Friday, December 29, 2006

"Vengeance be Mine," saith The Lord

To Mrs. Janc Once Proud To Be

I never could see
Attacking those who cannot
Defend themselves
Like Jerry Janc
Can tell no tales.

It is beyond my comprehension
How a kindhearted man
Years dead
Could inspire such vitriol
Ole Jer made mistakes
But he didn’t make that many.

To talk ill of the dead
Calls the ghost in
He’s really old now
Like he seemed to us then.
A leader set out to be broke
Like a glass horse.

Jerry was so transparent
I could see all those interests
Floating in alcohol
He drank teetering on the edge
Of Women’s Liberation.

Even if Jerry
Popped out of the bottle
Long enough to write
The literary novel he dreamed
He would not compete with you.

We partied hardy often and long
On the hill by 3 Points
I knew you then
And I still know Jerry
Because he died at 42.

Let Jerry Janc
Rest in peace
Or at least remember him
As the father of your children
And the man who
Never left a bum empty handed.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Iraq and Palestine

Iraq and Palestine

A study of peace must yield many prospectus points of view. Refusing to recognize a point of view is prohibited. We must deal with who is there now and their relation to the recently formed governments in Iraq and Palestine must be assessed from a social point of view as well as a reassessment from a militaristic perspective as to the actual size of the armies involved and the impact of this information on our future course of action.

It appears that the exercise of Democracy must yield the results desired proclaimed or decreed by US? I question not the results of the election, but what brought the people to that decision? Were certain political parties banned? What basic question must be answered before the sovereignty of elected governments is toppled for sectarian reasons? It is hypocrisy to tout democracy and then criticize the results. All sides must engage in dialogue at the forum through their elected official. Respect life and disengage in killing others. Period. Stop blowing each other up. Stop attacking US troops. US troops will cease fire as the truce develops. Stop lobbing bombs into Israel and receiving more of the same. Embargoes become a thing of the past. Restitution is possible.

All viewpoints must be heard. All viewpoints must have an articulate spokesperson. If a group viewpoint does not have such, then they are common criminals subject to local police control.

A summit consisting of the real contenders must be constructed. Refusing to talk to any of them will invalidate the summit.

Who are the contenders?

UN
US
Iraq
Iran
Pope
Imam
Syria
Israel
Russia
Jordan
Lebanon
Palestine
The factions therein wherein as evidenced by local importance.
Who else?

All these wars are wasting resources. Scientific cooperation and respect would be such an improvement over the current situations, even the self proclaimed followers of various religions would recognize the value of peace.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

President Bush Must Assess Data

President Bush must assess data from many sources in order to formulate a new way in Iraq. I, like many others, have an opinion on what would assist in the democratization of Iraq and the extrication of our forces from a combat role. Like all momentous decisions, changes in the course of war must be carefully considered.

An inexpensive change in attitude could be the spark that ignites democracy in Iraq, instead of sectarian based civil war. Legalize the Baath Party and call for an election in the near term to determine the future course of Iraq. Call for a cease fire until the elections are finalized. The First Iraqi Congress will form policy as a unified government for the people of Iraq.

To them, I say this: if you continue civil war you prove Saddam correct that a boot heel to the neck is what kind of self control you can exert. You within your society find a way to offer solace to those bereaved that does not involve warfare.

A very recent overture of a respected Imam is an important sign that a political settlement is possible. Legalize all the banned political parties and welcome the Sunnis to the political process. Let the people vote and see if moderate or war candidates win. Let a truce be declared and an election take place.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Neanderthal Man

All this speculation concerning Neanderthalensis has my mind in a buzz. Here’s my take on Homo Neanderthalensis……

An Ice Age mammal, shaggy and thick, Neanderthal man evolved from Homo Erectus gone arctic as a possessor of fire and a static tool kit 200,000 years old. Climate change hit the ice age mammals hard and left little to hunt for a being devoted to hunting with probably a small amount of gathering. Did their bodies make vitamins A and D? Were they exclusively predators? Could they not compete against a superior toolkit and division of labor?

What social organization did Neanderthal possess? Like that of a troop? Was sewing never invented because of their shaggy coat? Was warmth anathema to them, sealing their doom as the climate warmed?

So Homo Erectus gave rise to Sapiens, Neanderthal, Flores and maybe more…Neanderthal toolkits remained unchanged for 200,000 years until confronted with the roaming Sapiens and their superior toolkits. A brief mingling of traditions ended with the extinction of Neanderthal ca. 28,000 years ago but they shared space with Sapiens for thousands of years.

Who were they? The trolls, the dwarfs, Bigfoot or maybe even the druids living within the hollow of a huge tree? Neanderthal were giants of strength but not socially organized to evolve culturally to fit the changing conditions, which included hunting and territorial advances by Sapiens.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Leaked Memo

Another leaked memo, the recent first of which did nothing to help the president’s efforts in the Middle East and this newest of which leads me to believe that the reputation for not tolerating dissent is definitely spread about, like manure upon farmland. A recommendation that policy be changed may have been a layoff opportunity or a retirement opportunity. I think the point here is to accept the fact that change is needed
and Mr. Secretary is also in favor of this idea whose time has come.

It is necessary to forward peace at every opportunity. The positioning of more units on borders, thus dividing up your force into thirds does not point to peace because this movement would open more possibility of encounters. Divide and conquer, the old saying applies to talk as well as physical action, does it not? Dividing your force into fragments may be a dangerous thing to do. There’s safety in numbers, ho ho ho Happy Holidays.

Another point for consideration are the arms dealer nations, like the USA, the Russians, the Chinese and who else? The arms brokers need to be talked about and some questions answered like the lucrative arms sales agreements between nations and other such econo-political agreements. Review the financial feasibility of continuance and possibly the dangers of such draining agreements. Possibly the totals garnered through such deals and who is capitalizing on war should be revealed for moral scrutiny at the United Nations.

Refugee costs are mounting and this must be studied in order to make an effective settlement in the Middle East. The countries that took in Palestinians and Iraquis should have consideration. The value of vacant land now is what the land is worth and the value of the land must have consideration. People cannot be dispossessed and another taking their former place and not expect opposition? This is a long lived conflict why not make it another 100 years war? Get real. None of so many of us caused this hassle, which should also be of consideration. Happy New Year and the Christians can pray for peace anew as the solstice dims our daylight and we glower inside caves with a fire burning a piece of the sun god keep us warm.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Research Opportunities

A Research Opportunity


An analysis reveals the lack of an idea
To halt the conflict between Israel and Palestine
I will address this need to negotiate
But data must be gathered
In order to understand the faceted universe
Of conflict.

This data must be assembled and fashioned
Into a short report understandable
To the entire body.
An open forum add to the categories
Avoiding emotional involvement
Cater to facts.

Each forum must be composed of members
Representing all parties
All religions
Literate learned individuals
Scientists and scholars
Fair individuals who sign an oath
To report unbiased

Data categories to research:
Ancient history
History 20th century to present
The original establishment of Israel document
Palestinian representation in legal decisions concerning them
United Nations Actions
Present human conditions in Palestine and Israel
Palestinian refugees costs and reparations to host countries
Open ended list…..

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Tech Power

Out of study of the past
A future emerges
A vision for the Earth
Nationalism component parts
Contributing creativity
All we have
Is our raw brainpower
And experiments begun
45,000 years past
Built up our population
Rich energy source
And our intelligence
Created technology
That now must transcend
Known applications
And terran environments
To utilize a new source
Of elements
To make what we need.
The tech is to make energy
Rather than just collect
We mine elements instead
Let us work together
To achieve rather than destroy.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Instead of War

We see life through moments rather than eons, leaving us unschooled if we do not possess an information storage system. Capitalizing on assets has led us to great heights in material civilization as the product of our amazing information and retrieval systems, the spectacular economic setups that enable the creation of architecture and distribution systems that will sustain an ever growing population….so what is wrong about this picture? It is that we have unprecedented control over our physical environment in a short term as we approach the end of the mining era and the beginning of the recycling era that will ensure the survivability of some portion of the population in this finite world.

Our current technology does not save us from being beholden to the same forces that have ruled last populations through potentially deadly climatic and resource availability changes. Our mining has exacerbated a climate shift towards the warmer in many areas of the world, such that permafrost is melting and the Antarctic is calving icebergs at a high rate as compared to other times. Listen that this climate change is not uniform throughout the Earth. We do have the ability to lessen our influence on the climate voluntarily or will eventually be forced to disengage this behavior when petroleum mining lacks success.

