HAL 9000, the computer from the Stanley Kubrick movie classic “2001: A SpaceOdyssey,” is shown in this undated video image from an Apple Computer television ad. (AP file/Apple Computer)
Re: “Cities hurt by too much small government,” Feb. 22 Christopher Flavelle column.
Christopher Flavelle cites small government as a cause of urban distress. He uses statistics to prove that metropolitan government will solve all the ills of urban life.
Each of his examples demonstrates the vacuity of the statistics he cites. He notes as the benefits of metropolitan governments faster growth, easier planning, increased productivity and the ability to bypass the “vested interests of politicians and residents.”
Aside from the threat of failures being metropolitan instead of local, there is that thing about the “vested interests of … residents.” It calls up memories of the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” in which HAL 9000 explains the need to eliminate humans.
If cities are only investments, Flavelle is right. If cities are for people, he is dead wrong.
Tom Morris,Denver
This letter was published in the March 1 edition.
