America: A Fair to Middling Place

First, let me thank those folks who have been so kind in their condolences in response to my need for treatment, and also to Sam Taylor, who reported my last blog in the local paper. Sam didn't have to do that, but I appreciate him helping to get out the 'word'.
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Back in the days I was growing up in North Carolina, I can recall the excitement that always seemed to surround the many tobacco auction warehouses.
Tobacco, for all its bad attributes, was -and may still be- the main money crop for NC farmers.
Auction time was the pay-off for a year of hard work, and the time of reckoning for finding out whether any profits produced would be sufficient to feed and clothe families, pay off loans on seed, fertilizer and farm equipment and continue rural family businesses.

The auctioneers were invariably colorful fellows, each with his own style of rapid-fire auction talk and technique, designed to keep the transactions flowing and attract the best possible prices for the various lots of cured tobacco that were being offered for sale.
Because tobacco production was very strictly controlled, not only the yield produced, but the quality of it, were critical to its profitability.
The best tobacco always commanded the best prices, and the best prices were highly prized by the producers.

In all such auctions a range of quality was displayed for purchase, and these ranged from superior down to barely passing.
Most offerings ranged somewhere in the middle, with the phrase 'fair to middling' often used to describe it.
In other words, it was good enough to sell and use, but not the very best available, and as such it did not command the highest prices.

I got to thinking about how the 'fair to middling' phrase might be applied to our own situation here in America.
This country was actually created for everyone, even though the founders were mostly landed and wealthy white men.
And, nowadays, much talk and concern is about the so-called 'middle class' and its viability during the current recession and its projected awful consequences.
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The 'stimulus' package now being debated in Congress is a good example of trying to help the middle class.
There are big differences of opinion about what measures should be included in it, and which may actually work in the way intended.
That debate is healthy, because no one really knows what might work best, or the amount needed, although there does seem to be agreement that whatever is done needs to be done without undue delay.
The 'undue delay' part amounts to an early deadline which one might consider the time a trigger is pulled; as in 'Ready, Aim, Fire'.

But, before that trigger is pulled, the Ready and the Aim parts need to be carefully hashed out and agreed upon.
That big hurry is causing lots of headaches, disagreements and consternation.
And, it doesn't help that all this vital thinking and machinations are being conducted in a fishbowl swimming with all sorts of political animals.
But, that is our system, and we need to use it to best advantage.
As much as I support President Obama and his ultra-competent administration, it won't do to just ask Congress to 'trust us' on this big initiative.
We did that the first time around with the Wall Street crowd and it hasn't worked in any way that most of us can recognize.

If the current administration is as smart and savvy as I think it is, they will actively work to create the kind of trust needed to pass such legislation, as well as insure it has the best combination of features possible.
That type of approach is the one most likely to not only gain bipartisan support, but actually work as it is intended.
If a high profile, early action like this can pass these tests, it will bode well for future ideas and initiatives as well.
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Now, back to the concept of 'fair to middling' for a minute:

Any stimulus package ought to be directed, fairly at the 'middle class', not everyone who sticks their hand out.
Just like our Founders definitely decided against any more tyrannical rulers, the Govt ought to decide against gifts to the wealthy.
After all, they were the ones so caught up in short term greed -which they actively marketed on the masses- that they largely created the problem we're having.
Our current tax laws and incentives are loaded so heavily in favor of the very wealthy that it would be unconscionable to further favor that relatively small class of people.
Besides, the Bush policies have failed so miserably that to continue the same approach would border on insanity!

As far as helping the very poor with Govt assistance, that should always be a priority for improvement, regardless of any recession.
So, any 'stimulus' oriented in that direction ought to be of the long-term, sustainable type.

Here in America the 'middle class' actually represents, by far, most of our population, a fairly broad spectrum of people ranging from below the very wealthy to above those most in need.
And, that is as it should be in our type of society, which unlike countries like India have tried, hasn't fallen into a rigid 'class system' that assigns limits to what people can do with their lives.

Using a so-called 'Bell Curve' distribution, our goals ought to be having a broad curve of moderate height and steep sides, which would leave room for exceptional success and some abject failure, but mostly well-being for the vast majority of citizens.
And, there is no reason America can't achieve that kind of model somewhere in its future.
So, we ought to be clear what our ultimate objectives are before we try to fix things real quick, don't you think?

I know this idea will attract some strong disagreement, and that's OK, too.
But, consider the report not long ago that attempted to rate various countries by their relative 'happiness' based upon interviews with their people.
The result, which surprised many, was that tiny Denmark, with its exceptionally high taxes to support its social systems, rated at or near the top!
Upon inspection, most Danes felt their taxes were being well-spent by their government, as evidenced by a feeling of general satisfaction with their lives.
And this despite their less than ideal climate, high prices and modest sphere of influence in the world's affairs.
Think about it.

The Danish system has many marks of what political philosophers like to disparagingly call 'socialism', yet if the people of a country allow that to occur and actually are HAPPY with it, what is wrong with that?

It will be a long time before America ever gets close to where Denmark is on a capitalism-socialism scale, but we will likely get there anyway because that's a fairer system to most people, yet it certainly doesn't disallow capitalism and phenomenal financial success.
What better way to get the broadest possible middle class?
Plus, if people LIKE IT, what's wrong with that?

Globalization makes it harder to recognize these possibilities, because of the fierceness and urgency of competition, but in the end the very concept of sustainability will come into inevitable play and force a more realistic and rational approach to how the world -not just America- lives.

It's time to bring this semi-rant to a close, but before that I want to add that proper attention to our vital 'middle class' -of which most of us are members- is so critically important that it ought to always be uppermost in mind.
That is because the toil, production, service and caring of our middle class is the fuel that keeps America moving!
That, in turn, supports the less fortunate as much as it enables the top achievers in this country.

In the end -as it was in the beginning- we are all joined together in this experiment called 'democracy'.
Messy as hell, contentious and fraught with frustration, it is till the best system around, and all those attributes just come with the territory.
Let's don't forget that, or give up our ability to influence the outcomes we want!
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Serious Business in Seattle

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Oddly enough, after living in Bellingham for 20 years, I've never spent much time in Seattle.
Aside from an occasional overnight at a friend's house, there have been no extended stays here.

For example, I've never been up the Space Needle, or visited many of the museums, except for the Burke at U-Dub.
I have attended a few lectures and presentations at the former Mountaineers building, and once at Benaroya Hall.

Then, I did go to a Mariners game, plus attend the special event for the Dalai Lama's visit.
We also have enjoyed several local restaurants and done a little shopping at REI and Patagonia.

So, cumulatively, I have spent some time here, but not until recently -and now- more than two days at a time.
Mostly, that's because we've seldom had the need or the urge to spend time in Seattle.
After all, one can get most everything needed or wanted in Bellingham, barring few exceptions that require short trips elsewhere.
That assumes a pretty simple lifestyle, that is also varied by mainly fun-based travel to experience the great outdoors, friends and favorite retreats.

All this has changed during the last few months, as I have had the need to seek expert medical attention.
Now, there is a compelling need for me to visit Seattle for an extended stay that is not simply 'fun'-related.
Unless, of course, the concept of 'fun' also includes the idea of living a longer life!
I think it does, and that's why I'm here.

In October, I was diagnosed with an obstruction to my bile duct from my liver.
That may not sound like much, but if left untreated would result in, uh, death; there, I've said it.
Thanks to good and quick medical care in Bellingham that situation was sufficiently mitigated to allow the time to seek more specialized care in -you guessed it- Seattle.

Who knew that the Virginia Mason Medical Center is one of the truly world-class places for treating Pancreatic Cancer?
'PanCan' is what I turned out to have, and that required radical surgery -called a Whipple- to remove the growth, plus some innards, then some internal re-plumbing, all performed by the leading surgeon in his field.

That event and the preceding tests that lead up to it were the reasons I began visiting Seattle more frequently and for longer periods of time.
It is also the rationale for entering the next phase of my recovery, which entails an aggressive protocol of chemotherapy and radiation treatment to prevent any remaining malignant cells from growing or moving to other parts of my body.
That's the phase of my Seattle visitation program that I am in right now, almost 6 weeks of that dread -but vital- treatment regimen, again under the direction and care of another, world-class Doctor, an Oncologist specializing in PanCan.

So far, so good, after just 2 of 28 planned treatment sessions.
But there are more to come, and the cumulative effects over time may -and probably will- make my stay less pleasant before its over.

This aggressive Chemo/Radiation routine is set to end on March 6, at which time I get a month off to recuperate before more tests are conducted.
Boy, am I looking forward to that!

In the meantime, we are here in Seattle, ensconced in a very comfortable condo that was generously offered to us by good friends.
What a wonderful gift that has been!

We are so grateful and fortunate to be visiting Seattle this way, especially in these circumstances.
That kindness affords us a tangible relief to the serious business we are here for, and we appreciate it very much!
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Greenways: Wishing Does Not 'Make It So'

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Starship Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek had a signature phrase from the captain's chair; "Make it so".

How nice it would be to have the power of 'making something so' by just wishing or asking for it!

The Captain Picard character is depicted as a deeply moral, highly logical and cerebral man, who through Solomon-like wisdom resolves seemingly intractable complex issues between multiple parties. Though such resolutions are usually peaceful, Picard is also shown utilizing his remarkable tactical cunning in situations requiring it.

How nice it would be to have such a person in charge of resolving the so-called Chuckanut Ridge 'issue', in which some wild-eyed advocates on the south side seem bent upon a scorched earth policy to get their way - or else!