Let us hope the new energy technology will be less obtrusive to our environment by not poisoning us as well as continuing to bestow the wonderful benefits of cheap energy. It has been thus far easier to discover new mines than to reuse, but that has already been changing since the 1960s when scrapyards became respectable. The market for scrap steel is lucrative for somebody and cornering the market might make more money than the metal items produced. Saving on raw materials is the wave of the future and will be required when the population reaches saturation in terms of numbers related to the use of raw materials and produced food resources. It comes a time when impoverishment is related to the number of humans per unit of sustainability or societal adjustments will occur where a few control resources for the many while skimming a good living off the top for themselves.

A new source for energy must be developed or our civilization I hold in such high regard will perish. We cannot continue to see life in moments. We must do long term planning and immediate research. Government and private money must fund research and must not neglect researching social issues related to overpopulation and resource waste patterns and the avenues to the goal of less consumption per individual as the number of individuals rises.

So harvest with solar rolling threshers and plant with solar plows and utilize more hand labor, reversing a trend of fewer hands for more work begun in the machine age drawing to a close if alternative energy sources or locations are not successful. How cheap could items be made in free fall? Why should delivery be instant, instead drifting in a long spiron to Earth during a weeks long trip in a collapsible container that can be reorbited and reused? Just think of the raw materials, intense solar and plenty silica to build housing and hydroponics to feed the teeming Earth. How about small atomic power plants for launchers and personal transportation?

Why not fund research into atomic energy? Why not work together to achieve science and free fall business and an international city on the moon? Why all these wars instead of cooperation for the good of all? Remember Nero fiddling while Rome burned? Are we that foolish?

Saturday, November 11, 2006

War Talk




Lame duck no war talk listen to. No grand finale grande. You are ruled by the people and we have spoken in the election. The legal right to escalate conflict is superseded by the moral commitment to serve the people made when you took office. Let your memory be that of one who ultimately sought peace.

Maybe I did not like all the election results but the world is not frozen in time. I look to a fruitful future and would humbly hope for peace as all combatants lay down arms.

No unilateral action is justified even if well supported ‘allies’ choose to preempt another delusion and make it into a very negative reality. If such pre-emptive foolishness occurs, then arms shipments must cease. Propping up warlike regimes is an unneeded expense that is proving unrewarding under deleterious circumstances created when we are having trying times elsewhere. A low return on the investment, I say.

Hold yer fire.

Friday, November 10, 2006

An Eye For An Eye




An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. This has been declared your system of justice, but the abuse of even this harsh precept is apparently taking place. So how much damage has been inflicted on you? Are you not restricted to like amounts? The example was given twice, so as to not confuse the academic among you.

Punish and punish and soon you have a cycle of death, a blood feud flaring with an enemy underestimated and ultimately goaded to be very smart and powerful. Our people do not want war as evidenced by the recent election. More pre-emptive wars are not in the offing. The killing of innocents must cease, lest more resistance be necessary. Creating a problem through ineffective policy could be discontinued. Vengeance births vengeance. Nobody is going to make the world safe for anybody.

Forcing resistance through economic strangulation and physical destruction is a worn philosophy that is producing more strife. I make the assumption that less strife is wanted but this may startle the econo-military junta that runs your nation, if their main mission in life is fighting and strategy. Let your strategy makers concentrate on economic salvation and the eventual end of aid money so easy to sign for. Work for the betterment of both communities and control the militarists among you.

Call for elections and civil discourse. Walk the path to peace.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Persia Or That Fair Land Beyond The River Valleys

Persia or that land beyond the river valleys
We meet again.

The last deep meeting of disparate cultures produced Damascus steel,
Hybrid technology derived from African iron
Eastern Mediterranean bronze,
Indian brass.
All brought together as a trade route in ancient times.

What hath we wrought with this steel
But used it to find more resources
That would shape this steel in more ways
As we use fossil fuels to further refine our toolkit
Until one person cannot hope to know it all
So each owns bits and pieces of the whole
O the written word will save it all
Computers will store and roughly sort
But the human mind must be applied
To this task
For that life spark of an idea
Brings a new future
Without fossil fuel rule
Beneficial to all in availability

Peace be to all
In the sea
And upon the land.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Exponential Population Growth

Oh Goody! We hit 300,000,000 in population and celebratory and congratulatory talking heads blatt for business expansion and a growing economy.

Let us look at the facts.

The world is a finite space.
All resources are finite.
Land to support sustainability is finite
The human population is growing.
When the growing population meets the finite, changes occur.
These changes are:
The population must use less of resources to survive.
The population decreases.
The population finds other resources only available through the space effort.
War decreases the population and thus the demand for resources.
Poverty increases.
Disease increases.
Regionalism appears.
Or we can continue rampant breeding
End up dividing the world’s resources by each individual
Or creating teeming poverty and mega rich
A portent for war
Why not fight when there’s nothing left to lose?
Empire building falls short of survival
When energy becomes scarce
Technology must bloom once again
Or we are all doomed.
Stabilize populations according to present percentages
In order to manage the problem
Of dwindling resource share.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Take Action on Water Policy

I am here today as a scientist, an environmentalist if you prefer, but I assure you that I speak from a position of logic, not hysterical emotionalism. My subject is water and ourselves as living beings who need it.

I wish to thank my husband Mikki for all his help making graphs, gathering information and hauling in these informative materials so graciously donated to us by Tucson Water. Cheers to Tucson Water, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Central Arizona Project for their quality information on our water supply. The Arizona Department of Water Resources is now creating a water atlas of Arizona, which will allow for an assessment of our water supplies and deliveries statewide.

I have been interested in water issues since the mesquites out by San Xavier dried up in the 60s due to excessive groundwater pumping. While living in Lake Havasu City, I attended town halls that dealt with the problem of water supplies and our purchase of land with a well in Tucson has made the subject even more enticing.

Old timers told me it used to be more verde than it is now so what happened? The good times and money and building and new people all the time is what happened. Tucson made a spectacular frontier boomtown during the twentieth century and Lord, did we have fun! Resources were plentiful and land was cheap and Arizona was the Promised Land producing a population increase from 7,500 in 1900 to almost 6 million today.

Things do not look so green now and the Santa Cruz is a dry wash and soft sand in Rillito Creek blows where water once flowed and the cottonwood leaves like silver dollars in the sun have mostly vanished. Concrete and asphalt and LA landscaping wilting under the merciless sun and groundwater pumping drying out the precious aquifer beneath Tucson. Tucson Water’s daily pumping capacity was almost reached in June 2005, yet new subdivisions are online and the city and county may someday declare a water emergency in Tucson.

We have had a beautiful rainy summer but states to the north of us did not share in God’s largesse and the Colorado River watershed did not recharge the big red river. We pray for rain to fill the reservoirs that help bring water to our communities. While researching this project, I had to refresh my memory about the term ‘acre feet’ when discussing water resources. An acre foot is water one foot deep covering an area of about one football field, or about 326,000 gallons. That’s a large quantity of water if you are delivering it on a burro like they did in the good old days when every drop was still important. So 12” of rain is an acre foot of water all over everything. The average rainfall in Tucson is about 12 inches, an unusual event for the past decade.

If a drought is declared on the Colorado River, the CAP water delivery will be cut. The Central Arizona Project brings in 60,000 acre feet a year from the Colorado River directed towards recharge of the aquifer but even this water does not halt the fall of the water table as the population grows and more demands are made on the water supply. As it is now, demand is outstripping supply like a fool who spends beyond his means and then wonders why he has nothing. Foolish proposals like the Superstition development up north tout the potential 1,000,000 population who would ‘only’ use 100 gallons per day per person. This is extracting 100,000,000 gallons more water every day from an overextended system and disrupting an important watershed as well. I believe that prospective subdivisions statewide should be reviewed with water resources in mind. Remember that the purpose of government is not to increase the size of the community in order to collect more taxes. The purpose of the government is to provide essential services for the people. The CAP is a long range service project, not a convenience for developers.

Depending too much on the CAP is bad news for long-term sustainability of water resources, given that the river flow is proven unpredictable. Sustainability means you do not use more than can be returned for use again. Sustainability is a cycle and our water resources are not sustainable at the present level of use plus the projected population growth. Maybe this projection is in error. We can hope that resource constraints do not become so apparent that we end up standing in line for a water allotment. In the meantime, our community can fund an immediate expansion of the CAP recharge facility and so utilize our entire allotment of CAP water, which will double capacity. Expanded recharge is the opportunity to obtain more CAP water that may be lost if a drought is declared and since these cutbacks are based on actual use; it makes sense to increase Tucson’s CAP facility.

