This is my last post for San Jose Inside. I’m looking to start my own site in a couple of months. (please stay tuned). A quick note of thanks to Jack Van Zandt and to Eric Johnson. I hope that you enjoy my final post.
When I was a kid growing up in San Jose, the neighborhood park was constantly tended to. Every Summer, there was a recreational leader who organized activities and coached the park’s baseball team. Fast forward to today, where you’ll find the park restrooms closed on weekdays, and you’re lucky if the City sends someone to mow the weeds once a month. In his letter to shareholders, Google co-founder Sergey Brin wrote, “I am optimistic about the future, because I believe that scarcity breeds clarity.” I hope that the scarcity that we all now face will finally bring clarity to San Jose.
San Jose is broke and broken. Our public institutions have been converted into semi-private franchises that serve the desires of the few rather then the needs of the many. There’s plenty of money to run our city, we’re just not allowed to have it. San Jose is a place where pockets are filled before potholes.
Last week, the Mercury News did a front page story on the likelihood that many city employees would be laid off. The story contained a photo of a city worker doing some janitorial work, and in the background one could see the $35 million crystal rotunda. That worker, and many others, will have lost their jobs, in part, to the stupid decision that was/is the fancy city hall.
From time to time, people advise me to stop barking about the “Taj Mahal” City Hall. I never will. That thing is a symbol of everything that is wrong in our city and a constant reminder of a lesson not yet learned. Ceremony was placed before substance, luxury before need, and pride before purpose. And, I’ll continue to rant because even today (no thanks to the Mercury News) very few people know about the behind- the-scenes political corruption and deceit that brought the project to life.
This is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of fact. The Alternative Sites Study authorized by the city council and conducted by the city manager’s office was a whitewash. On page 4 of the Civic Center Alternative Scenarios Analysis (May 2002) we read, “City costs for the project were assumed to be the same as the 4th and Santa Clara Street site…which would be $288 million for construction.” Rather than asking developers to bid on the project (as was done with other sites) the authors of the report used the high construction costs of the “Taj Mahal” design to calculate how much it would cost to build on the old city hall site!
I believe that a partially-new, partially redesigned civic center could have been built at the old city hall site for HALF the cost. A couple of hundred million dollars would have come in handy right about now.
In reality, San Jose’s problems are easy to solve. It’s not a matter of dollars, it’s a matter of political will. I submit, that in less than a month, a lower division political science class at San Jose State could design a blueprint to re-organize the way in which the city government delivers its services, and that the new outline/matrix would provide for better service delivery and at lower costs. But of course, the civic employees’ unions wouldn’t approve,and they call all the shots in this town. (Consider: just last week, we read that pay and benefits to city employees have risen 58 [ercent over the past 10 years, while the CPI went up 23 percent during that same time).
Absent another dot-com-like miracle, it’s likely that our city and our state will continue to decline. I believe that things will not change unless, and until, the public employees’ unions are busted, and/or Proposition 13 is reversed. Either path will be very difficult to navigate politically.
Finally, in the public square these days, we talk much more about “diversity” and “recycling” than we do about freedom and equality. My concern is that we are moving away from individual choice and personal responsibility in favor of collective thinking, centralized planning, and group rights.
How should we organize ourselves? It’s a serious question. Do we want to govern ourselves by laws, or by the value judgments and the best intentions of those in power?
Pete,
Thank you for all the wonderful articles you have written. While I may not always agree with you on every issue, I enjoy your articles. I deeply respect your courage and conviction to walk your talk. Let us know when you start your site. I’d love to visit it.
Good luck, and best wishes!
Pete,
I too want to thank you for all of your provocative columns over these many months. I wish you the best on your new undertaking and I look forward to checking out your new site.
Remember Pete do not trust those paddies!
Pete,
I’m sorry you’re leaving this site. While reading your articles I was always reassured that as a conservative I wasn’t so alone in this vast sea of leftism. Keep up the good fight.
Good luck to you, brother.
So we say farewell to one of the silliest whiners in San Jose. After losing out to Furman, Reed’s other manservant and better therapist for Reed’s political inner thigh, Petey Campbell, who never really said anything is going to launch a blog called, SAN JOSE IDAHO, dedicated to preaching against diversity, marching against flourdiated water, and working hard to champion the country club set (who got in the club because he used to fix the sprinklers). Campbell=Typical Smarmy Guy.
Pete,
Never say never! Leonard McKay, now he left! Yet here is is back again in my post.
We all suffer the frustrations of not earning the respect from those that we want to reach with our intellect and wisdom. I have known you many years. You have always had a heart for this Village. When we realizes your gone all will return to the designs we choose. Don’t give up on us! All that you discribed is so true and there is so much more that needs the light of day, just ask Chuck,Dean and Tom.
