Parish
A Society of Presumed Equals
RECEIVED Fri., Feb. 3, 2012
Dear Editor,
I was perturbed by Lorraine Atherton's letter in last week's Chronicle [“Postmarks,” Feb. 3]. Atherton seems to imply that minority candidates (by this I presume she means first-generation Vietnamese-Americans or transplanted !Kung tribespeople) are only supposed to run for two particular seats on the Austin City Council. Let's be clear that minority candidates are not only allowed but encouraged to run for any City Council seat they like, including the mayor's. Atherton also appears to be confused about how the highly democratic system of run-off elections works. Allow me to explain. If one candidate doesn't gain majority support in the initial election, a subsequent run-off election is held between the Top 2 finishers. Perhaps Atherton is unaware that one can prove mathematically that any other system is unfair in some way. Atherton laments the fact that the unqualified, chamber-of-commerce-selected Manuel Zuniga lost a run-off election to the highly qualified and well-liked populist Bill Spelman. She appears to be focused on the candidates' skin color rather than their qualifications. Frankly, that's weird. Like many baby boomers, Atherton is unable to grasp that post-baby-boomers care about a political candidate's ideas, values, and qualifications and couldn't care less about their ethnicity. Unfortunately, the baby boomers are the ones who vote, so they get to continue to frame the discussion and we non-baby-boomers have no choice but to continue to suffer their blather.
Regardless of the merits of single-member districts, Atherton's arguments are unacceptable in a society of presumed equals.
I was perturbed by Lorraine Atherton's letter in last week's Chronicle [“Postmarks,” Feb. 3]. Atherton seems to imply that minority candidates (by this I presume she means first-generation Vietnamese-Americans or transplanted !Kung tribespeople) are only supposed to run for two particular seats on the Austin City Council. Let's be clear that minority candidates are not only allowed but encouraged to run for any City Council seat they like, including the mayor's. Atherton also appears to be confused about how the highly democratic system of run-off elections works. Allow me to explain. If one candidate doesn't gain majority support in the initial election, a subsequent run-off election is held between the Top 2 finishers. Perhaps Atherton is unaware that one can prove mathematically that any other system is unfair in some way. Atherton laments the fact that the unqualified, chamber-of-commerce-selected Manuel Zuniga lost a run-off election to the highly qualified and well-liked populist Bill Spelman. She appears to be focused on the candidates' skin color rather than their qualifications. Frankly, that's weird. Like many baby boomers, Atherton is unable to grasp that post-baby-boomers care about a political candidate's ideas, values, and qualifications and couldn't care less about their ethnicity. Unfortunately, the baby boomers are the ones who vote, so they get to continue to frame the discussion and we non-baby-boomers have no choice but to continue to suffer their blather.
Regardless of the merits of single-member districts, Atherton's arguments are unacceptable in a society of presumed equals.
Patrick Goetz