If more CAP water is obtained through public investment, this water should be earmarked for aquifer recharge, not for extending water service. I believe the real estate term for this situation is ‘build out’. We have reached build out in our water resources. A new infusion of CAP water will remediate but will not be enough resource to continue expansion, no matter what the immediate economic consequences. Does the community of Tucson have a 100-year supply of water? It may, but not at our accustomed comfortable level. Since water supply is a public resource, the use of high water rates to force conservation may be called into legal question. It is possible that limits on consumption may be decided on a per capita basis. According to surveys, we are now using at least 170 gallons per person per day. About 38% of our water is from the CAP. Are you prepared to find water savings of 38% around your home?

Of course all drought management plans emphasize conservation by the domestic consumer, but possibly other measures could be taken. Cessation of more water hookups comes to mind as a procedure to limit the drain on actual resources. Perhaps a few speculators will lose money, but such a dire possibility should not limit city and county action to limit water hookups. I do think that domestic users will expect conservation and cooperation from business and government on this crucial issue. People are not fools and water restrictions should apply to all, including well connected developers.

The sustainability issue must be addressed in terms of water resources, population growth and expected levels of water consumption. If the year 2006 water production of 170,000 acre feet is to be continued, then steps must be taken to halt the drop of the water table below us lest we pump it dry or cause subsidence. 54% of our water resource is groundwater, which has been declared a “non-renewable water source” with “legal availability diminishing over time”. It is actually not legal to drain groundwater supplies.

Ground subsidence due to excess groundwater pumping is cited as an actual and potential problem in the metropolitan Tucson area, including the Rio Nuevo projects downtown, Tanque Verde, the railroad, the gas pipeline, Avra Valley and Green Valley, and most of Tucson bounded by Rillito Creek and I 10. Continued groundwater deficits could cause subsidence by 2025. Any building permits issued should take this into account.

Recently in our town there has been a controversy surrounding golf courses and the necessity to water them so they will produce a facsimile of old England out here in the Sonoran Desert. Fortunately Mr. Huckleberry has spoken out against more golf courses like the Diamond Ventures development near Saguaro National Park East, and the Santa Rita Ranch in Corona de Tucson. The Quail Creek people in Sahuarita actually want to build a second golf course. There are 47 golf courses in the Tucson area and they consume 11,400 acre feet of drinking water a year, plus they use 8,800 acre feet of effluent. The golf courses also use 4% of our CAP delivery. Sahuarita’s Town Lake Park ‘substantially’ exceeded its maximum annual water allotment and now will be using effluent for the lake You can decide for yourself if this is an appropriate use of water supplies. I heard via the grapevine that the Tucson Country Club wants cheap effluent to water a golf course or they will drill their own wells and pump groundwater. They will need a deep drill to find water up there now, so what next?

Drought is pervasive and this has been the second hottest overall summer in the United States, even though we in Tucson were blessed with a wet summer, we are still behind 15” in actual rainfall replentishment since 1995.

I suggest honoring current water hookup contracts with landowners but placing a moratorium on any more until the water sustainability problem is resolved. Review past City Council actions like Resolution 14610, an emergency resolution pushed through by former Mayor Volgy enabling water for a far northwest development that just slurps up that water. Perhaps city policy to award water commitments should be restricted to the current landowners, rather than becoming saleable attachments to dry land. Somebody made a pile of money on the Dove Mountain deal brokering our water supplies.

As the Tucson Water Plan 2000-2050 states “There may be a theoretical limit on the number of people who can sustainably reside in the Tucson area.” I say an overall water deficit indicates that this limit has been reached. The pumping capacity of Tucson Water was almost reached during the hot June of 2005.

The mayor and Council may choose to initiate study to develop city water policy on sustainability issues. Perhaps the current Mayor and Council will update the water policy to reflect changing conditions and resource limitations. If Lake Mead were declared in drought conditions, Tucson could lose enough to cause a significant increase of groundwater overdraft unless the CAP water has recharged enough to allow further pumping. This is yet another reason to increase our recharge capability now.

Lake Mead now stands at 1126 elevation as of September 18, 2006, down from 1135 elevation on May 5, 2006. Drought conditions will be declared if Lake Mead drops to 1075 feet, so we have a little leeway while we sit here hoping for rain on the Colorado Watershed. Tree ring studies show eight droughts over the past 8000 years, the most recent centered around 1299 A.D. The depopulation of the American southwest around 1275 was attributed to the last long-term drought. This was seven centuries ago and perhaps another big one is on the way. A review of climactic studies published in Science News in November 2005 predicts a drying trend in the Southwestern United States. The Mojave Desert is on the march in all directions.

Actual rainfall data for Tucson from 1949 through 2005 does indicate a drying trend, with a temporary respite during our summer of 2006. If statistics are correct, we cannot expect another summer like this one for years. In the past 56 years, 38% of those years had less than 10 inches of rain but during the past ten years, 60% of the years had less than 10 inches of rain. The lowest recorded rainfall during that time occurred in 1953, but was an isolated instance. Year 2006 is off to a lusty start and we hope for more rain this winter.

Predicting the future is problematical. Are we in the beginning of a decades long drought or just a short-term fluctuation? Oldtimers who could remember 1920 told me that the hills of Bisbee ran with springs back in the good old days when chulas tracked in moist sand and Wilcox Dry Lake always had water. I’ve seen the live oaks lose their leaves and burgeon the next year but it’s been years since plenty winter rain on the Colorado but only the desert seems to know about it.

Keep in mind that the projected available groundwater credits available to Tucson water in 2025 must be dependent on runoff that may not happen. As a community, an investment in the recharge program using CAP water is an investment in water supplies for all. Our city leaders have a responsibility to provide continuing services to the people who live here, but sheer numbers of people and gallons of water limit this capacity.

Recent developments along the Colorado River include at least two instances where water brokers in Nevada are attempting to import water from Arizona in order to enable the construction of houses and shopping malls in Nevada. Evidently, this broker Wind River Resources sold water to the Virgin River Water Company in Nevada and is mixed up in an Arizona water import entitlement scheme forwarded by an outfit called Scenic Enterprises. A complete report on this boondoggle is found at the Arizona Department of Water Resources home page. Somehow, Vista Verde Domestic Water Improvement District in Mojave County has something to do with this unfortunate water export scheme that Arizona cannot afford. It would be interesting to know if Jim Petersen is involved in what I will call a water theft from the people of Arizona.

A friend in Mojave County said that he was surprised at the lack of opposition from Tucson concerning the brouhaha about Las Vegas dumping sewage into the Colorado River. I’d like to know who dealt with this significant problem on our behalf. I don’t think I want Sin City’s sewage coming out of my faucet.

Friday’s Arizona Daily Star had an article on the Citizens Task Force Proposed Water Conservation Plan, which held several expensive ideas for subsidizing the purchase and installation of low water use equipment. These subsidies equal $75 of the cost for retrofitting home toilets, rebates of $250 per unit to apartment owners for water saving changes, $200 rebate each for installing commercial waterless urinals and mandatory retrofits of all buildings when sold. This represents a $3,500,000 investment by the city and even more by the citizens. If this idea goes through, I guess we should head for the local plumbers and hardware stores to spend our money on saving water. Or we could save around our homes without spending any money. Whatever we do, I hope that our water savings would be recharged and the cycle of water sustainability begun.

Our political candidates had interesting quotes concerning our water resources.

Bill Montgomery for Attorney General wrote: “It will not mean much for Arizona’s future if I reduce our worst in the nation crime rate and fail to safeguard our Colorado River water rights and enforce water quality where called for. Consequently, I pledge to protect our future resource needs while fighting for our current quality of life.”

David Jorgenson wrote: “Water issues are everyone’s problem and do not respect political, geographical or ideological concerns.”

And Jan Brewer, our Republican Secretary of State wrote: “Protecting Arizona’s Colorado River supply is of critical importance to the entire state. In the end, I believe we can have wise and efficient policies for use and conservation of water that can be balanced so as not to unfairly burden any one sector of our economy.”

Thank You

Thursday, September 07, 2006

80's Style Radicalism?

Report on Fox News says Ahmadinjad wants to purge liberal teachers from colleges and return to 80’s style radicalism.

Somewhat inexact reporting. Undefined terminology from an Iranian perspective: liberal and 80’s style radicalism. In Iran, what do those words mean? We are not sure what liberal and radicalism is in this country or political entity, as it be.