But today in this post of mine , I want you to know that the written word is forever. So please continue to write here challenging that twisted critisisum, is the only way to leave a legacy , for those that follow to understand that our Village is about US.
I won’t say good by , only farewell! Your friend and Fellow Villager!
The Village Black Smith
Pete writes: “Finally, in the public square these days, we talk much more about “diversity” and “recycling” than we do about freedom and equality. My concern is that we are moving away from individual choice and personal responsibility in favor of collective thinking, centralized planning, and group rights.”
This is the problem with America these days, and I predict that it will get worse before it gets better. Pete’s a voice in the wilderness, pointing this out in our liberal town.
Pete’s flip comment re: Prop. 13 is off base, however. I agree with pgp3’s comments above. The only reason prop 13 passed is because the state was overtaxing its citizens. Come to think of it, that explains Tuesday’s election results as well. The swine in Sacramento will never change.
# 6 and 8, you misread. My comment about Prop 13 is an observation, not a recommendation.
Kathleen, Greg, John, thanks for your kind remarks.
Sr. Hernandez: Muchas Gracias.
Peter Campbell blames Prop. 13 for the woes of the state.
Gee, another subsidy baby knocking reducing taxes.
Trust Fund Pete
Driving (#7),
You’re quite the flaming arsehole, whatever pseudonym you use. Oh, and you’re a chicken sh*t too for hiding down in the basement, afraid to use your real name.
Pete,
Do you actually want to get rid of Prop.13, the best thing that ever happened in Calif.??
There’s no way I could stay in my house if I had to pay $1.10/$100 taxes on actual worth on my fixed retirement income. Can you imagine how many homeowners, especially seniors, retired and lower income would have to try to sell their homes, just because they can’t afford their property taxes? Our economy would be in much worse shambles.
Besides, whenever a house sells the property taxes go up to current value. The main problem with Prop. 13 is it included commercial and industrial property which seldom changes ownership. Including commercial property was necessary to initially gain support for passing this legislation.
Also churches, non-profits, government land, wildlife preserves, open space land trusts, low income housing, are usually taken off tax rolls or pay reduced property taxes.
Without Prop. 13 help many more seniors would have fled this State to lower cost areas, leaving behind a much less conservative political environment.
I understand only Florida has similar laws to Prop. 13 to protect homeowners on fixed income.
What’s killing many local municipalities are high pension costs. Emergency employees often get 3% pension at age 50. This means a police officer hired at age 25 gets 75% of his/her quite high wages at 50 retirement age and has at least 20 years remaining to work elsewhere with no pension reduction. Often health insurance continues to be paid until age 65. Social Security checks also arrive after 62, earlier if disabled. What a sweet deal. Very few police get killed or hurt.
I’m jealous. I only got 2% at 55 when I retired after 21 years, slaving for government. Pension is about minimum wage. Some, like our retired police chief make more in retirment than when on the job.
Everything is paid off, don’t owe any money, am quite frugal, love second hand stores and yard sales, try to fix stuff, with no wife nor children have time to volunteer at local non-profits.
Let some younger person have my old job.
Luckily with Prop. 13 I can stay in my home and take care of mom.
pgp3
Pete
You have been an important and valuable contributor to SJI for a long time. I have always been glad that you agreed to come on the site and present a serious and well-considered conservative point of view that would inspire discussion. You have done an excellent job of bringing many important issues to the attention of the community and have always done it in a respectful and professional manner. You have many admirers from across the political spectrum because of that, including me. It was a great pleasure to work with you over the past few years and I really appreciate the fact that you have been willing to put yourself out there every week and take the heat. I wish you the best of luck with your new site and look forward to reading it.
11 – If you wrote the inane ramblings that #7 does, would you put your real to it? Besides, it’s pretty clear who it is.
chuckles and greg sound like typical white guys to me.
Chuckles,
Ya’ think his initials might be JR?
what a shame, i think there has been a lot more in my town to write about in other places, so I hate to disappoint but I am more than happy to write with my own name, and 5hink 5hat there are few people named chuckles in the world except clowns.
Ps, I always have enjoyed Pete’s writings, even as a college classmate of his.
Jack #12
thanks for your comments. Thanks for all that you do to make our city a better place.
Pete
We appreciate Peter’s constant work to knock the Celts whenever possible.
It will be a whiter America thanks to Pete.
Pete:
I’m lurker, more than a poster. I always have an ear for what you have to say. Good luck with your new project.
If the people with the gold make the rules, it is the people pursuing gold (through an aristrocracy of pull, rather than a meritocracy of ability) who keep them in power.
Liberty and independence are a way of life AND and destination. Trading wealth and security for freedom is always a bad bet.
Pete,
You’ll be missed. Thank you for all your thought provoking columns. Keep in touch.