Buried in an article on teenage rent commissars at the Berkeley Daily Planet, I found confirmation of one of my pet theories about why aggrieved citizens refuse to involve themselves in the political process. The reason given here -- by Berkeley landlord Michael Wilson, who refuses to run for the Berkeley rent control board -- is a classic:

"Paying for this bureaucracy is a joke," said BPOA President Michael Wilson. "They refuse to come to grips with the fact that instead of spending $3 million on a program that is less and less important, the money should go directly towards needy tenants."

So does Wilson plan on running a landlord slate to regain a foothold on the board for the first time since 1998?

"People would rather have their fingernails pulled off with rusty pliers than sit through those meetings," he said. "The answer is no."

I know. I used to attend such meetings.

Public torture. After a while, you're ready to agree to almost anything if only they'd just shut up and let you go home. (That's exactly how they win.)