Tonight at the City Council Meeting I spoke about the conflict between the Isthmus Building Height Rezone Proposal and the Isthmus Park Feasibility Analysis. I believe that rezone proposal discriminates against, or lessens, the feasibility of creating a park on the Isthmus.

Members of the council responded, and I will have to go back and look at the meeting again to assemble a more specific re-response, because it's worthy. But for starters, and to mention here, at least one Council Member indicated a belief that approving the rezone would not impact the Park Feasibility Study or the feasibility of creating a park on the Isthmus. Does that seem believable? Is that true? Is that even possible? Several reasons were given, though I didn't take notes. It seems to me that approving the rezone would increase the financial property value of the land - thereby damaging the feasibility for a park.

One of the things that has been bothersome and frustrating to me recently is that in all the fuss and furor over the proposed zoning changes to the allowable building heights on the isthmus, I have been missing what has been going on with several over proposals to change areas of the comprehensive plan. Yes, I have learned a lot over these past few months in regard to the function of city government and zoning rules.

With that in mind, I just sent off an email to the City Council to express my feelings about all of the zoning changes as they relate to impact on the environment, and in specific regard to environmental degradation. Here it is:

[Correction: Ralph Munro's name is spelled without an e.]

According to Friends of the Waterfront, a message from former Washington State Secretary of State Ralph Munro will air for several weeks on at least one local radio station (MIXX 96). During his time in office, former Secretary of State Munro served on both the Capitol Committee, and the Capitol Campus Design Committee.

In the radio message, Munro commends the Olympia City Council for responding to the Citizens' Initiative for an Isthmus Park Feasibility Study. He urges the City Council to delay voting on the proposal to increase isthmus building height limits until all the facts from the study are in. He then urges Olympia Residents who want the facts (and want the Council to consider the facts) from a completed study before a Concil decision about the rezone (which would have such drastic impacts on park feasibility), to then contact the members of the City Council and let them know.

Here's the radio message: Ralph Munro on the Isthmus [mp3 audio]

Again, the message is to contact members of the City Council to thank them for pursuing the Park Feasibility Analysis and urge them to wait to vote on the proposal to rezone the isthmus building height limits until all of the facts from the park study are in: until the Park Feasibility Analysis has been thoroughly and faithfully completed.

Olympia City Council

Also try these email addresses:
councilmembers@ci.olympia.wa.us
cityhall@ci.olympia.wa.us
and
citycouncil@ci.olympia.wa.us

Hey, let's be careful so that private interests aren't allowed to dominate public policy!

Even if the funding for a park doesn't currently exist, that is no reason to deny the eventual opportunity to build a park. I believe that a park on the Isthmus is feasible. Why? Well, most importantly, I think that the residents and future residents of Olympia need a park. Why do we need a park?

We need a park on the Isthmus because

Here are some photos from the Monday, October 6, 2008 No LNG Rally at the Washington State Capitol Campus Legislative Building.

No to LNG Washington State Capitol Campus Rally

LNG Means:
• More Global Warming
• More Big Oil Profiteering
• More Wars

We want renewable energy.
Power Vote

http://www.powervote.org/

Here is the video from the September 30, 2008 Olympia City Council Meeting. The meeting included deliberation over a proposal to rezone an area of the "Isthmus" in downtown Olympia in order to allow the development of a mid-rise luxury condominium project. Original video (w/ better A/V synchronization) is available at the city website, City of Olympia. Video on the flipside.

COME SEE THE VIEW THAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT!

We invite you, your family, and friends to join 20/20 Vision Olympia this coming Saturday, September 13, on the State Capitol Campus for See It While You Can: Help us Save our View!. We're gathering near the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial overlooking Heritage Park from 11 until 1 pm.

The weather experts are promising sunshine, and our 20/20 Vision professional photographer Julie Woods will be on hand to take your picture (with your camera and/or hers) against the gorgeous backdrop of Puget Sound and the Olympics to the north--views that 20/20 Vision and other local organizations are trying so hard to preserve. We'll have petitions on hand for the Olympia Capitol Parks Foundation's iniative drive, requiring our city council to pause before they make the rezone decision (doesn't that sound good?) and study the feasibility of acquiring the isthmus and developing it into a wonderful city park area. If you're registered to vote in Olympia and you've not yet signed a petition, we hope you will on Saturday.

If you can't make it then, this is still a great week to visit the Capitol Campus, thought to be the most stunning in the entire country. Come enjoy our precious, historically conceived views from the Law Enforcement Memorial, and see for yourself just exactly what's at stake. Parking is available on the diagnonals leading into the Capitol.

Thanks, everyone--and do check out our website: www.2020visionolympia.org

P.S. Please take a little time to learn more about 20/20's planning vision for Olympia by going to www.youtube.com/2020visionolympia, and checking the installments of 'Back From the Brink.' We think you'll be inspired.

This is enough to bring Milton Friedman to tears. I remember from my US history lessons that it was a deregulated market (particularly in the financial sector) which brought on the market collapse of 1929 and the ensuing severe economic recession.

Despite their affiliation with many of the ideological underpinnings of Milton Friedman's "Chicago School" economics (privatization, disaster and gun capitalism, totally unregulated markets) - it seems that the current decision makers see that sometimes the government has to step in - in order to prevent disaster. (But I thought these decision-makers like disaster - disaster means major investment opportunity and profit potential...) Of course, this last gasp effort to save these struggling mortgage giants could have been avoided with increased oversight and appropriate regulatory devices/actions. But hey, hindsight is 20/20, right? I mean, what fun would it be to simply learn from mistakes?

Well, I am of the opinion that in the severe unethical environments of business and government, that regulation is essential. Perhaps if we had a world that was ethical to the point where people didn't do harm to each other, or seek to exploit others for their own (supposed) advance, then we wouldn't need government. I believe in a vision of "utopian" anarchy. But how will that be possible while these massive corporations have so much power and influence? So much power.

From Yahoo! (I don't know if the link will stay so I am posting the whole story):

AP US Government takes over mortgage giants

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER and ALAN ZIBEL, AP Business Writers 2 hours, 25 minutes ago