First, I need to apologize to the people who thought that my post yesterday was serious. It was pure satire. A lot of people took it literally, and some got quite upset.
I’m sorry if I misled you. I should have labeled it SATIRE.
People take my writing seriously, which is enormously gratifying. I write from my heart and mind, and I have nothing to protect (such as a job or income), so it’s easy for me to be truthful. Who cares?
But I also have another side that is satirical. My humor is very dry, and can seem realistic. It’s not hard to imagine Carroll Fife, or anyone else on the City Council, doing what I described, nor is it hard to imagine all the restaurants in Oakland closing. Many already have, and many businesses have fled town; and you can’t blame it all on the pandemic or remote work. Oakland is oppressive on business, especially small business. The mindset of our politicians is always, as FDR’s associate Harry Hopkins remarked, “We shall tax and tax, and spend and spend, and elect and elect.” The Oakland City Council never saw a tax it didn’t like. It sees us, the hard-working, tax-paying citizens, as piggy banks to fund their nonsense. I was poking fun at that yesterday, but I guess it was a little too realistic.
So, dear Readers, I apologize. In the future, I’ll label such pieces SATIRE. At the same time, I want people to read them seriously, because underneath the jokiness, I’m trying to make serious points.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Steve Heimoff