Amid all the accusations, innuendo and strong emotions, we want to get to the bottom of things and know what's really going on. We heard one thing in the Zumwalt Zone (Quis) and read something else in the Haymaker [Moore County: Saul Alinsky. Screaming Mommies. School funding. (And Quis is RIGHT.)].

Are Moore County Schools officials in need of money or are they misappropriating/mismanaging what they have?

If you have a usable information, put it in the "Comments" section, or send it to [email protected] if you desire confidentiality.

What are you thoughts? From the story:

As a young person, all things living and dynamic were my obsession. Biology would have been my college major of choice, but somehow I found myself railroaded into fine art. Living organisms and the way they relate to each other and interact with their environment is still a major fascination for me.

So, when I recently became aware of that immensely complex and entangled ecosystem known as politics, I was very desirous to understand how it worked. Well, three years later, I have only developed a very basic analysis method for understanding the roles and ecological niches of all the many political organisms.

The political ecosystem is composed of two separate but intertwined Ecotopes; the "Private Sector Ecotope," and the "Government Ecotope."

The most obvious and shocking thing about the Government Ecotope is that it is not self-sustaining. At best, it is a symbiotic and benevolent parasite but, nevertheless, a parasite, wholly dependent for its sustenance upon the Private Sector Ecotope. The Government Ecotope creates no tangible products; no food is grown, no clothes are sewn, no shelter is built by this tremendous ecotope.

In contrast, the Private Sector Ecotope is self-sustaining and largely capable of self-direction. The benefit it derives from its relationship with the Government Ecotope is an orderly structure that provides a stable environment for the Private Sector Ecotope to operate and thrive. However, as the Government Ecotope expands, this symbiotic effect diminishes. It places ever-increasing demands and restrictions upon its Private Sector Ecotope host which will inevitably become damaging to both host and parasite.

The detrimental effect becomes exacerbated with the increasing size of the Government Ecotope. Exchange between the two ecotopes becomes increasingly inefficient. The political organisms within the two ecotopes become less aware of their roles in the symbiotic relationship and may assume aggressive parasitic, pathogenic or even active predatory roles within the overall ecosystem. Conversely, a corresponding expansion in size of the Private Sector Ecotope actually enhances the well being of the entire ecosystem.

Next month I will examine the individual political organisms and their roles in the political ecosystem.

Contributed by Miriam Chu