Wednesday, December 14, 2005
"DEMOCRACY AT WORK"
Are we keeping warm this cold morning?..... Good!..... Did you happen to watch the City Council Meeting last evening? Of course you did. It was the event of the month. The mayor vs Mr. Deep! I have to say that I was very impressed with every member of that council last night. They conducted themselves like professional representatives of the citizens of this city. They should be proud this morning of their work last night. It was real "DEMOCRACY AT WORK" I believe the days of the "bobbleheads" are gone forever. I would like to talk about two things this morning, so you can take your pick. The first and most important is the sewer line issue. Their seems to be a lot more here than just trying to "Help the people" as the mayor stated. The second is the issue of access to city hall.....(the web page) Not to drag this out but I, as well as many others, feel that it is very important, although the mayor seems to think otherwise. He seems to believe that the citizens should not have access to their city hall and the different departments, through the net. He talked about E-Mail as some sort of monster to be avoided at all cost. Hell, In today's world your E-Mail address is about the same as your telephone number. Not a boogie man. Eighter he is real ignorant of the computer technology or he fears it for some reason. OK.....those are the questions for this morning. Go for it... It's YOUR DIME!
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I don't get local access on satellite TV so I didn't catch it either. It does seem odd that Mr. Deep just happens to own all the property that is so important to growth of the city - 3 pieces of property taken in recent history. Is he that unlucky that he just happens to invest in property that years later will be needed by the city? Is he a land speculator extraordinaire but lousy in court battles? $10,000 seems a bit low of a price to be called fair market value, maybe the tax accesser should be fired. The city couldn’t even get a backhoe delivered to the site for $10K. That was a no win situation for Deep and a total set up in my opinion. If he keeps the line and charges people to connect he is a bad guy. If wins the dispute out right he’s the bad guy. Now he is out $126,000 according his figures. I’m guessing now that the city received such a good deal on the sewer line, that they will not charge for people to connect or use the line for some time right?? After all is a tremendous health hazard. The first order of business should be getting these residents connected, and now - worry about the costs later. I’m actually surprised Deep went down in flames so easily, he usually is much shrewder than that.
As for email – can’t say, I don’t see any record of what was discussed. Is it out of concern for viruses? Employees using it for personal use? I don’t buy the idea of having to have someone monitor it and taking time away from other duties. City hall will do X amount of business a day, whether that business walks in the door, calls on the phone, or sends an email, it is still going to take someone to process it. I would argue that email would allow the employees to handle certain business when it is more convenient for them and not have to stop everything because someone walks in the door or calls on the phone to ask a question. I wouldn’t think it would be cost, certainly the State of Ma would have room on their .gov server for a couple more email addresses.
I am checking into the cost of a web page for the city. Just browsing the different options mind you. Some seem real inexpensive. What is the address of the city page now? I have been trying to access it but I can't find it. Does anyone have its address? Who is it with? The mayor said that it is an old one but I can't find it.
iBerkshires.com owns the northadams.com domain name - probably have to take that by eminent domain as well.
Wow...that's wird...how did that come about? I use to visit the North Adams page a lot, just took it for granted that the city owned it's own domain name. So what is the address of the city page if it isn't North Adams? Where do I find it? No wonder nobody knows who we are! They are hosted by http://www.agencybcm.com/ as well as a bunch of others including Pittsfield. Sent them off an E-mail this morning for their prices...hope to hear from them... if not I'll use that old stand by the tele. I'm sure it is just a redundincy because the city has already looked into it. Is there a committee that I can contact? Who is resurching this? The mayor said "WE are looking into this" who are the "WE" Would be nice to be able to check with them so I don't have to cover the same ground!
