“Embrace the Suck” is a term that I learned quickly and painfully when I joined the Army. It has a straightforward meaning – the current situation is harmful or unpleasant. Accept it, and work toward change. It’s an ancient concept rooted in Buddhism. Even William Shakespeare took a shot at it: “Let thee embrace me, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.” It’s appropriate for so much: politics, elections, running a business and the state of Los Angeles.
In politics, we see politicians embrace policies that are bad for most of society but still move forward. We have a District Attorney, the prosecutor for Los Angeles County, who won’t charge criminals with crimes. He works to free criminals from prison. Our state legislature recently rejected a bill that would ban homeless encampments from the front entrances of schools and other sensitive locations, which is absolutely insane when you think that the hyper-progressive LA City Council – filled with Democratic Socialists – actually supported the same measure locally. However, some council members, like our DA, choose not to enforce the law.
In elections, the electorate often votes against their best interests. If you want homelessness cleaned up, it is pretty clear which candidate will do that. And if you support more police, it’s easy to see. But. what happened in the last election? Only 28% of eligible voters voted. Where was the outrage? Where were all the voters who complained? Looking at our presidential election: we have two candidates with negative poll numbers that approach 50% – not to mention an ineffective Congress. Several wacky ballot measures, including bonds and tax increases, are also coming to the November ballot.
L.A. is a ‘multi-faceted monster’
Running a business is one of the hardest things someone can do. You work hard, create jobs, try to make a little money and then the government will come in and try to destroy you. You will be demonized as being greedy. You will be sued whether you followed the law or not. Politicians will either take from you (see the rent moratorium) or force you to spend more (see the recent fast food worker minimum wage increase).
The state of Los Angeles is a multi-faceted monster. Everything costs more. Everything faces a roadblock. We live in an area where businesses are shutting down daily, and where people are fleeing the city to find a more affordable or business-friendly location to run their business. Want to have a restaurant? Great. You have to pass a health inspection. Also, to quote the code, the food preparation sink shall have a minimum dimension of 18 inches by 18 inches in length and width and 12 inches in depth, with an integral drainboard or adjacent table at least 18 inches by 18 inches in length and width. Run afoul of this and you can be fined or even shut down, unless you are a street vendor. Street vendors are the exception to the rule.
So many exceptions exist to the rules that we have become a city of mediocrity. Parking enforcement? Sure, if you are a law-abiding citizen. But if you live in a car, then you either won’t get a ticket or you won’t have to pay. Are you keeping kids safe when they walk to school? Some council members have allowed entire schools to be surrounded by homeless encampments, ignoring pleas from parents. What about clean, safe sidewalks? Nope. Raise your hand if you have ever had to walk in the street to avoid an encampment.
How have we gotten to this point? How have we accepted this level of mediocrity? It is time that we all did something about it, and that starts with political involvement.
Stuart Waldman is president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, a business-advocacy organization based in Van Nuys that represents employers in the San Fernando Valley area at the federal, state and local levels of government.
