06.30.09
Glass Walls
Kurt Johnson, Sr., a former Williamson County resident has written a book about the recent state of the county government in Williamson County, it’s called Glass Walls. You can read excerpts and find links to purchase the book via Barnes & Noble and Amazon here. The excerpt below does a great job of putting in context why the current elected officials in Williamson County are able to continue to make decisions that many disagree with, and not suffer the consequences on election day.
The problem with this neoconservative approach at the local level is that it generated controversial policies and decisions opposed by the public, but even more problematical was the fact that it functioned [through the five-member (Williamson County) commissioners court] in an oligarchical manner.
Observers who watched the court—especially during the period 2000-2009—concluded that the confidence these elected officials had in the Republican Party’s ability to deliver votes provided election insulation against a grass-roots or populist uprising. If the party could deliver the votes, there really was no need worrying about the criticisms or objections of the average citizens. Straight-ticket voting alone could deliver the necessary numbers, especially in the fast-growing areas where bedroom suburbs of Republican enclaves were replacing rural settings.
The book goes into depth defining neoconservatism and how that all feeds into what’s been happening in Williamson County. Via a TDP article on the book, Book explores local neo-conservatism.
The first 100 pages of the book outline his definition of a neo-conservative. Using high-profile George W. Bush-era politicians like Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld as a springboard, Johnson said he irons down what is is to be a neo-conservative.
Initially, he said, a neo-conservative must be a strong believer in the sanctity of an unfettered free-market economy. Second, there is a tendency to identify with a strong militaristic culture. And third, those officials usually engage in public square theology, or, a willingness of politicians to publicly display their religion on their sleeve as a tool to promote an agenda.
“The best example is people that want to hang Ten Commandments in every courthouse,” Johnson said. “They believe that if you just did that you would cure all problems. If you just had enough God in the picture, it would straighten (everything) out.”
Examples are readily available in county government, he said.
“The fact that (commissioners) pray before each meeting,” Johnson said was one example of how neo-conservatism plays out in local government. Hutto and Taylor city councils have invocations prior to each meeting as well.
Johnson expects a lot of people to disagree with his viewpoints and arguments. But the main idea behind his book is to stimulate dialogue, not to proselytize.
Johnson began writing Glass Walls shortly before the presidential election. Though he lives in Austin, Johnson said he has a vested interest in shining light on the nature of politics of Williamson County.
It’s a discussion that’s definitely needed and anyone who’s frustrated with Williamson County’s government should read Glass Walls. It helps to understand why we have the government we have. Especially those who live in Precinct 4 need to understand how dismissive and unresponsive Commissioner Ron Morrison has been to many of his constituents.
It is the GOP machine in Williamson County and a cowed majority of voters that keeps electing a party, and not people, because of one or all of these reason – fear, greed, or ignorance. The question going forward is will the voters of Williamson County continue to elect members of one party that essentially gives them no say in their local government?