A very nice Christmass Gift for those people in need of sewer. After all Sewer service should be part of the Cities obligation to it's citizens. We have lost so many other services that the City should be supplying FREE to its citizens. Of course the reality of life is it cost money and right now we as well as most places are running out of the green stuff. Just to balance the cities check book is is a wonder in itself. chbpod may have had the right idea in his comments at the meeting. Pay Mr. Deep the $50,000 the mayor promised him in the begining and have done with it. If this ends up in the courts, which we know is going to happen, then not only is it going to cost the city more than that amount but the people needing sewer arn't going to get it. Nothing will be gained for the citizens and again the people will suffer at the expense of the mayors ego. It is a shame that once more the citizens of this city end up as ping pong balls in the mayors game. I sincerly hope things do turn out for the best for those 35 homes.
just keep our fingers crossed!
Then on the other hand.....If all Mr. Deep is trying to do is recoop corporation profets, then Mr. mayor you did good! If the money invested was Mr. Deeps personal money, not tied into the corporation, then I can feel for him. But if this money was in the pot, sort of speeking, part of the expences tied to the project, then sorry fella...the council did good! Those monies are realized in tax deductions. So what it would amount to is doubble diping and trying to profit off of profet. That's probibly why the other partners wern't conserned with the money...they already had recooped the cost!
I disagree with you Southview. It doesn't matter where the money comes from. A fair price is a fair price. This is suppossed to be a free market capitalist society. Otherwise, the city should take the busses for the school system, the companies that sell heating oil for all city buildings, and they better not be paying for the asphalt on those roads.
da snoop...What is the fair price? The $50,000 the mayor promised, or today's assesed value? The system has been in the ground since the 1980's and I'm sure not in the best of condition. I know things are usually worth more than what the are assesed for, but they are giving more than what the sewer line is assesed at. What is a fair price?
I don't know what a fair price is, but I'm thinking it should be close to what it would cost the city to put the line in if one didn't exist already. However, my comment is that it shouldn't make a difference whether its corporate or private funds. A fair price, however the city arrives at it, should be given whether its corporate funds or private funds. It sounds as if you would wish to penalize someone for making a profit.
Da snoop...No,No,No...The point I am trying to make is that by being a corporation they have already realized their profit, in the tax code. Uncle Sam has already paied them back their investment money. Anything they get above and beyond that is pure pockit money for the corporation. But to address your comment about the difference between a corporation and private monies...yes it makes a big difference! If you take something from a private citizen without proper compinsation then you should go to jail as a sleeze ball crook, but if you take something from a corporation, (remember their very existence is to rip you and me off) then go for it! I am not against people making money. Hell, that is what we are all about! But when their very purpose of being is to take advantage of me and my family....YA..give them back their own medicine! Why do they incorporate in the first place...insted of just being a business? You know why! To protect their bottom line and take advantage of the tax code that you and I have no access to. Purely GREED! The Mayor was right and so was the Council. They did what was right for the people of this city! They have my standing applause!
So what your saying then Southview, is that there should be a limit to what one, corporation or otherwise, can make for profit? Anything over and above a return of their investment is bad? That "pocket money for the corporation" is what fuels expansion, research, development, charitable giving, etc. Either we are a market economy or we aren't. Had this always been the case then Mr. Deep would never had the money, corporate or not, to install the line in the first place. What about banks, should they be allowed to charge interest on money borrowed over what they pay the little guy on money invested in the bank in the form of deposits?
Imagine if you will a scenario where young CJT's Berkshire Best has a couple good years; makes enough money and has generated enough return business to warrent the expansion of his business. So he takes the money he has been putting away, money made as well as money saved from tax deductions, along with a small business loan and buys the "L" shaped mall. He renovates it and opens for business. Now after a couple years the city decides that this location would be perfect for a new senior housing project. Central location, all on one level, bus stop, yada, yada, yada so they take it by eminent domain and offer him less than what he paid for it before renovations. When it was for sale the city couldn't afford to purchase the property or build a center, but they will offer what the selling price was years ago, before extensive renovation because, well you know, after a couple years of business the building is not what it used to be. Sound fair?? How many future businesses do you think this will attract to NA?
