Neighborly advice
While I don't necessarily disagree with Robert Fanning's proposals - and, in fact, they're rather good ones - I see those steps as something to be done in concert with the establishment of an affordable housing fund. Plus, $93,000 is a little more than five percent of what needs to be cut if you want to trim back the $1.7 million in order to not raise the millage rate.
And, while I appreciate his concern, he does live in Colbert so it seems kind of weird that he'd be so eager to publically tell us what to do.
And, while I appreciate his concern, he does live in Colbert so it seems kind of weird that he'd be so eager to publically tell us what to do.
posted by Jmac at 6:50 AM
8 Comments:
Telling you what to do?
Regional cooperation is important when metropolitan areas stretch beyond artificially created boundaries.
Get off your high horse. Do you really want everyone who works in Athens to live there? No, no you don't.
Regional cooperation is important when metropolitan areas stretch beyond artificially created boundaries.
Dude, what are you smoking?
You'll find no other guy out there more fervently clamoring for regional approaches to economic development and the like than me, but that's a distinct different between telling a particular community how they should or shouldn't spend their property tax income and whether or not they should raise or lower the millage rate.
I ain't saying the guy can't have an opinion on it, but I am saying it's more than a little odd to attack the idea from a county away.
Um, and 'high horse' ... be merely noting it's 'weird' (and by merely noting they're good ideas that should be purused in addition to, not in lieu of).
Talk about a high horse my friend.
Problem is, you can justify every government expense by saying it's "only" x-percentage of government spending.
And you do play right in the provincialism that defines Athens when you, however inadvertently, imply that only folks who live here get to talk about what should happen here.
Ironic that someone from Augusta would make such a point.
Reggie
I don't if it's technically ironic and, quite frankly, I'm not sure how it's coincidental either. In fact, I'm entirely sure how it's relevant or why you bring up Augusta, but ... OK?
Problem is, you can justify every government expense by saying it's "only" x-percentage of government spending.
But this is a fallacy because you can imply this logic to every type of spending pattern, whether it's public or private. I can sit at my house and think 'PBR is cheaper than Bud Light, but it's only pennies more so I'll stick with the latter.'
It's about evaluating the investment, efficiency and overall benefit of said expenditure (see the recent discussion of EADC/HCDC). There are definite areas of government to trim locally, but others which have strong rationale to maintain or increase funding.
And you do play right in the provincialism that defines Athens when you, however inadvertently, imply that only folks who live here get to talk about what should happen here.
But I don't think I've done that at all. All I've done is say it was kind of weird for someone who lives in Madison County to be so concerned with public spending by the government of Athens-Clarke County, not that he couldn't say those things (or that his ideas were bad since, actually, they are pretty decent).
I could put together a perfectly logical argument against some type of expenditure in Montana, couldn't I? But wouldn't that be somewhat unusual seeing how I live in Georgia?
Fanning's proposal is the very definition of "ideological blinders."
Shorter Fanning: Don't let gov't do anything but provide more incentives and tax breaks to private enterprise.
Guess what? They already do this and it has little effect. Why? Profit motive. The developers make so much more by totally ignoring the segment of society that cannot afford to pay more. So tax incentives don't work.
Other communities have mandatory (inclusionary) zoning, but we have been told that won't work in Athens. Just say 'inclusionary zoning' to any developer and watch the veins in their neck start throbbing.
Maybe he lives in Colbert because he can't afford to live in Athens.
A whole county away....oh the humanity.
jmac = elitist
A whole county away....oh the humanity.
jmac = elitist
This is comical on so many levels, I'm not even sure where to begin.
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