Perception is everything 3.22.02

Editor's note: Starting next week, a new Running Thoughts column will appear on Wednesdays as well as Saturdays.

Letters to the editor are every bit as important to the opinion page as cartoons, editorials and columns. They represent our commitment to public discourse and nothing should jeopardize that. Normally, I would not address them for fear that readers would be less inclined to send them, but occasionally they raise topics that SHOULD be addressed.
Such is the case with letter writers Connie Koch of Council Bluffs and Marcia Prideaux of Crescent. They have been debating the relative merits of our fair city - a topic of concern to us all.
The debate began with Connie Koch saying she would like a deduction on the $850 a year she will be expected to pay for such things as police, fire departments and other basic services because she and her family have been victimized recently by an alleged crackhead, a likely pervert and apparently several residents of Omaha who are hindering her career because she lives in meth-soaked Council Bluffs.
Marcia Prideaux responded that perception creates reality, these problems exist everywhere and the fact that a few Omahans raise an eyebrow at the mention of Council Bluffs is really more their problem than ours.
Koch responded that Prideaux, being from Crescent likely pays as much as $700 less in taxes for the same priced house, reality is real not perceived, Council Bluffs Schools are a terrible and our strip clubs, gambling and other pastimes have made us famous for our sins.
She concludes that as a true Iowan she would like to get some respect back. I cannot disagree with that. Respect rocks.
OK, now that the prelims are out of the way, both writers make good points. I can certainly agree with Koch that when the government takes its bite, it can hurt. But as Oliver Wendell Holmes said, taxes are the price we pay for living in a civil society. So let's say you are right, this town is a hell hole and it is about time we did something about it. That takes money to accomplish and some $70 a month is pretty cheap. It could just as easily be argued that the reason our fair city is perceived (and I use the word "perceived" deliberately) to be on the skids is that we are not paying enough or are not able to pay more.
You were mugged, one daughter was harassed and the other found a "meth lab" in a backpack. I will take you at your word. Crime unfortunately happens everywhere, not just in Council Bluffs. Even in the otherwise idyllic city of Ames, there were four murders and a car jacking in the decade or so I lived there. And meth? Oh you better believe it. The entire United States is "meth-soaked" and that includes the happy, crime-free wonderland that is Omaha.
As for these conversations with Nebraskans that stopped as soon as you mentioned being from Council Bluffs, I wish it were ALWAYS that easy. I used to work in west Omaha and I too suffered with the endless commentary from individuals who had no right to finger point.
This leads us to your comments about reality being real and not perceived. I hate to tell you but philosophizing should be left up to the experts because Prideaux is essentially correct on this one.
You could work yourself to death all day long and take only two breaks and if your boss sees you slacking off twice in one day, might well assume you were not working hard all day long. Is that the reality? No, it is someone's misperception. Should you suffer from that? Not rightly, but you will.
The same is true with this "us vs. them" trauma between Council Bluffs and Omaha. Are we, the right God-fearing people of Council Bluffs supposed to hang our heads in shame because you say people you know in Omaha don't like us?
Do they make fun of us for being "Sin City?" We have three strip clubs, one porno shop, three casinos and our bars are open until 2 a.m. like they are in the vast majority of the United States. If you tried real hard, you might find a hooker.
Omaha has more strip clubs and bars by far. Their 1 a.m. rule on drinking is bizarre to say the least and exists in about as many states as their unicameral legislature. Their hookers are plentiful and stand on street corners taunting drivers.
Crime? You must be joking? I would rather parachute nude into any part of C.B. at midnight than drive behind locked doors with an ArmaLite AR-50 on my lap in some parts of Omaha.
Omaha has keno and bingo. They used to have horse-racing and they keep trying to get casino action like ours. So what does it make those people who point their fingers at us and call us "Sin City?" Hypocrites. It's that simple.
Perception is everything. So here is your homework assignment for this week. Just keep saying over and over again in your head or outloud "C.B. Rocks. I am from Iowa and proud. I'm ain't gonna play Sun City" and this will bolster your resolve. Take it from me, a few booty shaking joints and six-pack of Milwaukee's Best do not a "Sin City" make.
Council Bluffs has problems like any city, but those problems will not get solved by giving up. We are making progress and we will continue to do so with resolve on our side.
We should all care very much whether or not this city stands tall or burns to the ground, not because it is great, not because it is heaven on earth, but because for better or worse, this is home.
-Greg Jerrett is a Nonpareil staff writer. He may be contacted at 328-1811 ext. 279 or by e-mail at gjerrett@nonpareilonline.com.