But even Picard might have difficulty in dealing with that issue, especially if he tried to use those same morals, logic, and facts combined as wisdom on it.

But, hey it's worth a try, isn't it?
Jack Weiss thinks so, and has put together some facts -summarized below-in yet another attempt to persuade those who seem resistant to such persuasion.

And, if those who choose to remain resistant to reason and reality again reject this information, there are many others who may benefit from it.

Notwithstanding that an ounce of emotion can sometimes trump an entire ton of rational thought, the truth of this new information is not likely to just go away!
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From Weiss:
For public use as you so desire.
This is the second of an indeterminate series to assist the community in understanding other information regarding the Chuckanut Ridge issue.

The Southside Effect on the Greenways III Levy Vote
By Jack Weiss, January 24, 2009

Ever since the May 16, 2006 Greenways III election, from time-to-time some people proclaim in this paraphrase “if it wasn’t for the southside vote, the levy would not have passed.” Saying this does not make it so. Let’s look at the facts.

I took the official precinct election results from the following abstract (http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/auditor/election_division/voting_history/abstracts/index.jsp) and calculated the following summary:

The levy passed community-wide by 58.8% with an overall voter turnout of 46.5%.

If the three precincts directly adjacent to Chuckanut Ridge are pulled out, the levy passes by 58.4%. This includes Prec #244 (Edgemoor), 245 (South with bits of Fairhaven and Edgemoor), and 246 (east side of South). Note that 244 and 246 passed by a lower margin than community-wide (57.4% and 57.3% respectively versus the community-wide margin of 58.8%.

If all of Ward 6 was removed, the levy passes by a “yes” vote of 57.0%.

If all of Wards 5 and 6 were removed, the levy still passes 54.6%. That is over 9 percentage points victory by the rest of town.

Lastly, even if the every one of the 1156 “yes” votes in precincts 244, 245, and 246 switched their votes in protest, the levy still would pass 52.2%. In fact, a total of 1535 “yes” voters would have to switch their votes assuming they actually cast a ballot and simply did not sit out the election. It is very speculative that that would have ever occurred.

Sure, the southside provided support for the passage of the levy. But to think that the rest of the community was asleep to this election is not borne out by the facts. If the Greenways Legacy group and Responsible Development wanted to kill the passage of the levy in 2006, they may or may not have succeeded and their attempt would reflect highly on their motives with the rest of Bellingham.

The question is: if they did succeed as they frequently threatened in 2005 and 2006, what would have been accomplished? 1. We would either have no levy for anything, including some money for Chuckanut Ridge; or 2. A new levy with higher amounts for CR would have been put on the ballot attracting opponents from the rest of town and likely flaming to defeat as well.

What is also clear is that some people have claimed how much they worked for the passage of the levy. Of all of the people who have spoken up in the past few months claiming some sort of $8 million quid pro quo, only Jody Bergsma, Brad Rose, and Joe Yaver gave any money to the campaign. $410 out of $12,383. That’s it. (From the Council, Barbara and Michael Ryan and Joan Beardsley kicked in another $300.)

Of all of those same people, only 6 of 796 signed endorsements for the levy to be included in the only flyer during the campaign (Jody Bergsma, Michael Chiavario, Brad Rose, Gail Smedley, Bobbi Vollendorf and Joe Yaver). All 7 councilmembers at that time endorsed.

Jody and Bobbi volunteered substantially into the organization into the campaign. Gail and Cathy McKenzie helped out a little. Where were all of the others?

It is disingenuous, at best, to insinuate the vast assistance of southsiders into the passage of this levy. A whisper campaign does not count. And saying now how much you helped then does not make it so. If you are not one of these named above, then you either did not contribute, endorse, or volunteer for the passage of this levy. But thank you if you put up a yard sign.

In conclusion, statements of how much the southside vote swayed the outcome or how significant the southsiders were in campaigning ring hollow to me.

Side note:

For those number geeks who want more, I have included the following attached spreadsheet so you can see for yourself the source numbers. If the table does not come out, click on the attachment instead. It will probably be much easier to read.
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Note: I have not included the tables of data that Jack used to reach his conclusions as stated above.
That is because I am not enough of a geek to know how to do that, plus the conclusions are the important part which most folks would be willing to read.
If folks want to see these tables of data, I'm sure they can be made available from other sources.
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See y'all later now, y'hear?

Greenways: Are We A Unified Community Or A League of Single Interests?

"I was born for a storm and a calm does not suit me' - Andrew Jackson
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During Andrew Jackson's time as our 7th President, one of the major issues he faced was the so-called 'nullification crisis', in which South Carolina and other southern states became so unhappy with existing US tariffs that they openly plotted not to pay them, even if it came to seceding from the Union.

Imagine that; one of the original 13 states deciding that it gets to pick which national laws it obeys!
Think that 'states rights' stance might have been a little extreme?
Jackson certainly did, and he acted strongly to make sure SC did not get away with that divisive ploy, although part of the peaceful resolution reached did involve compromise and a progressive reduction in the tariff.

Of course, the kind of selfish thinking that the SC hotheads exhibited did not entirely disappear, and later was to use slavery to fuel forming a Southern Confederacy, which did secede from the Union, resulting in the Civil War.

It seems a certain similarity exists between these events in Jackson's time and the present, here in our little community.
Should a fractious 'South-side League' be allowed 'Nullification Powers' over how the voluntarily voted Greenways funds will be allocated and spent?
I don't think so!
And neither should the City Council allow frustrating the clear intent of the Greenways 3 levy and its related descriptive documents, passed 2+ years ago.
Yet, three of the four Council members who colluded -outside of public meetings- to rig how these monies would be spent are at it again!

This time, these would-be 'nullifiers' are trying to thwart the careful work of the Parks & Recreation Board and the Greenways Advisory Committee to reflect the very guidelines and principles which the Council had duly adopted.
The form this latest gambit has taken is to delay approval of the Strategic Plan that has been finally submitted after over years of very public process.
The reason?
Simple, they want all $6 million in funds designated for south-side property acquisitions, plus the $2 million in undesignated funds to go toward purchase of the so-called Chuckanut Ridge property [now being called 'Fairhaven Highlands']

You know what? That won't wash! And, if it does somehow slip by, there will be hell to pay!

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The twin threads of this particular section are ethics and partisan politics, neither a particularly happy subject.
I'll try to be both succinct and accurate in these remarks, although each aim may somewhat counter the other.

Regarding ethics, the three remaining renegade Council members, the would-be 'nullifiers', ought to know better than to willingly and knowingly collude on such a scheme, not divulge their true intent at any one of the several public meetings held at which this matter was discussed, and then compound their 'secret lie' by lying about it again!
And, to say they now feel committed to a secret 'covenant' they thought they had made to certain advocates to spend $8 million in funds that were not yet available or voted upon, is ludicrous at best!

What about the 'covenant' all elected officials make -to all citizens- to uphold the law and fairly represent all interests to the best of their abilities?
That is generally covered in the oath of office that each Council member takes as a matter of public record.
I took my oath seriously, as do most others.

Should there be better guidelines for what constitutes acceptable behavior in a public capacity?
Maybe so, as was discussed 2 years ago, but the Council has not yet acted upon this matter.
Why is so hard to get people to reasonably regulate their own behavior?
Even if a recall or impeachment effort were attempted to punish these 'nullifiers', that is problematic too, especially with people who have repeatedly demonstrated 'creative', 'revisionist' and/or 'convenient' memories!
Lie to me once, that's on me; lie to me twice, that's on you!

Regarding partisan politics, that is an inherent part of our system.
But, there is a time and place for it, just as there is a time and place for the majority to actually govern.
As Andrew Jackson thought, 'we must resist attempts of single interests to seize power from the whole.'
Just as the United States is a Union and not a Confederacy or a League, the laws and policies that are duly adopted must be obeyed and adhered to by all.
There will always be a tension between the will of the majority and the rights of the minority, and that is as it should be in a democracy.
But, the majority must rule!

The Greenways levy that was passed by the voters, went on the ballot by a unanimous vote from the Council.
Of course, that happened only after significant compromises were debated and agreed to.

Nothing in the Greenways ballot measure can be construed to mean that $8 million was to be dedicated solely for the purchase of Chuckanut Ridge property.
If it had, the ballot would certainly have not attracted the unanimous endorsement of the Council, and most likely would have never been passed at all.

This last fact just underscores the falsity of the claims to the contrary being heard from the three remaining Council 'nullifiers'.
They are lying now just as they were lying by public silence 2 years ago- and do not deserve to represent this community on this Greenways issue any longer!
Each of the three should voluntarily recuse themselves from participating in Greenways decisions.
That was also the remedy I suggested to a former Council member, who has now passed away.
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By acceding to these 'nullifiers' demands and delaying final adoption of the Greenways Strategic Plan, the Council may be unwittingly causing harm to Greenways, in any or all of the following ways:

• unnecessarily continuing a debate that has already been fairly settled.

• undermining public confidence in Greenways, as well as the competence of the Council.

• impairing the ability of the City to purchase any south side properties, OTHER THAN CHUCKANUT RIDGE, in a timely manner and at a fair value from a willing seller. [there ARE other PRIORITY properties to be acquired]

• wasting staff time.

• extending false hope to die-hard, single interest supporters who want CR purchased at the expense of all other options.

It is well past time for this destructive and disingenuous Greenways gamesmanship to end.
There will be no heroes created by its continuance, and no face-saving or bragging rights possible for anyone who has proven they can't be trusted to do right by this community.
There is no substitute for openness and fairness, so we should accept none.

