Well, he got it right on #30.

He may have been right about advice generally, but not about his own.

Maybe I'm not up on the latest blog-war goings-on, but what's this got to do with Chris Smith?

If there's a blog war going on, I've unilaterally disarmed :-)

I think Jack believes that in my pursuit of a more compact, less auto-intensive and sustainable pattern of development for the region, I am enriching the likes of Homer Williams through my misguided idealism.

Well stated, Chris. That is one thing that Jack and others think.

Misguided, yes. Idealism, no.

I can't believe you had to have that spelled out for you, Kari.

And Chris, your activism DOES enrich the likes of Homer Williams … and Bechtel … and Hoffman construction … and OHSU … and the Schintzers … etc. etc.

Furthermore, the sooner you admit the fact that subsidizing trollys, trams and light rail devastates basic government services, the sooner folks like Jack will cease calling bullsh*t on you.

At least, I would think…

Kari,
Stop the act. You know darn well what the point was.
But you being a fellow City Hall groupie with Chris Smith it's no wonder you popped up to make your pretense of bewildermeant.

Combined Tri-Met and Port of Portland capital budgets: $275 million dollars. Annually.

Design/build cost of Portland's Aerial Tram: $75 million dollars.

Three phase cost projection of the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade: $50 million dollars.

Cost of building one mile of trolley line: $12.4 million dollars.

Listening to progressives whine about misguided transportation spending priorities.

PRICELESS!

Ohhhh-kaaayyyy... I get it.

If I'm for higher education funding, then I'm a sleazeball because some professors will make more money.

If I'm for children's health care, then I'm a sleazeball because some doctors will make more money.

If I'm for gay marriage, then I'm a sleazeball because the wedding industry will make more money.

If I'm for contraceptive equity, then I'm a sleazeball because some pharmaceutical companies will make more money.

(And on the right side of the aisle, if you're for tougher criminal justice laws, you're a sleazeball because the prison guards will make more money.)

Y'all have one seriously twisted view of the world. Is it possible to support a policy DESPITE its enrichment of some people, or IRRESPECTIVE of who it enriches, rather than BECAUSE it enriches somebody?

I believe that expanded mass transit and more compact development will reduce sprawl, reduce global warming, and make our city a nicer, safer, and more interesting place to live. I don't give a damn if Homer Williams or anybody else makes any money at it.

Stop the act. You know darn well what the point was.

p.s. I am not even remotely as obsessed with development politics as many others hanging 'round this blog.

The initial quote in the post was pretty oblique for me -- especially since I know Chris as a technology professional, a NW Portland neighborhood guy, and an open-government activist (charter reform, voter-owned elections, and lobbying reform). Frankly, I don't read Transport very much... (Sorry, Chris.)

I don't give a damn if Homer Williams or anybody else makes any money at it.

I agree, Kari. I don't think anyone argues that the development community shouldn't make money at helping, uh, develop our community. That includes Homer.

What rankles (at least me, speaking for myself) is distorting city spending priorities, city investment --which is to say city taxpayer investment-- in ways that hurt the community-at-large. Reasonable people can argue what our priorities should be, and what's most beneficial (and what's not) but there's a real divide in clearly making new development an overriding priority over serving the needs of existing city neighborhoods.

I'm for mass transit...but why not better bus service --or even a streetcar-- for our underserved existing neighborhoods, versus, for example, a streetcar designed not to meet transit needs --as is the east side loop streetcar-- but to spur development?

Why are we building parks and streets and sidewalks in the Pearl and Sowa...at the expense of neigborhoods who've lacked such amenities for fifty years and more?

That's the heart of the issue, not whether Homer Williams per se is a good guy or bad guy. That he seems to hold inordinate sway over our City Council, however, is another issue entirely, and certainly what brings rancor down on his head, unfairly or not.

Kari,
The fact remains that you and Chris Smith are City Hall groupies, forever defending everything it does and never addressing any problems.
Your conveniently blind enamor with rail transit PDC "smart growth" Urban Renewal schemes says it all. No, you don't care if Homer makes out well. That's a nifty way for you to shroud that you don't care how much any of the schemes cost or how taxpayers or the city makes out.
Your delusion that there is contradiction or downside to the so called "compact development" reducing "sprawl" and global warming fits well with your perpetual fanaticism and loyalties to the local agenda.
The narrow-mindedess of your fixation that the 100s of millions or even Billions spent could not have been more effectively spent to bring a much wider benefit to the city is truly sickening. What you call "interesting" is really a city and leadership in fiscal chaos without any oversight or accountability.
But that is just fine for your city hall groupies club now isn't it?
When you say you "don't give a damn if anyone else makes any money at it" you're exposing your endorsement of no bid contracts, public projects without budgets, untold windfall profits for connected developers and contractors and behind the scenes schemes to hand over public assets for private uses.
Your blog BlueOregon never touches the scandalous behavior of local officials making you very much part of the problem. When genuine audits of PDC reveal the official maleficence which you "don't give a damn about" come on back with Chris and give us some more of your affection for the status quo.

