tony jeter dot com

Have you ever wondered about the phone calls and politics of math?  I’m not talking about super-delegates or the popular vote.  I am talking about the kind of math that drives action or inaction by your locally elected representatives.

I remember, not so long ago, when my boy’s answer to any addition question was the obligatory “lots”. “Ezra, what is one plus one?” I would ask. Without even looking up he would answer “lots”.  “What about two plus two?” After giving me the why are you bothering me look, he would again answer “lots”.  Finally, I would ask him what 9,367,987 plus 690,000 was. He would mumble “lots” as he walked out of the room looking for a more exciting playmate.

Here’s how the math of lots works when applied to city politics.
1 call = calls
2 or 3 calls = lots of calls
3 or more  = a whole lot of calls

The word “lots” is such a handy word to use in place of actual numbers.  Which comment by your city councilperson would best move people to action?
“I got a call about this issue and I want something done about it!”
“I”ve been getting lots of calls about this and I want something done about it!”
“I’ve gotten a whole lot of calls about this and I want something done about it!”

You see how helpful the word is?  I think it was created specifically for the purpose of being clearly ambiguous.  The next time you need to make a case and the numbers don’t help your cause just substitute the word lots and see what happens.

By the way, I have lost count of the number of calls, letters and emails concerning my stand on awarding construction contracts to a sitting councilman.  And I’m not blowing smoke!  I was amazed at the number of people that actually watched the entire video of the discussion I posted a couple of weeks ago.  The overwhelming consensus by lots of voters is that it is a problem that needs to be addressed.  Remember you have a lot more power than you think. It doesn’t take a lot of calls to make big things happen!