Why not learn something from two of our new President's early actions?
Those include a no-nonsense Code of Ethics for Lobbyists, and a clear policy of openness and transparency which anticipates every issue be reasonably subject to the Freedom of Information Act!
That would be good for starters.
Out.
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The Inauguration: A Few Thoughts

Notwithstanding the historic significance of today's event, the swearing in of Barack Obama as our 44th President, I had not intended any special attention to all the hoopla.
But, I did pay attention to these ceremonies anyway.
My wife and I watched TV coverage from the comfort of our home, and were again struck by the massive connection that our newest President has with the American people, and indeed with the citizens of the entire world!

Despite my reticence to participate in an event held 3000 miles away, I willingly did and was fascinated by it.
Spontaneous tears came to my eyes on more than one occasion, as I listened to Obama's words that resonate so well with what I hold most important, and that I have hoped for so ardently for so long!

Thank God this moment has at last come to pass, so that the hard work can begin in earnest to restore our collective confidence.
Our President expects the best from us in this endeavor, and I for one intend to fully support his enlightened style of leadership.

The pundits will argue forever what Obama's words were intended to mean, but I accept them at face value; a sincere statement of how severe and persistent problems will be faced, no matter what their cause or the obstacles encountered.
Together, our nation has no limits upon what it can achieve, provided we unite in doing it.
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25 years ago I took a Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator Test as part of reassessing what career path might suit me best.
That exercise was not only helpful to me, but also to my wife, Joan.
It allowed me to delve not only into into my 'druthers', but also those activities that I would rather avoid.
In other words, the idea is to go with your strengths, not your weaknesses, once you know what these might be.
Of course, the M-B method doesn't explain everything about an individual, but it does help.

Years later, I found a website [http://www.keirsey.com/] that focuses on the M-B method and summarizes broad findings by the professionals who specialize in it.
At one time, that website had an analysis of which US Presidents likely fit each of the 4 basic M-B personality types; Artisans,
Rationals, Guardians and Idealists.
Of these 4 types, only one had never characterized an American President, the Idealist.
I wouldn't be surprised to find that Barack Obama may be our first -ever- Idealist President!
And, if he isn't, he comes closer to that than any other has so far.

May God bless this great land of ours, and the purpose for which it stands!
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Finally, check out this YouTube - 'There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama' from the Corrigan Brothers at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HplZ_taHXLM

Original lyrics:

O’Leary, O’Reilly, O’Hare and O’Hara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

From the ould Blarney stone to the green hills of Tara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama
You don’t believe me, I hear you say

But Barack’s as Irish as was JFK

His grandaddy’s daddy came from Moneygall

A small Irish village, well known to you all

Chorus 2:
Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo toor a lama

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

He’s as Irish as bacon, and cabbage and stew

He’s Hawaiian, he’s Kenyan, American too

He’s in the White House, he took his chance

Now let’s see Barack do Riverdance

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo toor a lama

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

From Kerry and Cork to old Donegal

Let’s hear it for Barack from old Moneygall

From the lakes of Killarney to old Connemara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

O’Leary, O’Reilly, O’Hare and O’Hara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama


From the ould Blarney stone to the green hills of Tara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama
Two thousand and eight, the White House is free

They’re cheering in Mayo, and in Skibereen

The Irish in Kenya and in Yokahama

Are cheering for president Barack O’Bama

O’Leary, O’Reilly, O’Hare and O’Hara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama


From the ould Blarney stone to the green hills of Tara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama
The hockey mom’s gone, and so is McCain

They’re cheering in Texas and Borrisokane

In Moneygall town, the greatest of drama

For our famous president, Barack O’Bama

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo toor a lama

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

The great Stephen Neill a great man of God

He proved that Barack was from the auld sod

They came by bus, they came by car

To celebrate Barack, in Ollie Hayes’ bar
O’Leary, O’Reilly, O’Hare and O’Hara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

From the ould Blarney stone to the green hills of Tara

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo toor a lama

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

Repeat!
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Lake Whatcom: Questions about Proposed Private Road

It seems hard to believe that in the face of the DOE's TMDL -and its required, difficult remedial actions- that someone can adequately "mitigate" the effects of two miles of new 'private' road in this Reservoir's watershed.

Yet, the Whatcom County SEPA official has apparently rubber stamped this application with another DNS [Determination of Non-Significance].
Is this 'SEPA official' person competent, or is he just doing what he is instructed to do?
Does the SEPA checklist used include or even address effects on stormwater runoff downslope from the proposed development?

Even if the County has minimal stormwater rules -and no viable means for funding such efforts- don't they consider the impact of clearing of over eleven acres of forest and natural ground cover significant?
Won't this be replaced by an impervious surface that will itself allow more clearing and impervious surfaces?
Somewhere, I recall that stripping natural growth from land increases runoff by a factor of 16.
Do we understand what that can cause?

I don't get either the myopia or the routine bureaucracy that continues to seriously hamper efforts to protect this Reservoir.
And, coming so soon after the record rainfall and runoff from this same general area that actually closed North Shore Drive, damaged homes and infrastructure, too!
What the heck is going on?
Business as usual?
I hope the City and/or others will soon vigorously challenge this short-sighted, and maybe even illegal development!
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Here are a few pieces of information about this proposal that have come my way, followed by a few questions that citizens and our elected representatives ought to be asking:

• LEGAL NOTICE: [How many people actually read these? Thank goodness some do!]
(L7015) WHATCOM COUNTY GIVES PUBLIC NOTICE THAT THE FOLLOWING SEPA THRESHOLD OF MITIGATED DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE (MDNS) HAS BEEN ISSUED TODAY SUBJECT TO THE 14 DAY COMMENT PERIOD CONCLUDING ON JANUARY 22, 2008. File: SEP2008-00063 Project Description: The construction of a road to serve future residential home construction on up to 26 existing 20-acre residential properties currently located in the Rural Forestry zone. The proposed private road will require clearing and grading for roughly 10,300 linear feet of roadway. The total project impact area (clearing) is approximately 11.05 acres in size. Proponent: CLN LLC, Christopher and Nancy Secrist, Gordon and Carol Iverson Location: The proposed project lies northerly and approximately 2 miles east of the intersection of Academy Road and North Shore Drive on Squalicum Mountain. APN #: 380324 066302, 380324 066366, 380324 066432, 380324 200432, 380324 200495, 380313 094020, 380313 229052, 380313 137128, 380313 211152, 380313 333171, 380313 333231, 380313 355328, 380313 295341, 380313 368452, 380313 307476. Lead Agency: Whatcom County Planning and Development Services Zoning: Rural Forestry (RF) Comp Plan: Rural Forestry ANY PERSON OR AGENCY MAY APPEAL THE COUNTY'S COMPLIANCE WITH WAC 197-11 BY FILING AN APPEAL WITH THE WHATCOM COUNTY LAND USE DIVISION LOCATED AT 5280 NORTHWEST DRIVE, BELLINGHAM, WA 98226. APPEALS MUST BE MADE WITHIN 10 DAYS AFTER THE END OF THE COMMENT PERIOD.

• From the Department of Ecology's website:
County: Whatcom
Lead Agency: Whatcom County
Lead Agency Contact: Tyler Schroeder
Lead Agency Phone: (360) 676-6907
Lead Agency File #: 2008-00063
Ecology File #: 200900152
Document Type: DNS-M
Description: Squalicum Ridge Rd; construct a 10,300 ft road to service future residential homes on up to 26 existing 20 acre residential properties in the Rural Forestry zone
Location: Two miles east of the intersection of Academy Rd and North Shore Drive on Squalicum Mountain
Applicant: CLN LLC, Christopher & Nancy Secrist, Gordon & Carol Iverson
Issue Date: 01/08/2009
Mail Date:
Comment Due: 01/22/2009
Enter Date: 01/12/2009

• The Bham Herald Legas-Ad announcement :
http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:7ygVYc7l71MJ:buyit.bellinghamherald.com/findit/legal_and_financial/legal_public_notices/P58cabd42c15999b423864e4b2e5e2f7f.htm%3FitemId%3DP58cabd42c15999b423864e4b2e5e2f7f_01+SEP2008-00063+whatcom&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us ;

• A cursory googling shows: Christopher Secrist is/was affiliated with Oeser (famous in-town polluters) and Gordon & Carol Iverson both are/were worked for Trillium.

• I can add from my own knowledge that Mr Iverson has monitored closely the City's interest in acquiring watershed property in this vicinity, and in at least one instance, bid slightly higher than the City's offer on a large wooded acreage near the power line right of way. Due to a technicality, the owner opted to sell to Mr Iverson rather than the City after it had completed a lengthy due diligence process. Nothing illegal here, but it does demonstrate an agenda that is significantly at odds with the City's goal of protecting the Reservoir.
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One basic tenet of stormwater management is to use nature's own mitigation whenever possible.
Sometimes this means 'don't build there'; other times maintaining adequate buffers is OK.
Always, its better to mitigate stormwater higher up the slope, not lower!
And, building detention ponds, stormwater drains and treatment facilities is expensive and relatively ineffective.

Yet, knowing the above, here we are pretending this wisdom is unknown - again!
Amazing, but maybe not when one takes into account how this County is being administered.
But, that also brings up another question: Does the County Executive own property in this vicinity?
And, if he does, will this development benefit him financially?

Another observation:
If this property is currently zoned 'Rural Forestry', how is it possible to build 26 homes, each on 20 acres?
Is that land use appropriate, even as a 'cluster'?
Is it legal?
Would the County Council need to approve a rezone for this to happen?
On what grounds might such a rezone be granted?