Kari and Chris, you both display the heart of a true liberal. Everything is done with good intentions or lets do it for the children but with disastrous results. You never hold yourself or others accountable or responsible for the wasteful expense of taxpayer money that follows these boondoggles.

The fact remains that you and Chris Smith are City Hall groupies, forever defending everything it does and never addressing any problems.

Um, not really. I mostly focus on state and federal politics. Other than voter-owned elections, I don't talk about city politics much. Oh, except for hammering the city on municipal wi-fi.

So there goes your theory. Maybe you should read what I write, instead of just assuming.

Your blog BlueOregon never touches the scandalous behavior of local officials making you very much part of the problem.

p.s. The "guest columns" link is the bright yellow one. Click it.

BlueOregon. Sounds like a porn site.

That's perfect Kari.
"except for hammering the city on municipal wi-fi.So there goes your theory"
Play your games. Pretend I meant you litteraly support everything when I obvioulsy meant essentially or virtually everything.
I've read most of what you write and it rarely falls in opposition to any of the major scandals around here. WiFi?? Wow! Big leap you took there. Must have been scary.
BlueCityHall would fit better.

WiFi is a start, Kari. Now how about condo tax abatements or the financial black hole called The Tram? [rimshot]

Care to share a few dozen links to columns I've written praising our glorious city leaders? I'm sure there's one or two, but BlueOregon is hardly "BlueCityHall".

OK, I'm done with this thread - leaving politely before Jack throws me out.

p.s. I don't give a rip about condo tax abatements. I don't understand 'em, and I'm pretty sure I don't care. I'm more into universal health care, school funding, and beating up on Gordon Smith and Wayne Scott.

OK, now I'm really gone.

Sorry Kari, you are not being honest.
You know darn well about tax abatements.
You don't give a rip about tax abatements because it would require criticism of your BlueCityHall.
Vaulting into ultra spinning you say
"I don't understand 'em, and I'm pretty sure I don't care."
Yet you're some kind of champion of "school funding"?
What a disingenuous hypocrite.
And you proved my point.
Your kit glove treatment of local Blue politicians is sickening. Politicians who continually vote to divert school funding into schemes you conveniently "don't understand"
As usual you are not being truthful.
But since you are "gone" you can hide out at your BlueCityHall.

As usual you are not being truthful.

Oh dammit. I can't let this one go unanswered.

I'm pretty sure I know what I know more than you know what I know. Sure, I have a passing familiarity with the basic concept of tax abatements.

But really... I mostly skip all the detailed yammering about that topic on this blog. I guess I should have said: I'm far less educated on that topic than many of the folks hanging out around here.

Bye.

Kari, it's obvious to most of us that you are "...far less educated..." on must topics that concern the waste of taxpayer money for your noble causes. How about educating yourself on at least one topic, like tax abatements then get back to us on their effect on school funding.

Kari,
You are boxed in a corner painted in with with denial and spin.

What I find amazing around here is the contradiction. Living here and forever sounding off, we have the world's most highly perceptive and skilled lie detectors when it comes to all things Bush. Pretty much all hanging out at your blog.
Yet when it comes to their own back yards their lie detectors are in operative.
Your pretense, or rather excuse for not delving into the local scandals is pathetic.
And you certainly are no friend of school funding. Demogoguing the issue is your specialty. Finding ways to paint Republicans badly while enabling massive Blue waste in our schools and ignoring huge diversions of school dollars.
Yes, Bush and company have all sorts of issues for you to hammer on all day long. But where do you live anyway?
When it comes to local matters your claim of ignorance is pathetic. The typical demogogue who grants a pass to every behavior because the city and region is dominated by Blue, super human, elected minds. Marvelous.

p.s. I don't give a rip about condo tax abatements. I don't understand 'em, and I'm pretty sure I don't care. I'm more into universal health care, school funding, and beating up on Gordon Smith and Wayne Scott.

Well, here's a crash course (its not that hard to understand)...condos are getting abatements for decades of not paying property taxes. Some are even "The Rich"...half to two-million $$ condos that should be paying tens of thousands of dollars in property taxes are paying next to nothing. (Like less than $200/year!).
So, there is less money for "Universal health care" or more school funding.
Care now Kari?

Jon, Kari and Chris will have to think about your accurate explaination for awhile.....then forget it because they have other political agendas.