Take the term terrorism. Take it, please. This overused term could be replaced by other terms allowing for more species under the generic term terrorist extending to those who merely disagree to common street thugs who blow up things for fun.

Here are possible substitutes: street criminals, organized crime, political factions, ethnic factions, business factions, juntas, religious factions, vengeance seekers, the patriotic, the unemployed…Have you more ideas? We can talk to these people! Nobody has the right to tell us whom we can talk to at anytime or anywhere. In an increasingly distasteful outcome, we must begin talks on neutral ground chosen by all who send a delegation.

Negotiations rather than pullouts for now. We must begin somewhere.

Was overheated rhetoric necessary considering recent successes? Or is it only reported as such? Is there a need for a Press secretary? More secularism, an indistinct term for sure. A university in the ancient sense would contain science and philosophy from the known universe. Human life was never ordered to be frozen in time. Let the people choose through knowledge rather than the lack thereof. Are you macho enough to try this?

Life changes as we long for the security of the past while we struggle against the unknown or embrace the innovative. Take your choice but the past is gone forever.

Shall men and women discuss the future?

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

LETTER TO RTA

After receiving a rejection to be on the citizens accountability for regional transportation committee, I wrote a brief note to Gary Hayes, Executive Director of the Regional Transportation Authority.....

Dear Mr. Hayes:

Thank you for your kind consideration for the CART Committee. It is gratifying to know that so many concerned citizens applied.

After perusing your website, I could not locate information concerning these chosen committee members. It would be illuminating to augment the list you sent to me, providing more knowledge about the chosen candidates, who appear to be mostly men. I would like to know each candidate’s affiliation and employer, plus their special qualifications to be members. This sunshine would be good for the RTA project, since many citizens are interested in the implementation of this massive amount of funding derived from a tax increase.

I am interested in membership in the Citizen Advisory Committees. Remember that a variety of viewpoints will provide a more equitable result when implementing any plan.

I will be looking forward to the posting of further data concerning the committee members. You are part of the government and truth in government is desired by all. This information would dispel any rumors that special interests dominate the RTA.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Interference in Local Elections

To the National Republican Congressional Committee:

To quote the Arizona Daily Star August 31, 2006, “In a highly unorthodox move, national Republicans have decided to spend more than $122,000 on primary race television ads endorsing Steve Huffman for Congress”.

Tell me this is not true! Do you know who you are supporting? Steve Huffman has a 57% attendance race in the Arizona Congress. He was a member of the Environmental Committee and managed to attend 4 out of 9 meetings. Anyone else would have been told not to come back if they had shirked their job to that degree. And now the National Republican Congressional Committee is attempting to forward Steve Huffman’s candidacy. This lack of attention to the elected position is of great concern to me. I want to support a candidate who will actually attend, not a candidate who only bothers to attend when he is pushing some special interest.

I reviewed the House Bills sponsored by Mr. Huffman and was not pleased with his agenda, which was mostly to provide tax breaks for special interests who have contributed to his campaigns. Since Mr. Huffman is a real estate broker, it did not surprise me that he was against a bill that would have forced any landowner to disclose a lack of water resources on land sold to unsuspecting buyers. Arizona is having problems coping with growth and groundwater resources are failing, according to Tucson Water. Mr. Huffman and his contributors appear relentless in setting things up for their own profits, while ignoring the public good and the possibility of water rationing if the Central Arizona Project water infusions to southern Arizona are decreased or even cut off due to a water shortfall in the Colorado River System.

Mr. Huffman apparently considers himself to be an Arizona constitutional expert, since he introduced 2 amendments to it during the last session. Both amendments were designed for special interests to circumvent current law and cater to the wealthy in a state where most people are not wealthy. Mr. Huffman has been reputed as saying that winning an election is all about money and that the candidate with the most money wins. Currently, about 40% of Mr. Huffman’s campaign contributions are from those who profit from real estate sales, while the average home price in Arizona has climbed to the point where many people are left permanently landless due to an inability to pay the inflated prices. We do not need further negative influence in our economy that results in impoverishment and possible social unrest.

Mr. Huffman also exhibits a lack of respect for the vote. He introduced HB 2702, the Rio Nuevo extension. Rio Nuevo is a special tax district within Tucson that was enabled by a popular vote that allowed for matching funds to be contributed by the city of Tucson, which amounts to about $750,000 a month for city to pay in return to tax rebates to be used for downtown renovation. Mr. Huffman did not believe this 12 year extension of the Rio Nuevo tax obligation needed another vote, while I feel that the voters should have been able to OK further expenditures, and possibly not be forced to pay and pay for special upscale interests downtown. Tucson is not a rich city. Homelessness is pervasive, the crime rate is high, and the police are seriously understaffed, yet this $750,000 a month is earmarked by HB 2702 for 12 more years. We should have had the right to vote on this expenditure, but thanks to Mr. Huffman and his contributors and an apparent vote trading scheme that benefited telecommunications companies, Rio Nuevo is siphoning needed funds from the city’s coffers. This is despotism and corruption from the top down and we certainly don’t need this kind of attitude in Washington D.C.

Mr. Huffman was also supporting the Regional Transportation Authority bond election and a large portion of the work proposed will heavily benefit Diamond Ventures, a powerful campaign donor to Mr. Huffman. Scandal swirled around this election. The pro RTA committee bought 22 spots in the election literature mailed out to voters, but took credit for only two, which left voters thinking those people had actually paid for expressing their opinions, when they had been subsidized by the pro RTA committee. I believe this was voter information fraud but the pro RTA committee people shrugged it off as an oversight.

I do hope you reconsider this interference in Arizona elections. The locals know their candidates and you are apparently unaware of the issues facing Arizona or you would not be propping up this candidate. If you have accepted a huge donation in return for this support, then please review your priorities. This kind of candidate is why the Republican Party is in trouble. Mr. Huffman is definitely not a moderate in any sense of the word. He is beholden to the wealthy and is ignoring the needs of the majority of the populace. Somebody needs to research Mr. Huffman’s campaign donations due to the repetitive nature of donations from several sources, which may or may not have been coerced as a condition of employment. Perhaps some phone calls are in order.

At a recent Candidates’ Breakfast hosted by Tucson Republican Women, Mr. Huffman made a poor showing and was heavily criticized for negative campaigning. Did you do any real research before making the decision to infuse $122,000 into Mr. Huffman’s moribund campaign? I protest this interference in our election.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Blow a Wedge Out of The World

Who is it that wants to test atomic weapons in such an unstable geologic region as the Sea of Japan that extends all the way to the South China Sea that intersects with the area of the huge tsunami quake off Indonesia? He needs to look at a hologram of earthquake areas of the Earth, ocean trenches and fault lines before he lines up a blow to end all blows. He might be on the piece that becomes a meteorite on Venus.

Other earthquake prone areas take heed. Qum is not the first quake and will not be the last, if we can go by past geologic events and tumbled cities dust between your anointed toes. You old catamount shrewd enough to state such, speak up. The welfare of the region is no doubt in your thought processes. Academic learning and wizard dignity heed the call to peace.

Somebody needs to pay the Palestinians so should it be the descendents of all on the United Nations Security Council who decided on the creation of Zionistic Israel, plus the nation of Israel must make some reparations to these people also. How about an apology from those responsible? Beware of inflation that makes cash worth less every day as you have to pay more for the same thing, hopefully not unto a survival level. An apology would be both priceless and worthless unless it brings peace. A lump sum might make more sense and would get the economy moving. Commerce is what Israel needs, not subsidies.

“Eat, drink and be merry” quoth Shakespeare like he lived now in these dangerous times. Legalize the Baath Party and call for new elections while some of the chieftans are moving towards peace. Unite the Bloods and Crips and Banditos wow let’s try that. Even they would see a common good. Iran can influence the Shia or is Al Sadr not talking to them or what? Internecine squabbling for intangible rewards? People are dying. We need to talk to these people now. Can Saddam stop it?

If North Korea blows a wedge out of the world or makes that crack in the world bigger and Japan is sweeping seaweed off the mountaintops, then I guess all the talk was a waste of time.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Tucson Debate

Re: Protection of washes stirs city debate, Arizona Daily Star August 26, 2006

It appears that Diamond Ventures and Jim Click Ford certainly take an interest in city decisions concerning land use and preserving natural areas of the Sonoran Desert. Bulldoze it flat, boys! It’s easier to build on it then.

“Who gets to let Don Diamond know his washes are back on the list?” Wow! Are they leery of this guy, or what? Well, prowl the periphery, Mayor and Council. Somebody else is in the firelight.

