 Today on "Everything is Broken" we took a peek into the future ... all the way to the 2016 election!
The threshold question posed was: are you going to go along with the assumption that there is a viable 2-Party System to begin with? Are you going to champion Rodham-Clinton? And, more importantly, how will you handle your fellow progressives when we challenge you. Many fellow progressives will perhaps support Elizabeth Warren (fat chance any money bundlers are going to send the Brink's truck to MA), and then cast a protest vote for a Green Party candidate or Mickey Mouse or Jon Stewart or Susan Sarandon. We know now to plan to hear the following: 1. “Well, she will of course be better than” anyone that the R-side of The Corporate Party anoints. I would hope to hear a better defense of a neo-con hawk like Rodham-Clinton than that. “Tough on defense”? More like she drank the neoCON PNAC kool-aid and looks forward to more empire building. 2. “Im going to hold my nose and vote “lesser of two evils” – but ... isn't it ONE evil? 3. “Lets start pushing Rodham-Clinton from the left right now!!" There may or may not be merit in this one. But, haven't we "been there done that" too many times before? How did we do pushing Obama from the left? We got HOPE and empty promises about Gitmo and a raft of others issues, not to mention “worse than Bush” grades on torture, NSA data hoovering – outright Orwellian domestic spying and privacy invasion; killing USA citizens with drones and Tuesday “kill list” meetings for same. 4. “I want a woman president” – sure, WE ALL DO - so overdue it is shameful ... but not this one!! I may be naive, but I don't think Elizabeth Warren is in a race driver's suit with corporate owner logos emplazoned … yet. So, am I leaving you only with the elephant in the room: that our system is rotten to the core? Yes. So, where will you stand when this already decided (by the ruling oligarchs) election rolls around? And, how will you handle those on the left that will file a protest vote? PLEASE … lets not end up divided as we were when many of us went with Nader – some Democrats got downright ugly about that you may recall. Think about it.
0 Comments
 Streets! Love ‘em, hate ‘em. The mind-numbing sameness in the burbs has finally pushed this car guy over the cliff. Sure I have access to some fine country roads, but day-to-day errand running is on the same boring and oftentimes dangerous strip of suburban sprawl. This was country when we moved here over 20 years ago!. I want OUT!! Time for an urban experience that takes advantage of great mass transit and “walkability”, one of the sub-topics today on “Everything is Broken.”
I interviewed John Massengale about his book “Street Design … The Secret To Great Cities and Towns” (Wiley Press). He defines walkability with some basic criteria, all starting with the street itself … is it safe from cars, crime; are there “eyes of the street” (windows facing sidewalk and people in there!). He also said that streets should be viewed as outdoor rooms: width of street proportional to the “walls” – people like shaped spaces. Trees help a great deal. People also want an interesting, short block; not some long expanse of wall, but shops and architecturally pleasing buildings. Research shows that people when showed a stretch of street will invariable pick the same spots they find pleasing. And for you capitalists out there: there is a marked increase in ROI (return on investment) for municipalities when the street has these and other features. I asked John what his favorite street in North America is. Answer: Main Street, Nantucket, MA. His favorite in Manhattan (he lives there folks): it varies from time to time, but right now: Crosby Street/Howard St. Here is a general reference map, but I suggest you go to Google Earth street view and pan around. What do you think? |
Jim Lynch's Blog:
Archives
July 2014
All
|
RSS Feed