Who will supply water to these sites?
Water District 7?
Whose water will they use?
Doesn't Water District 7 have an agreement with the City?
Does this agreement restrict such extensions?
Does Water District 10 [now masquerading as the Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District] have any role to play in this scheme"

What about sewage?
Does the developer expect the County to allow more septic systems to service these 26 mega homes?
What about the clear policy adopted for NOT doing that?

What about downstream damage potential?
Not only will runoff from this area find its way downhill, it will likely reach the Reservoir.
On its way down hill, who is responsible for the expected stormwater damage, in the forms of erosion, flooding and added nutrient and pollutant loads -which are supposedly to be considered in the County & City's response to the DOE TMDL?
Will the County be allowed to wash its hands of these responsibilities and look the other way as the City tries to manage this mess after the fact?

You know what?
There is a lot that stinks about this proposal!
And, it is time to do something about it, in strongest terms!
It would be nice if those who profess concern about our Reservoir, started doing more to actually achieve their stated goals.

And, while I'm at it, how about those citizens who take their drinking water for granted, then use their energies to advocate something of far lesser importance?
It is past time for this community to come together and really make its will known to those who have been elected to lead us!
We simply need to demonstrate what is most important, and tell them we expect effective action, not empty words and more complacency!

There is not much time to waste in addressing this particular problem 'development', which is so symptomatic of the repeated damage that has already been inflicted on our Reservoir!
Literally, this Reservoir is being harmed to death by 'a thousand pin pricks'; each may be non-fatal, but in their cumulative effect certainly so.

When I hear 'private road', I also think of Sudden Valley, which feels entitled to County road funds to access and maintain them.
Already, there is the expectation of the County providing access to this proposed development on Squalicum Mountain.
Then, will come widening, turning lanes and other improvement, all at taxpayer expense.
I object to any part of my taxes being used for this private purpose!
The County can't even maintain the roads it has!
Eventually, those who choose to live in this proposed, private, 520 acre enclave, if it gets allowed and built, will also depend upon City services, too, which they will pay nothing to deserve.
Enough!
Just say no to this.
If we can't find a way to say 'no', we'll deserve what results.

And 520 acres of low density development; when did that start to fit with the slow growth policy that so many citizens want?
Why, that's more than the County wanted to allow the City to have -and that was for high density development!
Get serious County!

Greenways: Keeping the Process Honest, Equitable & Public

Some folks are recently claiming 'foul' about a relatively routine matter that the City Council took up for action last Monday night.
There are times when crying 'foul' is appropriate and justified, but this was not one of those times.
Unless, of course, one has a big axe to grind about the results of a very public due process that began back in early 2007.

The 'Greenway Program Land Acquisition Strategic Plan' was deemed necessary to establish clear overarching principles for using public funds to acquire, develop and maintain the City's Parks, Trails & Open Space properties, but without specifically identifying individual properties.

The Parks & Recreation Dept is charged with administering these funds and principles, as well as facilitating the activities of two volunteer advisory committees, the Greenways Advisory Committee and the Parks & Recreation Board. Council gets to confirm the Greenways Advisory Committee members before their appointments are made official.
Both committees are appointed by the Mayor and picked to insure both diversity and dedication to the overall community.
Except for appropriate executive sessions, both committees meet regularly in a public venue and record their proceedings in minutes.

Recommendations from these committees are publicly reported periodically to the Council for its consideration and approval, as was the case with the 'Greenway Program Land Acquisition Strategic Plan', which was 2 years in the making.
With this background, it is hard to see a legitimate justification for claims by certain people that 'inadequate public process' was followed, or that any sort of 'sneaky, back-room deals' were employed.
Those suppositions were, as they sometimes are, used to gain attention and further delay approval of something that someone simply disagrees with.
And, its certainly OK to disagree, but not for a vocal minority to achieve through 11th hour emotion and loud misrepresentation what it could not through reason and hard facts!

For those who may be interested in a more dispassionate view of what has transpired this week, I offer a few comments, preceded by this chronology of events prepared by Council member Jack Weiss:
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Greenway Program Land Acquisition Strategic Plan'
Overview of Process

The first 1990 levy and the second Beyond Greenways 1997 levy had planning strategies adopted by the Greenways Advisory Committee (GAC) within months of the passage of the levies.

In keeping with this practical procedure, the GAC started strategic planning discussions soon after the passage of the May 2006 levy. Because of the size of the levy and the general categories in the budget guideline, the GAC first worked to create and pass two documents: Criteria for Property Acquisitions and Acquisition Guidelines. These were adopted in March/April 2007 with consultation with the City Council in public meetings.

GAC and the Parks and Rec Department hold public input meetings on January 31 and March 6, 2007 for suggestions on properties and criteria to consider for acquisition. Over 150 comments were received. Contrary to recent criticism, it is important to understand that these meetings, as announced at the beginning, were to “scope” the different and unique properties to analyze, not to vote on which ones were more popular. One vote for Chuckanut Ridge meant one vote, regardless of how many responded to a single property. When the Census is done next year, we will continue to count Mayor Pike as just one unique person regardless of how popular he is with votes.

The volunteer GAC holds an all day retreat on March 10, 2007 to sort and analyze comments and start the planning process.

GAC holds monthly meetings between March 2007 and October 2008 with updates occasionally reported in public session (Responsible Development President, Joe Yaver, or South neighbor citizen, Christopher Grannis, were present during many of these meetings). Because of the sensitive nature of some of the work related to the possible acquisition of specific properties, much of the strategic plan work was conducted in executive session. This allowed the free flow of information among committee members without jeopardizing or tipping off potential property transactions which would put the City in a compromised bargaining position.

For all of 2006/2007 and part of 2008, five of the 11 GAC members reside in Ward 6, the southern most ward of the City. For citizens concerned with the workings of the GAC or the effort of the committee in executive session, a call or note to Southside residents who served on the GAC for years in the past would be recommended. Consider Seth Fleetwood, Jody Bergsma, or Bobbi Vollendorf to start.

September 29, 2008: City Council holds an executive session concerning property acquisition. Later that evening, the Strategic Plan is announced that it is nearly complete. Some main elements of the Plan are verbally discussed.

October 6, 2008: Council receives a report from the GAC in a public afternoon session and a draft of the Strategic Plan is released for initial Council comment. Council is told that the Plan is ready for GAC and Parks Board approval. Council will receive the final report soon after. Proceedings of afternoon and evening sessions are available at the City website.

The Strategic Plan calls for Greenways III spending $12.96 million in six northside areas, $1 million near Whatcom Creek, and $9.5 million in five southside areas. All money is for acquisition of land only and individual projects and areas are evaluated based on the approved Acquisition Guidelines.

October 16, 2008: GAC approves the Strategic Plan on a 10-0 vote in public session. Four of the 10 committee members reside in Ward 6. The motion was seconded by a member who resides directly adjacent to the Chuckanut Ridge parcel. Barbara Ryan is in attendance as a guest and makes her initial appearance at any GAC meeting since her service as a Councilmember began in 1998.

November 8, 2008: Parks Board approves the Strategic Plan on a 11-0 vote in public session. Two of the 11 committee members reside in Ward 6. An additional member resides in Ward 5 nearby.

January 8, 2009: The agenda for the Council January 12 meeting is publicly available. The agenda contains an item labeled: Approval of Strategic Plan for Greenway 3 Levy Land Acquisition.

January 12, 2009: Council approves the North and Whatcom Creek sections of the Strategic Plan on a 7-0 vote. One councilmember resides in Ward 6. An additional member resides in Ward 5 nearby. The Council further approves a motion on a 6-1 vote to table the South section of the Strategic Plan until the Council meeting that is after 15 days after the release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Fairhaven Highlands/Chuckanut Ridge project. Stan Snapp voted against this motion. He resides near Lake Whatcom. Proceedings of afternoon and evening sessions are available at the City website.
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The above said, there has been some dialogue on another local blog, NWCitizen, to which I and others have contributed this week.
Here is what I have posted there. You can see for yourself how this was interpreted and responded to:

John Watts // Thu, Jan 15, 2009, 8:45 pm
Former US Senator Moynihan once said that ‘everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.’

Since the author of this piece admits to several years absence -ergo ignorance- in following the Greenways intrigues, let me suggest that he avail himself of a few facts that others are able to verify, including myself, as Council member and chair of the Parks & Recreation Committee in 2006 & 2007.

The Greenways 3 levy language that was agreed to unanimously by the Council contained no money solely designated to purchase any so-called Chuckanut Ridge property. If someone feels otherwise, let them demonstrate credible evidence to the contrary.

I do know that Council members Barbara Ryan and Terry Bornemann wished otherwise and either influenced or sought to influence members Joan Beardsley and Gene Knutson to ‘earmark’ very substantial GW3 funds -up to $10.5 million- for CR purchase, but none of this was ever approved by Council action.
Again, if someone feels otherwise, let them demonstrate credible evidence to the contrary.

The Greenways 3 measure that went to the ballot designated $6 million for ALL southside GW3 purchases, with CR being the largest of several possible.
An additional $2 million was made available for potential purchase of property anywhere, with ‘priority’ given to a credible proposal for acquiring additional right of way that might be required to provide for a trail connection through the CR property. Again, there was no guarantee, or ‘earmark’ in current vernacular.

The above is the plain language that was presented to the voters, which ought to be readily verifiable through the City Attorney’s office.

While there are those who are determined to question and or try to contravene the clear true intent of the Greenways 3 measure, that is already well defined.
But, the penchant for controversy and wishful thinking remains strong among the former so-called Legacy proponents, which explains this latest demonstration of discontent and amateurish political pressure.

