I've been neglecting the local issues... the days seem to be so filled with news from Asia and Africa. But... act globally, act locally... is that what they advise? Anyway...
The main local issues right now, the ones needing immediate attention, are two-fold: The infamous Nelson Levy and the new Nelson 'fees' tacked onto our water bills. The feds, by the way, don't include local tax increases in their calculations of 'inflation'... if they did, our inflation rate would be impressive.
The fees are dumb, and should be rescinded. Especially the 'free bus' thing... if ever there was a service that begged for a 'user fee', this is it. Some of us choose to use the Corvallis bus. Great. Keeps cars and bikes off the road. But to expect everyone to pay my way to downtown... that ain't right. My advice to our very wise and intellectual City Council... rescind the so-called 'sustainability fees', let the bus riders pay for their ride, let us go back to the original situation regarding sidewalks and trees. The fees are dumb, unnecessary, and were not voted on by those of us forced to pay them. Taxation without representation... didn't that same trick start our last revolution? Is it time for another?
And the levy. The Nelson Levy. It will pass, I think, simply because so many of our fellow citizens stand to directly gain from the 'levy'. In another post, I suggested the fair and democratic approach would be for all city, county and school employees to burn their ballots. Let those of us who will pay the bills vote on the issue, and exclude the ones whose paychecks are directly affected by the Nelson Levy. The Nelson threats to shutter the aquatic center, the library and the senior center are just flat incredible. What a way to run a democracy! Dang! This Nelson character never in his life ran for office, yet he feels compelled to ruin our lives. Dang! Is that democracy?
Speaking of... I've requested information regarding the carbon footprints of the institutions in question. Back to user fees... why should everyone have to pay to keep the pool open? You want to swim... pay the fee and swim. The carbon footprint of the aquatic center, by the way, is pretty huge... haven't added the numbers, but it looks like some thousands of tons (again, thousands of tons) of carbon dioxide annually. Is that a good thing in a city that has pledged to make itself carbon neutral?
The solution: Sell the aquatic center to the highest bidder. Let it be run by a private-sector entity as a for-profit business. Take the money from the sale and invest it to pay for the operation of other city business... like, our beloved library. The City of Corvallis should never have gotten into the pool business, and it's time to admit that and move on. Meantime, we must defeat the Nelson Tax by whatever means it takes.
Note that there are two other pools in the city... the Timberhill pools(you want to swim? Pay and swim!) and the OSU pool (built for competition... so the teams that now swim at the city facility could just go up the hill and use the OSU pool, which is also a public facility). A win-win for all!
So my new motto: Sell the Aquatic Center. I'll write to the GT with the idea.
The library is an interesting subject. I don't have the carbon footprint yet, but I suspect it's horrendous (on an annual basis) with all the heating and air conditioning. Can we think outside the box for a minute? Let's sell the library too! First, consider the fact that there's a great library just up the hill, the Valley Library at OSU. For a dollar a year, you can use that library... read the periodicals, check out books, read 80-year-old PhD theses. Whatever. Please note: E-books are the future of publishing, and of reading. They're everywhere. You can carry 35 books on one little tablet (like the Kindle) in your bike pannier. Sit at your desk, download the book of your choice, read it and erase it (or the library, or the publisher, might erase it). Listen... if we're talking carbon footprints and climate-change, which I think we must, then 'the library' needs to evolve.
One important factor that would be missed in that plan is the books for kids. They're important. A comfortable kids' library is essential for our quality of life. So...sell the existing library and use the funds to establish a trust fund to finance and operate a kids' library in downtown Corvallis. There are lots of potential empty spaces available for very little money. Make the space kid-friendly (visit the Toy Factory for ideas), give the downtown a permanent economic boost (those kids and their grandfathers will be buying treats at New Morning and books at Grass Roots), and eveybody is happy! Think about it, please. I know change is difficult. I also know we must do some pretty radical stuff if we're to avoid the 'tipping points' that climate scientists are saying are right on our horizon. Let's get radical!
I'll address the Senior Center after I get the carbon-footprint data.
Enjoy this beautiful spring evening in Corvallis!
Namaste.
Kirk
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