The last I heard, home sales are down, Ford vehicle sales are abysmal and natural preserves are desired by homebuyers. Home Depot stock might be down enough to preclude the success of new stores. Water supplies are becoming problematical and Diamond Ventures wants to make more money creating growth and they have somebody’s ear in the City Manager’s Office. Let’s rename the office before we assume Mike Hein is running it.

Voters did not elect Diamond ventures or Jim Click Ford to any office. Let the sun shine in and sweep out all those clinging cobwebs.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Supplies For Our Military

A report on the news featured a man who said the latest Israeli war was orchestrated with the Bush administration and that plan was that the bombing of Iran would shortly follow the virtually uncontested win in Lebanon by the Israelis. If this is true, then thank God that that an expansion of warfare has not taken place.

I have faith that my President is not participating in such a warlike plan. On a tactical level, our military is spread too thin and rumor is going around that Israel will be resupplied before our own troops. Our troops come first and foremost! That means no shortages in anything for our troops and National Guard before any more armaments are sent to Israel.

America first.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

The Right To Bear Arms

As a child, long guns were plentiful around the home and were used to hunt animals we brought home and cooked and ate with relish. Hunting is the most ancient tradition, part of what makes us human. Hunting and defense are related to the offensive fighting many animals exhibit when acquiring territory in which to raise young.

In humans, the use of guns accompanied the kill off of many species, before this awesome power was recognized and curbed to some extent. Among humans this new power is used to dispatch hated enemies, which lessened the number of indigenous cultures. Now firepower is being used to destroy nations.

I was taught utmost respect for firearms and concern for the physical damage possible to inflict. The possession of firearms must be accompanied by a moral understanding of the use of power. Since our Bill of Rights applies to every individual in a moral sense, disarmament is not an option. One must live to understand limitations on behavior imposed by the granting of basic rights to all individuals, not just for a select few.

Peace settlements must include land and water rights and payments to injured parties. Dense population, little water and land add up to war, like too many people will migrate or fight for territory like Sheba’s farms. Palestinian refugees still live in Lebanon, a government that had to absorb the extra population due to their displacement for the migration of Jews from Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Dissent swirls around this time in history, threatening to draw combatants into World War III and the true holocaust.

Living Room? Definitely. I’m glad they didn’t decide to make an Israel in Arizona and take my land to do it. I understand the hate and vengeance and a desire to retake what you once had. Reparations must be paid. Call it rent. Call it payments on land, like other people pay. Buy land and give it to the victims of this displacement. I cannot help but wonder who has the property the displaced Jews in Europe possessed in those various European countries, the people of whom turned on the Jews for what reason? Who profited? They should pay.

The invasion would be wise to reverse and grind on home without firing another shot. Take the bulldozers and go home before somebody occupies it. Stop the missiles. Ground the warplanes. The Arab League is not to be ignored and the provision of an issue around which to unite is an unforseen side effect of the Hezbollah War. Nothing is being gained by this war and the satisfaction of retribution against faceless opponents who nonetheless lay dead appears to others as a cruel and unusual punishment for offenses where a trial was held in secret with no witnesses from the convicted were even considered.

The same can be said for other instances called war. An immediate cease fire should also extend to other hot spots. We’ve done enough, folks. Who gets the oil supply in Iraq? Split up Iraq and divide it up as to Kurd, Shia, Sunni and let mixed areas decide which to join.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

The Blind Leading the Blind

The Blind Leading the Blind into disaster.

The inexperienced Mr. Ehud Olmert is Prime Minister of Israel since March 2006 and has deviated from his campaign promise to continue unilateral disengagement, which is a viable substitute for real peace, certainly preferable to the current situation. The attacks in Lebanon have shaken the duly elected government of Lebanon, which undermines the efforts of the USA to establish democracies in the region. The Israelis are using arms from the USA to decimate Lebanon, which is not what I can accept from a moral point of view.

An inexperienced Mr. Olmert has led Israel into a war that clearly is not the way to solve problems. Mr. Rumsfeld said that the conflict originates in the differences among systems. I find the coping mechanism the Israelis are using is not an acceptable solution to feuds. Calling for ‘annihilation’ will not work when you are small in numbers, even if you have superior weapons. It is a fool’s errand and people are getting killed over it. Disarmament is not an option, given the tactics employed by both sides.

Mr. Ahmadinejad is quoted in the press as calling for the death of Israel. If this is accurate, then he is impractical from a logical, moral point of view. Islam has a mechanism for tolerance of non-Islamic groups. I am not expert to discuss how but I suggest the procedure be researched. The Jews may have preceded the Hittites that I believe the Persians are but nobody knows for sure. I know that the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Hittites and Syrians have been living in that area for eons. The world needs diversity of cultures that encourages creativity when they meet. Creativity or War?

No less than the death of species is the death of cultures, but technological advancement need not be the death knell of major religions. Learning of God’s world is not prohibited but for the sins of man.

The world needs an immediate cease fire in the Middle East and I applaud the UN initiative. All involved parties need to agree, however. The conditions set down by each must be examined and addressed fairly. A settlement will not be imposed nor will unilateral disarmament be the solution. Technology is ubiquitous and no borders are safe. We must get along.

Thank you to the French and I do hope that a settlement in Iraq and Afganistan is reached the same way. Start working on it now talking to some of the same parties and see if the bloodshed can be halted.

I do believe that the oil companies with interests in the Middle East should pay some of the rebuilding costs and contribute to relief efforts, since they now have a plethora of money. Rebuild and reinvest and allow the financial centers to flower anew. Investment in research and development of energy sources is a world imperative.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

"Vengeance be Mine," saith The Lord


“Vengeance Be Mine,” saith The Lord.

Ehud Olmert is Prime Minister of Israel and appears to hold all the reins of power to commit to a course of action defined as annihilation of a group of people who call themselves Hezbollah. When the Nazis attempted to exterminate the Jews, an outcry of defense for them has been heard for 65 years and all aid was accepted as their due. The moral structure of our civilization prohibits the ‘extermination’ of groups for the convenience of another. I believe the old Testament says to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

This problem cannot be solved militarily, particularly when the training exercise in Gaza escalated to full scale war over the kidnapping of 3 soldiers. Does a Prime Minister have such powers without the mandate of the suffering electorate? Can his power be curbed or is this a military takeover of a ‘Democratic’ government? An Israeli official now says it is impossible to seize all of Hezbollah’s weapons. Further military incursions help no cause. It is interesting to note that the invasion is coming from Israel, not Lebanon. Withdraw to the international border or is this a land and water grab in the disguise of preemptive warfare?

I believe in the right of an individual to own a firearm. If that right is forfeit through the use of a firearm during a legally defined crime, so be it. It is a natural human response to arm if their neighbors do so, certainly if murderous intent is declared. Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. The belief in individual rights has no international boundaries and banning firearms for certain groups based on ethnic differences is undemocratic. The possession of firearms is not an issue to regulate but is an issue to respect when dealing with neighbors. Possibly the missing MWDs are floating around somewhere.

Vengeance solves nothing. Civil discourse with enemies is necessary.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Peace Talk Strategy for Success


Start Up Peace Talks Now and Be Practical in Choosing a Course of Action

For a true long term peace, the combatants must all be recognized as a legal representative before negotiations begin. Initially negotiate by giving a speech in alphabetical order, then another speech round unless their time is given to a sponsor, allowing for leaders to emerge naturally. Taking all the existing alliances into account, allow free talk aimed at settling disputes and seeking peace. All members must have interpreters.

Members will include representatives of all interested groups irregardless of prior activities. These groups will suspend hostilities while they meet. Criminal gangs cannot be in control of the homeland.

USA, Iraq, Iran, Britain, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, Baath, Taliban, Israel, Hamas, United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Rafsanjani, al Sadr Russia, France, European Union, The ‘Stans, Turkey …There must be others. I don’t know all the names, only categories that include various political groups and heads of state. Nobody is too good to sit next to anybody. Everyone will be required to submit a negotiating position paper prior to attendance.

No complaint about your tablemate. This is what is now. Perhaps the future will be different. You must adapt to existing conditions and not focus on a pipedream or the past. Elimination of groups is not allowed. All should listen to all in honor of the fallen.

Peace from Israel and in Israel, peace for Palestine and Iraq and others in order to usher in PAX GLOBAL. Start over today to avoid the sins of the fathers to be forever visited upon the children, the hell on Earth forevermore. Freedom takes space. Who is there is who is there but losses must be paid. In a shrinking world, land is what people fight over. No more land grabs. Remember, there’s land in outer space, along with resources and riches but exploration is crippled while wars continue.