Another person who has paid careful attention to the Greenways 3 issue and timely reported on it, is the editor of the Cascadia Weekly, whose Gristle column of January 13 not only got it right on this latest dust-up, but also got it right on three previous Gristle columns which can be easily accessed at the following URL:
http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/cw?/content/columns/category/gristle/

It is regrettable that the same people who threatened to ‘hijack’ the Greenways vote in 2007 are still up to mischief making using our valued Greenways program as their instrument of choice to fight a planned infill development.

Democracies are never perfect, but continuing to try to put more lipstick on the ‘100 acre woods’ piglet seems a loser’s game that carries more promise for undermining, rather than improving, the credibility of the CR acquisition advocates.
------------------------------

So, now I've managed to ruffle a few more feathers, including some of the same ones that have been ruffled before on this issue.
Let me say here that all my remarks pertain to the actions of the Council, its deliberations and decisions as duly recorded in the public record.
Those are the things that actually count in determining City policy.

It would be ludicrous to claim that I -or anyone- could know EVERYTHING that went on between other Councils members, citizens and advocates on all sides.
So, I do wonder why would anyone even use that argument to discredit my claim of being aware of what Council did or did not do. Desperation?
Of course, discussions, lobbying, arm-twisting, and all sorts of discourse happen to influence the decisions of elected officials!

The point is that elected officials are required by law to actually -and officially- make their decisions in public, not in secret.
Further, the concepts of due process, Washington's 'sunshine law', and the 'appearance of fairness' demand that openness be inherent in such decisions.

When a quorum of the Council is present, such meetings must be announced in advance as a public meeting.
When a quorum of Council members communicate with each other, whether in writing or not, those communications should be available to the public.

It makes no difference whether all four are in the same room together, or whether they participated in the same communication at the same time, or sequentially, the quorum rule applies.
That is why Freedom of Information Act Requests for public records can be effective in discovering, preventing or reconstructing illegal public meetings.

Of course, timeliness is of the essence, if illegal meetings, 'chain' meetings or other exchanges are to be disclosed before tainted decisions are made.

On this point, I certainly welcome the Washington Attorney General's request for mandatory Open Meetings Act education for all elected officials!
Maybe this should also be extended to members of the public?

So, the question remains, was a firm commitment made between 4 Council members to use $8 million in Greenways funds to acquire part of Chuckanut Ridge, or not?
It sounds like there was such a deal struck outside of official Council business, if for no other reason than because 2 of the 4 verbally admitted to it.
Now, I hear, a third member has also admitted to it.
But, the 4th member seems to continue their denial.

Of course, one of the two members involved is now deceased, so the maximum number of committed Council votes to such a scheme is now only three -one short of the majority needed to actually approve this spending.
Is it likely that another vote can be attracted to this tainted purpose?
I doubt it.
Louise certainly won't go there.
And the three new Council members are smart enough to smell trouble when they see it, even if they did favor acquiring CR.
Let's hope that 4th vote is lost forever!

But, on the plus side, the City will likely get a good chunk of CR -for nothing- as a result of wetlands determinations that will emerge as part of the Environmental Impact Statement [EIS].
If another minor segment of CR is necessary for trail ROW, that is also possible.
But, forget the City buying down this property for anything like $6 to $8 million!
It's not going to happen.
Take that to the bank.
But make sure it's solvent!

Football Blues

After sorta giving up on college football the other day I turned attention to the NFL playoffs this weekend expecting to see 4 good games.
I was disappointed, although one game was pretty close.

Now, I've decided that even watching pro football is mostly a waste of time.
I say 'mostly' because there are some terrific plays that are fascinating to watch.
But predicting when these may happen is problematic at best.
So, maybe the best way to catch those plays is to watch the highlights after the fact.
After all there is no special reward for seeing these moments in real time.

More depressing is the reality that teams I root for mostly seem to lose.
While I do often pull for underdogs the disparity I've noted doesn't necessarily track that predisposition either.
What I have all but concluded is that when I decide to root for a team, that act itself may determine an adverse outcome!
In other words, my support amounts to a kiss of death to whatever team I happen to favor.

I have no statistics to back up this claim, but maybe I should start collecting them.
If a strong correlation between game outcomes and my own choices can be found, that may be worth some bucks to gamblers.
But, of course that might also alter outcomes, particularly if it were discovered that my main goal was to make money on such predictions.
So, maybe its better that I just give up on choosing outcomes and go with the flow?

This weekend's playoff games had these match-ups, with the first team enjoying the home field advantage:

Carolina Panthers VS Arizona Cardinals [@Carolina -favored]
Tennessee Titans VS Baltimore Ravens [@Tennessee -Ravens slightly favored]
New York Giants VS Philadelphia Eagles [@NY -favored]
Pittsburgh Steelers VS San Diego Chargers [@Pittsburgh -favored]

In each game one team's colors featured BLUE, and each BLUE team lost.
Now, we're left with three kinds of non-BLUE Birds and the Black clad Steelers, who ought to win the Super Bowl on general principles!
Their game with the Purple clad Ravens will be a doozy, the 3rd tough meeting between those teams this year.
The Green clad Eagles ought to handle the Red clad Cardinals to provide fodder for all-Pennsylvania Championship.

But, the above predictions are just my opinion, so I've probably also jinxed the Steelers and the Eagles as well.
Don't be too surprised if the Cardinals meet -and beat- the Ravens in the Super Bowl; just kidding, or am I?
Seriously, it's too bad the Steelers and Ravens can't meet again in the Super Bowl, instead of the AFL Championship.
That would be one tough game, fitting for teams that both feature and fit the colors Black and Purple!
Ouch!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

---------------------------------
The title makes up the opening lines in a ditty that has become a tradition in announcing Monday Night Football, usually sung by popular country/folk singers.
It has also been my personal mantra for more years then I like to remember.
But, no more!

After this last endless round of Bowl games, self adulation of athletes and public posturing and petty arguments about 'who's number one', I've finally had it with college football.
And, that is ironic in the extreme!

One would think that in retirement there is just more time for enjoying such armchair sports.
The reality is that I've reached my limit in calling this increasingly commercial pastime 'fun'.

I guess this was bound to happen some day, but who would have thought it would be so sudden?
Actually, the feeling had been developing for some time now that I think about it.
And now it has culminated in my decision to no longer be a couch potato for every game on TV.
That is not to say I won't continue to watch football now and again, but maybe more selectively and intermittently.

It used to be that a college football game was a thing you actually had to attend to witness, the alternate being hearing a radio account by colorful announcers.
Then TV began to allow a wider audience, although for a pretty limited selection of games.

The bigger colleges with traditionally good teams were the ones that got preference in those early days of TV.
Of course, that remains true today too, but now there is a much wider coverage of schools, some of which are either new or so obscure that no one really cares where they are located, who they are playing and what the outcome might be.
Is that an indication of excess and overkill or is it just me?

While there have been some odd mismatches that resulted in major upsets, which elevated the underdog's status and destroyed the favorite's reputation, these are rare.
The more normal result has been the big schools just honing their skills and fattening their statistics on the small fry, in preparation for taking on opponents nearer their own size and competitive ratings.
That's ugly to me, like watching a sadist pull the wings off of a fly or something. Ugh!

The proliferation of 'Bowl' games is something else that may have reached its high water mark, complete with the commercialization that attracts deep pocket sponsors, who pay teams to play in the hopes of reaping rewards in the form of new business from the advertising exposure.
The ads themselves are occasionally interesting, but mostly annoying because they grossly interrupt the game itself.

One Bowl game that I thought was particularly ill-advised was the GMAC Bowl, played in Mobile, AL on a miserable, rainy night, between two teams nobody could really care about -excepting the players, coaches and rabid alums.
Doesn't GM have better ways of spending their advertising dollars? No wonder they are in trouble!

Then, the idea of college teams becoming 'bowl eligible' if they win at least 6 games seems to do nothing but promote mediocrity.
For example, the Atlantic Coast Conference ACC, of which I am most familiar and fond, is now comprised of 12 schools, 10 of which were invited to Bowl games.
Although the ACC managed to win 4 of those 10 contests and collect millions to fill its athletic program coffers, little else seemed to have been accomplished of value.

Many teams now play as many as 12 or 13 games just during the regular season now, as opposed to about 10 only a few years ago.
And Bowl games just add to that total, and during the holiday season, too! What's with that?

Of course, all of this is also caught up in the ridiculous debate about who is 'Number One'.
There are so many ratings systems, polls and propaganda mills at work these days all trying to achieve 'No. 1' status for some team which will never even play other top teams!

Ridiculous, but even more so is the idea that we should have some sort of national play-off system to determine a champion!
What would that prove, except that we are so obsessed with the chase for 'No. 1' that we'll extend the college football season even further.

Then, there's the question of whether football should even be a college curricula, much less a dominant expense [and cash cow] for colleges and the conferences in which they participate.
Mixing athletes of all scholastic aptitudes together is a natural practice, but the temptation is strong to attract those likely to excel on the football field rather than in the classroom.

Look at the schools which have become 'football factories', and ask the question 'what is your graduation rate among athletes'.
You probably won't be surprised at the answer.

Another, better question would be what courses did you take and what did you learn?
Or, what do want to be when you grow up?

If the answer is an underwater basket weaver or physical fitness coach, that's a tip-off that a student athlete's real motivation for taking up a spot in a college was to get famous enough to be spotted by the National Football League, the NFL!
Bingo!
Consider that little secret now uncovered.
Of course there are always those enamored with the idea of becoming a BMOC -big man on campus- or just attractive to girls.
[Remember 'You gotta be a football hero'?]

