Blocks Populi

My knowledge of local Cincinnati politics is limited. But I do know that local elected officials do not appear to lose any sleep over Cincinnati's national reputation as a backwards, reactionary town. They continue to answer 21st-century problems with 19th-century solutions.

The latest example? Blocking access to political blogs from the City Hall internet connection. "Productivity" was cited as the reason. Our government officials are working so tirelessly at finding solutions to the crime problem and taking a savvy new approach to neighborhood-friendly development that they can't be distracted by listening to an increasingly powerful voice of people.

Nick Spencer, Nate Livingston and Cincinnati Blog have been posting extensively. Not all of them appear to be on the "block" list.

Let's be clear: I do think local bloggers sometimes go for the easy, knee-jerk opinions over more thoughtful commentary. But I firmly believe they should not be censored. Will they now ban magazines or newspapers at city hall? Like many approaches this city government takes, this one is short-sighted, ass-forward, and motivated only by ignorance and uncertainty.