One huge peace to begin PAX GLOBAL and the grand era of world cooperation. We need an unfettered meeting of the minds after all preconceived notions and orders are cast aside. Nobody can tell anybody who they can talk to and nobody may refuse to listen to another. All sides will be heard.

The world community has problems greater than just the causes of violence that could be settled without more bloodshed. Payments in the currency or goods of your choice. Study reparations carefully. Settle something. Each gives a bit and compromises to a workable solution. Think of the benefits of peace.

And the warmongers in all groups should find another amusement.

I would our generation give the gift of peace.

Peace Talk Strategy for Success

Start Up Peace Talks Now and Be Practical in Choosing a Course of Action

For a true long term peace, the combatants must all be recognized as a legal representative before negotiations begin. Initially negotiate by giving a speech in alphabetical order, then another speech round unless their time is given to a sponsor, allowing for leaders to emerge naturally. Taking all the existing alliances into account, allow free talk aimed at settling disputes and seeking peace. All members must have interpreters.

Members will include representatives of all interested groups irregardless of prior activities. These groups will suspend hostilities while they meet. Criminal gangs cannot be in control of the homeland.

USA, Iraq, Iran, Britain, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, Baath, Taliban, Israel, Hamas, United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Rafsanjani, al Sadr Russia, France, European Union, The ‘Stans, Turkey …There must be others. I don’t know all the names, only categories that include various political groups and heads of state. Nobody is too good to sit next to anybody. Everyone will be required to submit a negotiating position paper prior to attendance.

No complaint about your tablemate. This is what is now. Perhaps the future will be different. You must adapt to existing conditions and not focus on a pipedream or the past. Elimination of groups is not allowed. All should listen to all in honor of the fallen.

Peace from Israel and in Israel, peace for Palestine and Iraq and others in order to usher in PAX GLOBAL. Start over today to avoid the sins of the fathers to be forever visited upon the children, the hell on Earth forevermore. Freedom takes space. Who is there is who is there but losses must be paid. In a shrinking world, land is what people fight over. No more land grabs. Remember, there’s land in outer space, along with resources and riches but exploration is crippled while wars continue.

One huge peace to begin PAX GLOBAL and the grand era of world cooperation. We need an unfettered meeting of the minds after all preconceived notions and orders are cast aside. Nobody can tell anybody who they can talk to and nobody may refuse to listen to another. All sides will be heard.

The world community has problems greater than just the causes of violence that could be settled without more bloodshed. Payments in the currency or goods of your choice. Study reparations carefully. Settle something. Each gives a bit and compromises to a workable solution. Think of the benefits of peace.

And the warmongers in all groups should find another amusement.

I would our generation give the gift of peace.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Water War I

I’ve heard of hassles over water holes but this one takes the cake Empress Marie Antoinette meant when she said let ‘em eat cake.

What are the Lebanese eating these days? This war has caused a huge expenditure on the part of those afflicted and those obligated to assist. I think legal action on the part of the world court on behalf of civilian casualties against the perpetrator of an undeclared war is justified and must be encouraged. This war is a waste of resources and a human tragedy that will not make Israel safe. It is foolish to take the same action and get the same violent results time after time without changing the approach hoping to find a different, more peaceable result.

The justification for war being prepared six years still came out weak, like a parrot squawking by the Litani River.

I hear on the news that Iran might be using Hezbollah as a puppet and that Russia supports Iran. Israel has The Bomb but this is not mentioned. Maybe other Moslem nations fear Iran as a leader.

I think Israel is a bit triggerhappy, like the old Indian who directed an attack on whites without knowing they all had hordes of relatives who came to take his water. Military action aimed at taking Lebanon’s largest river in one of the most arid deserts of the world is suggested. That river valley is quite valuable land and priceless water. Covet not or you will be led to perdition. An arrogant military attitude based on the fact that they possess the ultimate weapon defines a consciousness towards using it if tactics are based on it. Shame on the warmongers.

I call for an immediate cease fire in this midst of the summer growing season. People have better things to do than kill each other.

Monday, July 17, 2006



Pray for peace.

WAR

Activities in the Middle East point to the necessity of an immediate cease fire. Ganglike behavior unknown to the government is not unheard of. Perhaps the Israelis bit off more than they could chew when they rolled into Gaza, then encountered a distracting problem from Hezbollah based in Lebanon. Rolling over the Palestinians made a good exercise but this new thing could strain supplies and wound an economy.

Did this new Israeli government promise death in the form of provoked foreign rockets? Pride goeth before a fall. Endurance and negotiation is much better than aggression and depletion. Perhaps supplies might not be delivered so quickly. The price of fuel will be a limiting factor, plus availability as a bottom line.

War is depletion and waste. Cast aside anger and prepare for a less plentiful future or investments in research and development. Squandering resources is not adaptive behavior. Israel cannot expect to strip the USA of supplies. Our people in the field will not experience shortages in order to supply an ill conceived Israeli war.

Warmongers suggest attacking Syria on behalf of Israel, thus defeating Israel’s enemies and making the world safe for them. They should understand that a peace, no matter disturbed by gang activity, is better than what Israel is getting now. Only arrogance will explain the foolishness of opening a war with a well armed enemy, when a fragile peace had reigned. Perhaps the Israeli military did not expect any reprisal from instigating military action. The Israel leadership should have expected it. This problem will not be solved through war.

Ehud Olmert is making quite a name for himself. The beginning of World War III will grace his family if this continues. The casualties on both sides are pathetic reminders of human fragility.

I call for a cease fire and actual cooperation with UN peacekeeping delegates!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Arizona State Trust Lands

Our Precious State Trust Lands


Shortsighted decision making on the part of State Land Commissioner Realtor Mark Winkleman limits the possibilities of the present State Land Department. Since state trust land is leased for agriculture and grazing, then it makes sense to lease lands to the cities for preserves and to the universities for study areas.

Managing the state trust lands calls for more thought than single minded selling of all 9,000,000 acres, leaving the state with a portfolio of shares based on monetary value. Inflation is officially here and monetary funds are worth less each day under these inflationary conditions. Trading unique real estate assets for paper seems foolish in this business climate. The intrinsic value of the state trust lands is irreplaceable.

Arizona has a water supply problem looming and the development of more state trust land into water thirsty housing is irresponsible. Watersheds need to be protected and groundwater must be used carefully. The State Land Department is part of the government of Arizona and thus is subject to the public trust. Disposing of state lands is not in the public interest. More grazing and leases for preserves, study areas and watersheds would produce a steady income and a better quality of life for residents, plus the added benefit of state retention of the land.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Annexation and Tech Park in Tucson

So the UA wants to build a biosciences park in one place and a science and technology park in another place and KB Homes is squawking unfair because the City Council has recognized that groundwater should not be used on golf courses and is balking on the deal. Now KB Homes will kill the deal and not build more homes, if they don’t get the golf course. They already knew there is policy against using drinking water to water golf courses. They are probably just trying to weasel out on the deal because of the housing glut. It is totally unreasonable to demand that a golf course be watered with drinking water.

A golf course? How necessary is that? Not at all. Have a shuttle to another one, for God’s sake, or build one in Louisiana where there’s plenty of grass. How about a desert tree botanical park with a pupfish exhibit using tiny ponds? There must be some alternative.

The article in the Arizona Daily Star said the UA owns the water rights and could install wells and pump merrily away until the water runs dry. I certainly hope our August University would use policy based on research done by their very own faculty. Honchos at the UA should contact the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Tucson Water and the appropriate UA departments who would counsel them as to the proper thing to do, given that water is a public resource. CAP recharge water does not need the added stress of pumping from the UA land.

Possibly more housing is not needed at this time. Some local realtors think Tucson is overbuilt.

Why can’t the UA build the biociences center and the science and technology center at the same location? Use a shuttle to connect the UA with this mega center. Consolidation could save construction costs, which have been hard hit by inflation.

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Taxes and Revenue

OK. So today the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) will begin collection of .5% sales taxes on all items and services purchased except food and prescriptions. Housing is part of this tax hike, so tack it onto the price of a home, in addition to interest rate hikes and a housing glut that favors lower prices. Not the best time to invest in housing, it looks like. Buy high and sell higher is what some think is the norm and maybe it is because they aren’t making any more land and they sure are making more people. According to a source, housing prices are down 10-15% here in Tucson, as they are nationwide, particularly in Florida. Somebody is going to lose money!