Being in the NFL is a goal that most college athletes will never reach, but it is still a strong attraction.
The top recruits, often spotted while still in high school or below, are highly prized by college athletic programs.

I suspect that recruiting is a very expensive part of attaining and sustaining a football program of high national ranking.
Just look at what college football coaches are being paid; millions!
Who says the free market system isn't alive and well in America?
One just has to have a market that is very popular, like an opiate for the masses.

I do admire people who are able to parlay their skills and dedication to get ahead and achieve the top ranks in their professions, but are all professions equal?
Not even close!
When a college football coach earns more than a college President or internationally acclaimed Professor, that indicates to me that something is seriously amiss.

And when college athletes are routinely granted perks and advantages not available to other students, that doesn't seem right either.
Maybe its just me, but I don't think so.

As much as I've enjoyed what we Americans call football, I'm finally tired of its acquired excesses.
And, I'm tired of academic standards being perpetually sacrificed at the altar of crass commercialism and self-serving bragging rights of college football teams.

It is indicative of the point I'm making that the only two ACC schools -out of 12- that did not qualify for a Bowl game, were Duke University and the University of Virginia.
Those two schools both have good athletic programs, but are also traditionally the most diligent in maintaining academic standards; which often hinders their recruiting efforts for top athletes.
But, I'm good with that, because I believe the main purpose of higher education is learning those critical skills and things likely to help deal with the serious challenges in life.
When it comes down to deciding spending priorities in secondary education, academics trumps athletics, or ought to.

The above rant also explains why I also salute Western Washington University's recently announced decision to drop its football program instead of curtailing other classes and programs, and laying off teaching professionals.

Hey, I know it is a tough decision that will displease many, but it is the right decision -for the right reason.
There is nothing wrong with leaving big time football to those schools willing to act as meat markets for the NFL and rabid alumni.
Then, other schools can continue to pursue the objectives for which they will established without undue distraction and expense from football programs.
There can still be club football a la Ivy League, intramural leagues and get-up games with the oblate spheroid, just like the old days that many recall.

Back to basics, I say.
And, its about time.

Global Warming: Is This Really A 'Debate'?

The great preponderance of reputable scientists and scientific organizations have concluded -after decades of careful analysis- that the planet Earth is experiencing accelerated climactic warming, due at least substantially to human influence.

Yet, despite this very solid and sobering conclusion there are still some -including a distinct minority of reputable scientists- that say they disagree!

I certainly respect those scientists who need better proof to satisfy their legitimate doubts about the broad conclusions of the great majority of their peers, because such matters are open to a certain amount of uncertainty.

What is most troubling is that most of those in denial seem to be merely following a script that they wish to be true, whether it is based upon faith, wishful thinking, simple opinion, resistance to change or just contrarianism.

In our age of enlightenment and technological advancement, those attitudes seem very hard to justify; especially when these same people have readily accepted the wonders of our age as everyday parts of their lives!
How does one decide which technology or scientific conclusion to believe in and which to challenge as bogus?

And, this subject is certainly not the only one under similar debate.
Just look at the claims, counterclaims and revised opinions that are so frequently attached to so-called miracle drugs for example.
Or, things like space exploration, DNA research, artificial insemination & abortion issues, the healthiness of hybrid foods, and whether our Lake Whatcom Reservoir is prematurely degrading.

The point is, some things can never be completely proven to everyone's satisfaction.
But, to allow a small majority to hold sway in the face of sometimes overwhelming evidence doesn't make sense either.
When a very substantial consensus is reached on such matters, the prudent thing to do is to proceed cautiously accordingly.

Just for the sake of argument, let's say global warming isn't happening.
How would that affect what we ought to do?

Even if global warming can't be proved to everyone's satisfaction, wouldn't it be prudent and smart to not waste so much energy?

Wouldn't it benefit us to quit filling our atmosphere -the very air we breathe- with noxious pollutants?

Wouldn't a serious program of technology development create jobs, new products and more modern ways of living -just like the space program did?

Think about it.

Do we have to prove global warming in order to realize the good things that would accrue from a serious program of technology development toward improving our lives, the environment and reducing our dependence upon foreign oil and fossil fuels in general?

Of course there are also those who profess to believe petroleum supplies are endless, too!
So, here we go again on an unprovable question that is not likely to be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

To that particular point, here are some counterpoints that beg our serious consideration:

• Is it smart for the US to continue to depend on oil from foreign sources?

• Is it likely that the cost of oil will remain stable and affordable to those who depend upon it?

• Is it likely that those countries, organizations and corporations which control the oil supply will support a policy that begins to wean our civilization from its oil addiction?

• Would ignoring the development of new energy sources and more efficient use of it be useful, particularly when demand for oil is rising dramatically from developing countries?

If anyone has doubts about the obvious answers to the above questions, does that negate the validity of these questions?
But, the bottom line is that there are some things that simple denial will not erase, and that specious arguments will not counter.
Primary among these things is the growing importance of sustainability in our lives and for our country.
Sustainability has always been important, but now it has become much more clear as to its urgency.

I hope we will begin to pursue policies that emphasize sustainability as a real priority.
The time has passed when we can simply defer this issue to future generations!

So, let's stop arguing about questions that can never be completely proven to everyone's satisfaction, and begin addressing the serious things we can do to make our lives healthier, less expensive and ultimately happier.

Surely, even the most cynical among us would agree to such a policy, or would they?

Ringing in the New

Yet another celebration of a new year with its renewal of hope has now occurred, and that is good.
We humans do seem to prefer the possibilities of our future over the realities of the past.
But, the past also represents not only our history, but those things we prefer to just 'ring out', sometimes to our detriment.
As a sage has noted; 'those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it'.

And, how much of our history do we really want to repeat?
Maybe the best way that is practically available to us is to simply remember what works and what doesn't work so well.
If we were to find a way of doing that we might be better able to advance our civilization in more positive ways than have so often been the case.
Just imagine being able to expect the best of our leaders -and ourselves- instead of continuously being subject to under performance and stupidity!

As a first step, how can we insure that what we 'ring in' is really what we need and want?
Maybe we could start with how we choose those who will lead us, whether they are qualified, believable and trustworthy.
Then, we'll need to determine how to make them actually accountable for meeting our expectations.
Both parts are equally important in this, but its pretty hard to get to the second part without first choosing the right leaders!

Unfortunately, there are many contemporary examples of this continuing dilemma.
As inspiring and successful as our democracy has been, it is poorly equipped for insuring a process of continuous improvement in our governance, and at almost every level.

Having witnessed the very poor performance of the Bush administration in international affairs, our domestic economy, relentless partisanship and its general lack of credibility, we are also now presented with the prospect of a new President appealing to such a range of intractable problems that it will likely be impossible for his new administration to satisfy all our expectations.
Wouldn't it have been more desirable to have avoided some of the problems that have befallen us, like being led into the Iraq 'war' by deception and outright lies?
And, before that, did we do an adequate job of vetting the qualifications of Bush 43?
By 'we', I mean the American people -the voters- not the established political parties, the media and the spinmeisters who have become part of our quality problem.

Why didn't Congress resist Bush's war?
Weren't those people also affected by the forces and systems that allowed 43 to be elected?
That would seem to demonstrate that our periodic lack of electoral and legislative quality control will not likely be simple to fix, and that repairing this weakness probably goes well beyond judicial interpretations and remedies.
In short, it will depend upon us -the voters- to always be alert to abuses of power and to always demand better elected representatives, then hold them accountable.
A big job that only we can handle!

Even in the case of suspected major wrongdoing, we seem to be exceedingly handicapped in ridding ourselves of offending officials; as illustrated by the case of the Illinois Governor, who defies his need to leave office because of self imposed ineffectiveness.
Then, there are the multitudes of elected officials at regional, municipal and special purpose jurisdictions who consistently underperform, posture, pander and cling to office anyway.
In every case, the clear solution is for us voters to pay attention, pressure these folks to do the right thing consistently -or at least adequately explain their votes with candor, and challenge them for office.
Hey, term limits aren't necessarily a bad thing! At least it allows more people to become elected, learn the issues and represent others.

Since the true price of freedom is eternal vigilance, we need all the help we can get to continuously improve our government.
So, instead of lazily relying upon idle hope and better expectations -as we often do when we 'ring in the new' at New Year celebrations- we might also consider 'ringing out some of the old' at election time!
Are we up to this?
I sure hope so!
After all, preserving what is best in our country is a worthwhile goal that ought to be our priority, despite generational gaps and other distractions.
If we are to remain as leaders of the free world, let's make sure we deserve that title!

Christmas Eve Reflections & Aspirations

On this special night and during this propitious time, I have been again inspired by the inherent beauty of the season and what it signifies.

Listening to Christmas music tonight on PBS Channel 9 recalled all those wonderful Christmases past, from my earliest memories to the present.

Despite the problems of individual moments in time, the one thing that remains constant and up-lifting is the spirit of love and compassion, which too often seems to be missing from our lives.

But, these things are never really missing, just temporarily obscured by our more worldly pursuits and distractions of the moment.

They are always present, patiently waiting for us to reconnect with what is eternally important in our lives!

All it takes is a single moment to understand this truth, again and again.

For me tonight, that moment came when I listened to a carol, 'The First Nowell'.

Although focused on telling the story of the Nativity, a few verses struck me as transcending that simple function.

'They looked up and saw a star, shining in the East beyond them far.
And, to the Earth it gave great light, and so they continued both day and night.'