I agree that the tax code loopholes and corporate law are designed to stick it to the little guy, but go after the people who make the laws not the ones who legally profit from it. I'm also not against the occasional and necessary eminent domain, but I do think a fair replacement cost should be paid to avoid abuse of the power, and I do think that the power has been abused in NA in recent times.
da snoop..........No,No,No...We live in a business oriented society... wheather you are an imployee or belong to a union, or are a corporate CEO. All I am saying is that when it comes to the corporations you are dealing with a different animal. You buy a car, drive it around the block, bring it back to the dealer, ask for the same price you paied for it.........not gonna happen...why? But the destinction here is private buseness vs corporations. Private businesses are more inclined to placate to their clintell. That is their profit base. A corporation doesn't give a shit about the indivual custimer all they care about is their stockholders! How they fair in the market place. When you incorporate you do it for a reason.. to protect yourself and your profets. A business man puts his ass on the line. No protection! The emenent domain law of the state is a little fucked up, doesn't destinguish....but then who endorsed the law?.....BB! A nice way to knock off compition! I don't think the city can just take someons business or posessions without proper compinsation. They may try but that's what we have the courts for. It would cost them more in court fees that it would to just buy it outright, so why go through the expence?
da snoop... yes I agree that in North Adams the law has been missused for reasons that the law wasn't intended! We know that the Porches are happy!
Wow... just for shits and giggles I checked the stats and just been on for TWO month and already have close to 4,000 hits. That is great! Some have been on a lot longer but I guess their content isn't very interesting, just old dribble with nothing but posted headlines from someone else, you know nothing origional! I guess this blog is worth more than a DIME, at least the numbers seem to say so!
It ain't the hits, it's the unique visitor count. A lot of people check in a few times daily here to see if there is an update, with each visit counting as a "hit", but when you only post 5 times in 15 days, you'll get that. Some blogs have had 47 posts in the last 14 days.....
Someone a little sensitive on this issue? I think we are blessed with many good blogs - good for different reasons. Southview I do like the fact that you pick a local topic and throw out an opinion - whether I agree or not, there is something think about and post on. Probably the one I check the most.
I like the Last Visible Blog for the idiosyncrasies of life it brings to light. I like the Walk in Brain for its intellectual view of the Berkshires and federal government as well as the book reviews. I think it also has some of the most intelligent posters who provide points of view that I find very interesting. Of course I also like the fact that the author is trying to do what he can do to improve NA. I like the Blazerblog because of the many different topics it puts out there. Although I disagree with many, they are out there for me to disagree with.
Why anyone would begrudge you your 4000 hits or unique vistors is beyond me. Congratulations.
Something of note here for people to be causious of!!
CDC Warning
>
> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning
> about a new virulent strain of Sexually Transmitted Disease. The
> disease is contracted through dangerous and high-risk behavior.
>
> The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim and pronounced "gonna re-elect
> him." Many victims contracted it in 2004, after having been screwed for
> the past four years. Cognitive characteristics of individuals infected
> include: anti-social personality disorders, delusions of grandeur with
> messianic overtones, extreme cognitive dissonance, inability to
> incorporate new information, pronounced xenophobia and paranoia,
> inability to accept responsibility for own actions, cowardice masked by
> misplaced bravado, uncontrolled facial smirking, ignorance of geography
> and history, tendencies towards evangelical theocracy, categorical
> all-or-nothing behavior.
>
> Naturalists and epidemiologists are amazed at how this destructive
> disease originated only a few years ago from a bush found in TEXAS
I like the Walk in Brain for its intellectual view of the Berkshires and federal government as well as the book reviews. I think it also has some of the most intelligent posters who provide points of view that I find very interesting. Of course I also like the fact that the author is trying to do what he can do to improve NA.
Well, shut my mouth. I'm apparently all intu...inti...inta... smart and stuff. (I tend to disagree - if I was all that smart, why on EARTH did I go into a career that kept me in near-total poverty for 10+ years? Ah, the fun we had...)
On the topic at hand, from what I've been able to gather, the Kelo decision didn't really alter the law or set NEW precedents - it just makes the local municipality the final arbiter of all things eminent domain. The trick now (if you feel that eminent domain is being abused) is to elect local officials that will not abuse it.
WF
Thank you!
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