I guess it makes sense to OK a residential high rise downtown during a water shortage and a housing glut. Cheap housing brings people as long as our quality of life remains sustainable in terms of water and food consumption. True, a high rise residential unit uses less water than lot housing development. I just wish you luck selling those residential units at the level you hoped for when you wrote up your proposal. Tucson no longer has cheap housing and cannot compete for the population overflow from the Midwest and California, as if we need any more.

After that brief detour, I return to the implications of the RTA. What if the sales tax projections fall short of the reality? It’s like divvying up the Colorado River during the rainiest period on record. Take your tax projections from a period of growth and inflationary spending, and the actual revenue could diminish if there is a recession.

The wholesale price of gasoline was up to $2.20 today. Add tax and dealer profits and we’re going to be paying $3.20. So goes Wal-Mart, so goes sales tax revenues? Check the figures and see if consumer spending is being diverted into paying for gas. Discretionary income is unknown to many as you should know, or are you a member of the ‘Let them eat cake’ group? Huge amounts of money are being spent to maintain our cars, agriculture and distribution system.

Given the limitations on resources, we cannot expect inflation to conveniently adjust the price of oil for us again. There is a true shortage coming, not just a production slowdown. Inflation now means impoverishment and Mr. Bernanke of the Federal Reserve is right to focus on controlling it.

So connect our rising taxes and petroleum prices, public debt, the RTA, a housing glut and a high rise downtown. Pull out your wallets and pay up.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Presidio Terrace Condominium Project

Doesn’t sound like too bad an idea except that this tall building will sure block out views of the mountains even worse than green mesquites close to the ground. Whose views? Whose views will now be more salable? What is a view worth?

Land worth at least $750,000 is now worth $2,000,000 to the city, which is proposed to be paid to Ms. Noonen, which makes the land free plus a nice little $1,250,000 cash bonanza for her! All so city employees get covered parking in perpetuity? When I wanted covered parking, I paid for it. Are city employees paying for their parking? What is the income on the current lot? Will the city get a like payment from Ms. Noonan or will this be a hidden cost in addition to the $1,250,000 paid to Ms. Noonan, so the city can expect a cut in income and maybe even lay somebody off, or as a last resort, pay for their own parking.

This is sure a good deal!

The project sounds OK except for the height. Maybe nobody wants to view your building from their front window. Is it that beautiful? Maybe a smaller project would fit the land better. Any particular style architecture? I hope not recreated Spokane in red brick façade over cardboard and stucco. Foodstores and reasonable eateries included in the project is a wonderful idea.

How about a shuttle bus picking up city employees or subsidized bus passes instead of parking that takes up so much space and money? Pave the world, folks. Who needs to park a personal vehicle that occasionally holds four or even more? Car pooling could cut down on the land use demands of parking so how about 4 persons per parking space?

Lower the height, deny the $2,000,000 to Ms. Noonen and offer instead a payment plan from individual car parkers to pay it to her as they use the space, like everybody else.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Preserve and Provide

On June 24, the San Juan’s Day festival was held on the meeting place out West Congress by the huge eucalyptus tree. Horse shows, dancers and a superb ranchero band, plus tamales and tacos served while people prayed for rain.

I was pleased to see a Rio Nuevo booth, the portender of change for the ancestral heart of Tucson. Surrounded by Spanish costumes and customs from the 1500’s, I could not help but think that the people need this space and more to hold family style events like festivals and games.

So the city of Tucson will receive $1,100,000,000 to revitalize downtown. Revitalize does not mean the creation of a moribund residential district catering to expensive clients who all demand 200 square feet for their two vehicles per unit, thereby reducing the commercial space accordingly. Perhaps downtown is not the place to build high density housing.

Let’s make a park and a recharge lake downtown and set up low rent business units adjacent to official museum and science center units. Variety is truly the spice of life. Our climate allows for outdoor businesses and sports, so why not take advantage of it? Old downtown could furnish saloons and salons while Rio Nuevo could furnish eclectic shopping and eating and pubs.

Public money equals public facilities.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Public Money for Public Purposes

The Rio Nuevo extension passed the legislature and the people of Tucson are now deprived of a vote and obligated by this august body to contribute matching funds to an exclusive tax rebate district for 12 more years. According to the Tucson Citizen, this will be $350,000,000 more in addition to the original $156,000,000, for a total of at least $506,000,000. We are such a rich town, we can afford to pay at least $650,000 from the city to Rio Nuevo every month, which is .7% of the total budget. That’s quite a bite, overall. Other figures state that Rio Nuevo would require even more matching funds.

Now, I’m hoping that social services in Tucson remain funded and maybe
expanded as need arises. It would be bad news if the homeless took to hanging around downtown instead of nimby. It wouldn’t look too good. What about low income housing downtown? Should the maids and gardeners be forced to ride the bus while the elite live in subsidized housing next door to where they work? What about grocery shopping? Shall we see an upsurgence in traffic to existing grocers or are you creating a situation in which people must have cars in order to purchase daily needs or must ride the bus to the store and backpack goods into their abode?

Infrastructure downtown? That needs to be addressed in order to accommodate any high density project. What are the costs of revamping the sewer, water, electric and gas infrastructure? Are high density projects too expensive? The MLK apartments are scaling back on the number of units to 66. What happens to the other residents currently living there?

I suggest a study on downtown properties. What are they charging for rent? If they are keeping people out with unworthy rents, they should be willing to lower their sights a little in order to get a viable deal. This includes hotels.

We need a cultural center, museum and outdoor arena for concerts and a flea market type shopping area. Did you see the crowds associated with the gem and mineral shows? We went to most of them and encountered many people buying and looking and enjoying themselves. Tourists want shopping variety and reasonable food. Tour buses will not stop where there is nothing to do. Leave open spaces where gem show vendors and others could set up and attract customers. Traveling art shows, chili cookoffs, the possibilities are endless. Bring the fair back to town!

I’m talking about public buildings, not subsidized housing or parking garages to benefit law bending developers who don’t want to follow the rules. I’m talking about a reasonable place for locals and tourists to enjoy themselves without having to spend too much money. I’m suggesting eclectic shopping and eating and traveling shows setting up right next door to the permanent booths, keeping the people interested. How about an old time western saloon and dance hall in one of those vacant spaces downtown? A modern Bird Cage Theater.

We need a nice new bus station connecting with the city bus system and convenient to Convento and the new flea market shopping area and adjoining traveling show setup areas. This bus station would be a dandy, with a 24 hour fast food joint inside, seating, telephones and bus connections all over the city and Davis Monthan. Shuttle service to Phoenix, etc. This parking thing is totally out of control. Every driver is now requiring 100 square feet of reserved space wherever they go, whenever they go. Of course parking is a problem but the problem derives from people’s attitudes and the lack of public transportation and proximity of stores.

Let’s put that CAP recharge right over here downtown in the Santa Cruz. Dump it in the ground and let it recharge and mingle with reclaimed water. We could have a park and riparian area near the old Convento and museum setup.

High end condos will not attract more free market money after the initial investment. If the city fathers and mothers want increased property tax revenue, then subsidize high end real estate and lock the poor outside looking in. If they want a free market stimulation, then invest in public buildings and have open air markets with cheap rents for small businesses, shopping and food service and collect your taxes there.

Avoid the subsidy of private projects or spending money that benefits these projects unless public aspects are also heavily enhanced. We need to work together to build projects that provide amusements and cultural activities for the people. I support the UA science center and the Museum Convento complex with the stipulation that the area include a superlative museum gift shop that sells high end arts and crafts, a world class desert botanical garden free for the viewing and a bookstore specializing in western history, ecology and mineral resources.

I could envision a terminal for the passenger railroad from Mexico if one existed! We should explore this possibility in contact with local representatives in Nogales and Hermosillo. This would vastly benefit downtown businesses and put Tucson on the map as a true international city, with air and rail transportation to Mexico. Mexican rail could make money if they transported tourists to the interesting places, particularly the new international port in Guaymas.

This money should not be wasted on bureaucracy or private projects. The people are paying for this and they deserve a return on their money.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Rio Nuevo Money

The Arizona Daily Star reports that a heavily amended Rio Nuevo bill passed and Tucson will receive $600,000,000 more money to revitalize old downtown on top of the original $125,000,000. An additional 12 years was added to the duration of the Rio Nuevo deal, which obligates and earmarks $600,000,000 more MATCHING FUNDS out of the budget until 2025, for a total of $725,000,000 that could balloon to $925,000,000 out of the Tucson budget. Them that has, gets, I’m guessing.