Maybe it was my elevated emotional state that allowed me to see these short verses in broader perspective;
that constantly seeking to elevate our inherently good hopes and aspirations is the single act we need to achieve goodness in the world;
that this single act can illuminate the path we need to realize world peace, if we will just continue to do that night and day!

Not really so much to ask, is it?

Just imagine if enough of us tried it more often!

That is my single wish for the citizens of our community of life, which starts with family and friends, but extends much, much further.

Since we are in this life together, why not make it as good as possible for as many as possible?

Blessings to all, and to all a good night....

On Becoming a Septuagenarian

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'I was born for a storm, and a calm does not suit me.'
- Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the US

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Some folks have noticed that I haven't been keeping up this blog very regularly, and asked if I intend to keep doing it.
To them, I acknowledge -and explain- my laxity as well as my intention to resume blogging from time to time.
After all, there is certainly no scarcity of timely subject matter.
Nor have I become bereft of thoughts and opinions on such subjects.
No surprise there!
So, here goes:
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Today is my 70th birthday, which makes me a full-fledged septuagenarian!
That 50-cent word literally means 'one who is between the age of 70 and 79, inclusive'.
Seen another way, I've just entered my 8th decade.
But, being older really ain't so bad, especially when you consider the alternative!

And, a less desirable alternative now seems to have been avoided, thanks to the fortuitous early discovery of a serious medical condition that required major abdominal surgery two weeks ago.
Without burdening readers with too much unwanted detail, let's just say that my bile flow from my liver was being impeded by a growth on my pancreas.
Had that condition gone untreated much longer, it would have done me in.
But excess bile in the bloodstream does leave a tell-tale clue; jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin.

So, after multiple tests, procedures and a better diagnosis, a world-class, pancreatic surgeon agreed to perform a 6-plus hour surgery to rearrange my internal plumbing, remove objectionable parts, and allow me to recover and maybe even -eventually- enjoy life as an octogenarian!
This surgery was performed on Monday, December 1 at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle.
Details for those interested -and with the stomach for it [pun intended] - can be found by Googling 'Whipple' as an established, fairly radical operation.

The surgery required hospitalization for an additional week, and walking the halls the very next day, before coming home for several weeks of physical recovery.
After 2 weeks, I'm pleased to report good progress, thanks to lots of rest, divine Providence, and the loving care of my wife, Joan, plus the good thoughts and wishes of many friends and relatives.

Next, comes another evaluation complete with tests, plus my first session with a leading Oncologist at Virginia Mason.
Although the surgery was considered successful, because some evidence of cancer was found, and prudence dictates that a protocol of chemotherapy and radiation be undertaken.
Likely, this stage of treatment will begin after mid-January and continue for about 5 weeks.
Such a protocol is considered more of a preventative nature, because of the chance that some malignant cells may have already packed up and are trying to set up residence in some other part of my body.
For those interested in learning more about pancreatic cancer, Googling 'pancan' will produce all the information -and then some- that one would want to know.
This website also offers to mail packets to those requesting them.

So, assuming all goes as hoped, about March 1, I should be good to go again, although likely to require more frequent follow-up exams the rest of my life.
While I would not recommend undergoing such an operation without need, there may be a few unanticipated advantages from having it, like losing 20 pounds, eliminating my former cholesterol problem, and greatly reducing the effects of my Type 2 diabetes.
All of this assumes I'm a good boy and watch my food intake more carefully, by eating more, smaller meals that emphasize proteins over carbs and fats, and getting regular exercise.
That sounds pretty good to me, especially considering the alternative!
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One activity that has interested me these last few weeks are the 2 books written by our President-Elect, who has inspired such good expectations -both in the US and worldwide.
While it will be difficult to deliver on all of the goals he has in mind, at least we will begin to seriously focus on them.
So, I hope folks will be patient with President Obama as he takes on a job that has to be the most difficult in the world today!
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Now, I've begun reading "American Lion", Jon Meacham's biography of our 7th President, Andrew Jackson.
An early excerpt neatly states our condition, that certainly still exists today:

And yet, Meacham hastens to add, while the personal shapes political culture, it does not preclude the pursuit of principled policies. Jackson, he argues, agreed with Adams's "central point: politics is brutal because it engages the most fundamental human impulses for affection, honor, power and fame. Great principles and grand visions are ennobling, but at its best politics is an imperfect means to an altruistic end."

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Triaging Detroit

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results" - Albert Einstein
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Being faced recently with my own health crisis has, in some respects, helped me put the so-called Auto Industry crisis into better perspective.

Here are a few additional thoughts:

• The 'problem' has not just happened overnight! There has been a long history of missteps and mismanagement which are not likely to be quickly or easily resolved by government rescue plans.

• Many solutions are already known, which for various reasons have not been implemented sufficiently to address the root causes of the 'problem'.

• A 'hands-off' approach - as advocated by so-called 'free market' advocates - would certainly efficiently remove some problems, but might also create other problems that could prove worse.
[Such an approach might be analogous to rejecting any medical treatment, thereby relegating the patient to die a 'natural' death]

• Government will get blamed for any demise of the Auto Industry, regardless of who is in power, or what action is -or is not- taken. That is a given that needs to be understood.
But, this problem should NOT be externalized to the government for resolution, nor should citizens be so burdened.

• Before any government funds are granted, they ought to be invested in viable solutions that are proposed by the individual Auto Companies themselves, because they need to become part of the solution, too, and be accountable, both for results and for repayment of government investments.

• The United Auto Workers are the common thread that unite the Big Three auto makers, because that union has historically played the companies against each other in a corporate blackmail scheme to get ever-higher wages and benefits. The UAW is a big part of the 'problem', and would like this to be seen as an 'Industry' problem, not a 'company' problem.

• Republican Governor Pawlenty of Minnesota has recently characterized the 'Big Three' this way:

- Chrysler is owned by some of the wealthiest people in the world, who recently bought it with their eyes wide open.

- Ford is in trouble, but doesn't need funding now, only a future line of credit.

- GM is simply a 'basket case'

By this assessment, and if government has to pick winners and losers, we could cut GM loose to fend for itself, ask Chrysler for an iron-clad payback plan on any viable proposal they develop that seems reasonable, and set aside funding a Ford line of credit.

• Comparing the Banking and Auto industries -and any 'deals' that might be provided - is like comparing apples and oranges, but understanding they are both fruits.
Each industry -and each company- needs to be responsible for diligent management, paying back any government funds provided and protecting citizens interests!
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If we agree that keeping a viable auto industry is in our country's best interests -like the Aluminum Industry- then, there are some things the government can do to help.

For example, we could commit to buy AMERICAN produced vehicles for government use, and offer incentives for others to do the same, like tax credits, or contractor requirements.

The government could/should buy all of its military vehicles, trains, buses, SUV's for Secret Service use and General Service Administration fleets, with the caveat that producers reasonably compete with worldwide prices in the future.

The government can set aggressive standards for fuel efficiency, use of sustainable materials, ease of maintenance, longer obsolescence goals, lesser frills and the lower costs that would accrue to these type of standards.

The auto industry has been notoriously slow to grasp; accept and innovate safety, fuel efficiency and environmental improvements for decades, and this behavior must be reversed!

Some of these changes can be eased greatly by the simple introduction of true competition between manufacturers, and others
by being realistic and forward-looking goals and standards.

Most of these things don't require the outlay of much Federal funding, and only outdated policy, special interest political power and inertia seem to be standing in the way of real progress.

it's time these obstacles are overcome, but only the Federal government can make it happen.
Let's get this done without further delay!
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Incidentally, for those interested, I am recovering from major surgery and expect to be back home by early next week.
I appreciate the good wishes and concerns expressed by many people, and expect to further clarify my situation soon.
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Lake Whatcom: A Thanksgiving Blessing

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Sometimes we take for granted those blessings which are in plain sight.
An example is Lake Whatcom, our municipal water supply and natural reservoir.
It has been known for years that Lake Whatcom is under threat from development pressures, which are prematurely degrading what has been an exceptionally pure source of drinking water.

Despite the actions taken by local and state governments, raw water continues to be degraded, and at an accelerated pace!
This ought to be a clear sign that we need to get more serious about preserving this irreplaceable resource, but still there are those in denial, those without a sense of responsibility or urgency, and those without a clue, who serve as inert deadweights on the efforts needed to correct the situation.

With hard times now upon us, even the City Council -which loudly touts Lake Whatcom as its NUMBER ONE PRIORITY- has proven unreliable when it comes to appropriating sufficient funds for this important work, including critical TMDL study work that we have already waited years to initiate.

Fortunately, the County Council has now found the courage to act, as described below.
Thank you County Council!

Maybe the City Council will take a cue from your action and consider finding better funding for its NUMBER ONE PRIORITY?
Who knows?
Christmas is coming!
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The Nov. 25, 2008, THE BELLINGHAM HERALD published a story with this headline;
"County approves property tax increase for flood and water projects"


To help pay for flood-protection and water-quality projects, the County Council - acting in its capacity as the board of supervisors for the countywide flood control district - voted to increase property taxes by 4 cents for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value.

This decision was made by the County Council only after sparring over whether to raise taxes in a faltering economy, by a 4-3 vote, with council members Bob Kelly, Seth Fleetwood, Carl Weimer and Laurie Caskey-Schreiber voting for the increase and Sam Crawford, Barbara Brenner and Ward Nelson opposed.
In recent years, that particular split has become predictable, particularly when it comes to decisions involving Lake Whatcom.

