BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY JUNE 2, 2016) — Have you ever entered a contest knowing you would win? For example, you are the only contestant in a 5K road race for those over 80. You have to finish first. Or for a more familiar example, how about playing youth sports, where everybody gets a trophy? You don’t have to be good at the game. You just have to “participate?”

That will give you some idea of the recent award won by the city of Pittsfield. It’s harder not to win than to win.

‘Collaborative Leadership’ … and More Balderdash

The office of mayor Linda Tyer announced that Pittsfield “will receive $475,000 in the second round of the Working Cities Challenge, a competition for smaller cities in New England focused on building collaborative leadership, which is shown to be a critical element in economic growth for struggling postindustrial cities.

“The five communities put forward initiatives focused on neighborhood revitalization, workforce development, and improving access to economic opportunity. The cities will work on these initiatives over a three-year period, accompanied by technical assistance and a learning community for best-practice sharing.”

That’s the language of the first two paragraphs of the press release, which the Corner Office forwarded from the offices of the Boston Fed. These two teaspoons full provide a good enough sample of the entire bowl of mush. When you get into phrases such as “collaborative leadership,” “put forward initiatives” and “best-practices sharing,” you know guano has hit the blah-blah-blah.

The Boston Fed did not provide the funding. The Fed did not serve on the jury. All it did was front for the credit, and that was the Boston Fed Prez taking a bow in the spotlight, as if he actually did something.

From the press release:

“I want to congratulate the winners of the Working Cities Challenge. Collaborative leadership is at the heart of this competition, and these five cities demonstrated significant capacity to reach across sectors and advance efforts on behalf of low-income residents in their communities,” said Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren. “I look forward to following the progress in the communities in the coming months and years.”

“Together with our partners in the private, philanthropic, and non-profit sectors, we are proud to leverage greater resources to support and prepare communities for success,” said Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. “The Working Cities Challenge elevates local leadership, amplifying solutions from the community level to increase cross-sector collaboration and improve economic outcomes for low-income residents.”

Allow THE PLANET to translate. The key words here be “on behalf of low-income residents.” In other words, Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski, you got hosed once again. You work your butts off to arrive at and stay in what’s left of the tattered, battered middle class. Tough. This money won’t be for you.

So where is this money going, exactly?

Here’s what the gobbledygook of the press release says:

Pittsfield: Pittsfield Bridges: Transformative Movement (PBTM) will support the journey from poverty to sustainability by collaboratively building community resources and removing barriers. The effort’s vision is for all people in Pittsfield to experience a just, thriving, and safe community. PBTM’s goal is to improve individual, institutional, and social fairness and respect in the community and thus to support individuals moving out of poverty. The PBTM’s core team includes: Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, the City of Pittsfield, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Community College, BerkshireWorks Career Center, Berkshire United Way, Goodwill Industries, Berkshire Children and Families, Berkshire Health Systems, Berkshire Community Action Council, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., Pittsfield Public Schools, Local chapter NAACP, Pittsfield Community Connection, West Side Neighborhood Initiative, First United Methodist Church, Heart 2 Heart Ministry, Manos Unidas, Brien Center for Mental Health, Multi-Cultural Bridge, and Girls Inc.

That tells you all you need to know. The “Pittsfield Bridges Transformative Movement.” Remember, THE PLANET didn’t make it up. The PBTM.

Translation: This money will create grants to fund make-work jobs for overpaid executive director types and their flunkies. There will be no accountability, just jobs: a con job and a snow job.

Reality Check: Not a damned thing will change. After the $475K runs out, Pittsfield will be that much poorer, that much more violent, and that much excessively drug-ridden.

Only one thing will lift people out of poverty.

An economy.

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“Welfare was never intended to be a career opportunity. If you want to re-distribute something, redistribute my work ethic.” — Sir Tiberius Fruitjuice

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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