Normal Apathy

The fine folks in the local government of Boulder, Colorado, have come up with the idea of handing out raffle tickets to residents who attend a series of public meetings about local issues and to those who attend certain Council meetings. Raffle prizes may include items donated by local businesses as well as items purchased by the city.  These meetings cost time and money and the city wants to involve as many residents as possible to make the meetings worthwhile.   If the meetings are going to be held anyway and the prizes are donated, why not bribe more people to attend and (hopefully) become involved in local issues? What's interesting (and, unfortunately, not surprising) is that many comments in response to this idea are negative.

I think more Normal residents would attend public meetings and Town Council meetings if they had a chance to win a prize. Maybe they would discover that they have a vested interest in the issues and would become involved in local efforts.