The new taxes are expected to generate an additional $940,000 in 2009 and roughly $960,000 in 2010, about a 31 percent increase in the tax for the flood fund.

To put this into perspective the tax increase means the owner of a $300,000 property would pay an extra $12 a year.

As has become usual in matters of long term importance, many residents, as well as other elected county officials, actually criticized this courageous and badly needed decision!
Think maybe a little political pandering is going on?
Get used to it!

In a county where there are so many legitimate needs, this lack of political courage has become appalling, irresponsible and even bordering on criminal.
Those who claim they are concerned for the taxpayers have actually got it right, but for the wrong reason!
They should be concerned that the taxpayers are not being well represented by do-nothing elected officials who deliberately choose to ignore important issues, or simply not deal with them effectively.

These new monies are proposed go toward everything from Nooksack River flood projects to Lake Whatcom storm-water projects and revising county law to add rules for low-impact development; a long list of badly needed water-quality projects that haven't been funded, even though there is agreement on their importance.

Thank goodness that 4 members of this Council is taking the long-term view and protecting the environment for future generations!
As one advocate put it 'this is a time in our lives when I think we all learned that doing nothing can cost you more in the long run, and that's what we're trying to avoid here."
Amen to that sentiment!

And, thank you County Council.
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Actually, the additional funds raised represents only a fraction of what will be needed to complete the countywide water resource planning that was begun several years ago, then halted when certain interests put pressure on officials to delay that effort.
Called WRIA-1 [Water Resource Inventory Area #1], Whatcom County's effort was at the time cited as the leading example of how to structure such a comprehensive planning effort.

One strategy that opponents used to slow and then practically stop WRIA-1 was to question the legality of using the former funding method, the former County 'Flood Tax' for such planning purposes.
Faced with that challenge, an earlier County Council acted to change the funding method -and amounts- to that currently in use.
Once that was done, the County apparently felt more comfortable about its legal footing and made few, if any, additional actions to restore funding for water-related projects, including WRIA-1.
That is why this latest action is notable; it again recognizes the need for critical stormwater and other water projects of countywide significance.
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An earlier blog -July 2007- of mine also touched on this subject:
http://bellinghamstertalk.blogspot.com/search?q=flood+tax

Beggars Banquet: A Lesson for Bellingham?

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I came across this recent editorial by Timothy Egan in the New York Times.
Because it does have some universal applicability to other municipalities, I decided to reprint it here.

Where will this sort of domino theory end?
But more importantly, how do we begin to deal with this sort of problem?
After all, ignoring it just postpones the reckoning that will be coming, whether a cataclysmic bankruptcy like Vallejo, or by degrees over time with the net result heading in the same direction.

Indexing salary increases to historic growth and inflation seems easy and fair, but what happens in a protracted downturn?
Will municipal employees -the major component of our annual budget- be expected to share that pain?
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VALLEJO, Calif. — This city is broke. Bankrupt. A ward of the courts. The police have pared their ranks, and every day two fire stations temporarily close, a rolling blackout of basic services.

Do we bailout Vallejo?

What about Philadelphia, Atlanta or Phoenix? They want $50 billion in emergency loans.

Years ago, when a close friend of mine lost his 75-year-old family retail business in Pittsburgh with the collapse of the steel industry, the federal government was nowhere to lend a hand to small business owners.

When aluminum factories in Spokane, Wash., folded after a corporate raider picked them to the bone, destroying the best middle-class jobs for blue collar workers in the city where I grew up, the government’s advice to people losing their homes, cars and dignity was: Learn how to say, “You want fries with that?”

And when this city of 120,000, one of the few places in the Bay Area where someone with a middle income could live well, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, it became little more than a talking point in the debate over bloated public employee unions.

We like to think the free market picks our winners and losers. In its purest form, this is only true in Republican Disneyland. What was left of that illusion was swept away with words that will begin many a master’s in business theses in future years: “When President Bush nationalized the banking industry back in 2008 …”

So, now we have arrived at that moment where taxpayers will play God with the American economy. What has been going on in Washington over the last month makes European-style planned economies look entrepreneurial by comparison.

Let’s be honest about this monumental exercise we’re going through. These are not Band-Aids or bridge loans or bridges to a new tomorrow we’re talking about here. A trillion dollars, more or less, is moving from Us to Them because they’re supposed to keep Us from going under like Them.

Get it? Nobody else does, especially the people running it. Thus far, the bailout has been a disaster, in keeping with the Bush practice of abject incompetence in everything they touch — a final kiss-off from The Decider.

The blue-suited beggars in the Capitol this week were executives of the Big Three American auto-makers, the humbled dinosaurs who gave us Hummers and S.U.V.’s for every suburbanite to drive two miles to Trader Joe’s.

See how they squirmed: dodging questions about whether they should get taxpayer money when they build cars overseas, about why they continue to make vehicles that nobody wants, about their overspending on Super Bowl bling.

Ford Motor stock was trading near $1 on Wednesday — you want fries with that? When even Mitt Romney, who famously pandered to Michigan voters this year about not losing another job, is willing to throw America’s auto-makers under the bus, you know the bell has tolled for thee, Detroit.

They will likely get nothing from this lame-duck Congress. The bankers and insurance companies were lucky they came before bailout fatigue — some getting theirs, others walking away empty-handed, off to cash the bonus check before it’s seized by creditors.

Next week it’ll be somebody else — universities, state governments, maybe even newspaper owners crushed in the move of readers to the Web.
“Everybody’s lining up now,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week. “There’s no industry that that isn’t saying, ‘We need a bailout.’ ”

The auto companies, and cities like Vallejo, are in trouble for a couple of reasons. The foreclosure crisis and the credit squeeze are freezing money everywhere, at a time when companies and governments are responsible for employee benefits well beyond what they can carry.

Nearly 300 employees in this city 30 miles from San Francisco make more than $100,000 a year in pay and benefits. After a mere five years on the payroll, all police and firefighters are guaranteed lifetime health benefits.
This was never sustainable. And now, with stores boarded up here and realtor flags flapping over empty, abandoned housing developments, the pyramid has crumbled.

All of which points to the need for a so-called Big Bang solution when a new administration and fresh Congress start to govern. Incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has indicated that a President Obama may do just that, saying that the administration would “throw long and deep.” If business, or even mid-sized communities like Vallejo, were free of some of their social burdens they would be more nimble when downturns occurred, the argument goes.

General Motors supports more retirees than current workers. If you’re a taxpayer without health insurance, or paying $12,000 a year on the open market to cover your family’s health, you wonder why you should offer bailout billions for somebody with a rich safety net.

The arguments are endless loops, turning citizen against citizen, the haves against the have-nots.
Why not go green, go for universal health care, go for economic stimulus — all with one big vision? Imagine if the $700 billion were there for a fresh overhaul of the American economy, rather than being siphoned off by the very people who created the problem?

“There is no playbook for responding to turmoil we have never faced,” said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson this week, by way of explaining that everything he’s tried so far has failed, and he’s making it up as goes along.

So, maybe we should cut the spigot off while there’s still water in the tank. Save it for tomorrow, for January, for fresh thinking. Otherwise, the beggars banquet will only get more crowded.

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Today's headlines also quoted a statement by Warren Buffett about how we might deal with the $25 billion auto industry loans being requested by the big 3's top executives, all of whom had the audacity to arrive in Washington, DC in separate private jets.
You think, perhaps, there are some seed ideas embedded in this sage advice that could be applied to collective bargaining processes?

Warren Buffett's great advice for the Detroit bailout

BloggingStocks: Posted Nov 23rd 2008 3:40PM by Zac Bissonnette

The Associated Press reports on Warren Buffett's advice on how the bailout should be structured: "The government should insist top executives at Ford (NYSE: F) General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Chrysler invest a significant percentage of their own net worth in the Detroit-based companies, Buffett said, ensuring both executives and taxpayers would share in any profits or losses."

What a great idea! GM CEO Richard Wagoner and the rest of Detroit's top executives have expressed confidence that any loans would be paid back. Great! So they shouldn't have any problem with investing their entire net worth in the deal -- or at least every dime that they've made running these companies into the ground.

Back in August I wrote about the tiny stake that so many of the decision-makers at General Motors have in the company's future. The company's lead outside director, George M.C. Fisher, has a .000839% stake in the company.
If he wasn't willing to take a bigger stake when times our good, how can he ask taxpayers to invest when the company is on its deathbed and the economy is in the toilet?

I'm skeptical of a big bailout of the auto industry, but insider participation would do a lot to win the battle for the hearts and minds.

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While I strongly doubt there will be immediate vocal support from our elected officials for this sort of idea, it is a concept that begs consideration at some point.
And, if we can't talk about these things when faced with an economic downturn of major proportions, when can we begin to talk about it?
Maybe, when enough staff reductions are necessary so that these cuts really begin to be felt by the public?
Or, when we can no longer afford 'non-essential' staff that don't happen to be only full-time public safety employees, like firefighters and police officers?

I know this kind of talk will not be popular, particularly among those who have worked and bargained so hard for so long to gain consistently better wages and benefits for public employees.
Those folks would rather lay off people than rescind their hard-won gains on wages and benefits.
But, is that fair either?
If we are all in this together, we have a better chance to sustain our levels of service, both in good times as well as bad.
If we truly believe that sustainability is the key to long term stability, then we will need to start using sustainable methods in everything we do, including determining wages, benefits, staffing levels and the very priorities of our local government.

Hey, its a tough job, but someone's got to do it, or at least start writing the 'playbook'.
We can pay now, or just 'kick the can down the road' and let another administration decide when to pay later.
But, that's just my opinion.
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