so miffed at him. These are hard-working people who don't understand the concept of taking a day off from work, or even working from somewhere other than the office. Philadelphia is a blue-collar city. We expect our athletes to work hard, and we forgive inequities if the effort is there. Yet here is the man who runs this city, and he stands there (or sits, as it were) with a blank stare and says "What?" He just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand why his constituents are outraged that he'd waste an entire day sitting on his duff waiting for a glorified iPod. Especially when so many of these hard-working individuals can't even AFFORD an iPhone, let alone afford to take the day off and sit in line waiting for one.
If ever there was an example of a so-called civic leader completely out of touch with his people, this is it.
Now, to be fair to Mr. Street, I don't believe there's any malice in his actions. I believe he's genuinely clueless as to why people are so upset with him. But it's for that reason that I'm convinced that this man is the worst Philadelphia mayor in my lifetime. Wilson Goode may have dropped a bomb on the Move house and burned up six city blocks, but at least he was trying to combat a situation that was out of control and risking the lives of Philadelphians. John Street, by sitting in line for an iPhone for 15 hours, simply acts as if he doesn't give a rat's patoot. Worse, he simply doesn't understand why people are up in arms. After all, doesn't he have his BlackBerry? Isn't he signing papers? "Let them eat cake," he says, and scratches his head in wonderment when the peasants revolt.
You may think that an unfair assessment. But consider 348 murders, 20,620 violent crimes in six months.
The peasants are revolting.
But the fervor wasn't all just about the phone itself. Here in the City of Brotherly Love we had another issue to deal with: Mayor John Street.
John Street has certainly had his share of national attention. Under his tutelage the fifth-largest city in the country (behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston) has slipped to the SIXTH largest behind Phoenix. PHOENIX! No doubt the sagging economy, deplorable education system, and sky-high murder rate had something to do with the declining population. So how does Mayor Street spend his Friday, June 29th? Beating the desk in City Hall, calling his cabinet members on the carpet? Working with police commissioner Sylvester Johnson and trying to come up with a solution for the epidemic murder rate? Working with school officials to stem the tide of student aptitude decline? Why, no! He puts on a jogging suit and hits the line for a new iPhone at 3:30 AM. And he stays there, all day long. Waiting. Until 6:00 PM when the store opens, and he's the proud number-three owner of an iPhone.
Bully for him.
To be fair, he didn't stay there all day, literally. No, he left at one point to make a personal appearance. He was going to leave a $45,000 per year city employee in line to hold his place, but thought better of it. Instead he left a city cop to hold his place in line. A city cop. Who no doubt had nothing better to do; after all, we've only had 348 murders in the first half of the year. Plus 20,620 violent crimes. The murder rate is over three times the national average (source: CityRating.com) and our illustrious Mayor leaves a COP to wait in line for him.
Many people questioned his logic. News outlets BEGGED him for a decent explanation. And yet the only thing Mr. Street could come up with is, "I'm taking care of city business. I'm fully and completely on duty." (source: Philadelphia Inquirer)
This is the true crime here. The man simply has no idea why people are so miffed at him. These are hard-working people who don't understand the concept of taking a day off from work, or even working from somewhere other than the office. Philadelphia is a blue-collar city. We expect our athletes to work hard, and we forgive inequities if the effort is there. Yet here is the man who runs this city, and he stands there (or sits, as it were) with a blank stare and says "What?" He just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand why his constituents are outraged that he'd waste an entire day sitting on his duff waiting for a glorified iPod. Especially when so many of these hard-working individuals can't even AFFORD an iPhone, let alone afford to take the day off and sit in line waiting for one.
If ever there was an example of a so-called civic leader completely out of touch with his people, this is it.
Now, to be fair to Mr. Street, I don't believe there's any malice in his actions. I believe he's genuinely clueless as to why people are so upset with him. But it's for that reason that I'm convinced that this man is the worst Philadelphia mayor in my lifetime. Wilson Goode may have dropped a bomb on the Move house and burned up six city blocks, but at least he was trying to combat a situation that was out of control and risking the lives of Philadelphians. John Street, by sitting in line for an iPhone for 15 hours, simply acts as if he doesn't give a rat's patoot. Worse, he simply doesn't understand why people are up in arms. After all, doesn't he have his BlackBerry? Isn't he signing papers? "Let them eat cake," he says, and scratches his head in wonderment when the peasants revolt.
You may think that an unfair assessment. But consider 348 murders, 20,620 violent crimes in six months.
The peasants are revolting.