Now, I’m hoping that social services in Tucson remain funded and maybe expanded as need arises. It would be bad news if the homeless took to hanging around downtown instead of nimby. What about low income housing downtown? Should the maids and gardeners be forced to ride the bus while the elite live next door to where they work? What about grocery shopping? Shall we see an upsurgence in traffic to existing grocers or are you creating a situation in which people must have cars in order to purchase daily needs or must ride the bus to the store and backpack goods into their abode?

Infrastructure downtown? That needs to be addressed in order to accommodate any high density project. What are the costs of revamping the sewer, water, electric and gas infrastructure? Are high density projects too expensive? The MLK apartments are scaling back on the number of units to 66. What happens to the other residents currently living there?

It is interesting that this legislative Rio Nuevo extension of a 10 year voter approved measure did not require further voter approval even though the matching funds required out of the city budget are a form of taxation, public money diverted to an earmarked project. So now the legislature made sure the people of Tucson are obligated to contribute $725,000,000 to augment the $725,000,000 tax rebate earmarked to be spent on old downtown. This is $1,450,000,000 to be spent on revitalizing downtown. I suggest a study on downtown properties. What are they charging for rent? If they are keeping people out with unworthy rents, they should be willing to lower their sights a little in order to get a viable deal.

Interesting businesses attract tourists. Tour buses circulate tourists. Tourists want shopping and local history and reasonable accommodations. We need a cultural center, museum and outdoor arena for concerts and an outdoor flea market type shopping area featuring goods from around the world but Latin America, local artists and UA student art featured. Did you see the crowds associated with the gem and mineral shows? We went to most of them and encountered many people buying and looking and enjoying themselves. Leave open spaces where gem show vendors and others could set up and attract customers. Traveling art shows, chili cookoffs, the possibilities are endless. Bring the fair back to town!

I’m talking about public buildings, not subsidized housing or parking garages to benefit law bending developers who don’t want to follow the rules. I’m talking about a reasonable place for people to enjoy themselves without having to spend too much money. I’m talking about eclectic shopping and eating and traveling shows setting up right next door, keeping the people interested.

How about a nice new bus station connecting with the city bus system and convenient to Convento and the new flea market shopping area and adjoining traveling show setup areas. This bus station would be a dandy, with a 24 hour fast food joint inside, seating, telephones and bus connections all over the city and Davis Monthan. Shuttle service to Phoenix, etc. This parking thing is totally out of control. Every driver is now requiring 100 square feet of reserved space wherever they go, whenever they go. Of course parking is a problem but the problem derives from people’s attitudes and the lack of public transportation and proximity of necessary stores.

Let’s put that CAP recharge right over here downtown in the Santa Cruz. Dump it in the ground and let it recharge and mingle with reclaimed water. We could have a park and riparian area near the old Convento and museum setup. People are interested in food, shopping, events, displays, competitive prices and a variety of goods. High end condos will not attract more free market money after the initial investment. If the city fathers and mothers want increased tax revenue, then subsidize high end real estate. If they want a free market stimulation, then invest in public buildings and have open air markets with cheap rents for small businesses, shopping and food service and collect your taxes there. Open air markets are cheap to build and maintain and have a charm lacking in the defunct mall.

Avoid the subsidy of private projects or spending money that benefits these projects unless public aspects are enhanced also. We need to work together to build projects that provide amusements and cultural activities for the people. I support the UA science center and the Museum Convento complex with the stipulation that the museum gift shop be superlative in high end arts and crafts, a world class desert botanical garden free for the viewing and a bookstore specializing in western history, ecology and mineral resources will be included.

I could envision a terminal for the passenger railroad from Mexico if one existed! We should explore this possibility in contact with local representatives in Nogales and Hermosillo. This would vastly benefit downtown businesses and put Tucson on the map as a true international city, with air and rail transportation to Mexico. Mexican rail could make money if they transported tourists to the interesting places, particularly the new international port in Guaymas.

This money should not be wasted on bureaucracy or private projects. The people are paying for this and they deserve a return on their money.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Downtown Building

It is obvious that the large scale projects dreamed up by entrepreneurs are not scaled to the environment in which they wish to fit them. The reason the city requires parking with developments is to forestall disputes rising from congested parking and businesses choked out because somebody else is using all the parking space for their enterprises.

Subsidized parking is not warranted anywhere. Let free enterprise take care of it. What we really need is more profitable bus and shuttle services and less government favoritism and meddling in free enterprise. The zoning codes appear to be a bit restrictive, and could do with a good going over.

It does appear that one parking space per rental or condo unit would be allowable, but it did occur to me that perhaps the space is being partitioned too many times. A smaller number of units on the property would fulfill the city’s requirements and allow for more open space. Crime rate and density are directly related. I suppose that density and profits are also related. The public good should be a consideration.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Political Policy Questions for Surveys

New Questions for Political Policy Surveys: Yes or No answers graph well and are easy to talk about. This is an easy survey to give.

QUESTIONS

1. Do you support the right to own firearms?
2. Should illegal immigrants who have a job be able to get temporary work permits?
3. Are you worried about the national budget deficit?
4. Do you support same sex marriage?
5. Would you be willing to ration water in order to allow for more population growth?
6. Should candidates support more social services?
7. Is the Iraq War on track?
8. Should candidates support research to develop cheaper fuel sources?
9. Should public education get more money when it already controls half the state budget?
10. Does public education need reform?
11. Is there too much infighting in Washington D.C.?
12. Have you cut back on gasoline use?
13. Should candidates care more about our natural world?
14. Are higher property taxes difficult to pay?
15. Are you worried about illegal immigration?
16. Is abortion wrong?

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Musings on Tucson

Rio Nuevo stalled? Let’s have a full accounting of what money is left and what has been spent. Reorganize and come up with an affordable project that can be accomplished with local employees. Use the full bid process with local preference after a background and experience check for all bidders. Giving somebody an exclusive with deadline extensions wastes time.

Nimbus? They should quit asking for special deals and act like a self sufficient business. Why expect taxpayers to subsidize that business? That is not free enterprise. The City Council should not be in a rush to ‘develop’ this land. Let it sit there a while and put it out to bid or hold on to it if the bids don’t meet expectations. Make it into a parking lot and make some $ without much investment.

Or how about this? Charter Schools downtown for employees children. Charter schools downtown with direct connections to the UofA. How about a transitioning from high school to UA Charter school with classes at the UA? Ride the goddamn trolley that goes over the tracks, has stops along the old warehouse row and then on to downtown and past all the charter schools close to government and UofA.

Leave the old 4th Avenue underpass alone. It’s an icon. Walk down to the lowest point and whistle and you will hear the echo. We used to sing as we bicycled or walked through. Don’t break it.

Route the trolley down 4th, around and over the track. Cheap! More stops and more business exposure. And no need to close roads and reroute traffic on a major scale.

Friday, June 02, 2006

4,300 Acres of Owl Habitat

Let’s look at these projects that are proposed to be built on owl habitat:

The Tucson Daily Star said these projects would bring in 1200 new housing units.

It is my opinion this population increase would create water demand that might be difficult to meet these days. If you use the average of 3 residents per housing unit average and water consumption at 125 gallons per day, per individual, 450,000 more gallons of water per day would be demanded and that does not count business and school consumption.

I wonder if good old Tucson Water is ready to up water production for these new local developments? How is the water table? Is it falling or what? What is the official word on this?

How secure is the Lake Mead water supply to the Central Arizona Project? What is the relationship between Lake Powell and Lake Mead water extraction?

In short, can we afford to ‘develop’ these new lands? There are so many reasons not to develop this owl habitat. The encroaching drought is impacting our water supply and the wisdom of adding to the water burden at this time is questionable. Deny building permits and give our water infrastructure time to recover. Let the owl live a little longer.

We are experiencing a slowdown in real estate and a surfeit of houses for sale, fewer buyers and falling prices. So I ask you, is this the time to invest in more houses? Why destroy habitat, deplete our water system and then lose your ass when the homes don’t sell? What about the bad press the Homebuilders get when they stomp owls to make money?

So let’s list 3 of the projects that are determined to add to the housing glut by wiping out habitat of one of God’s creatures, leaving the conservation of this scarce owl to others.

These must be projects of huge importance:

Summit Vistas (Tucson, NW side)
Mission Peaks (Sahuarita)
Cahanza Springs (Apache Junction)

The Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association is pushing to cheapen this precious land inhabited by tiny owls. Some highrollers would pay good money to have a pad in the midst of that but the bulldozing fools can’t envision fitting a home into a beautiful landscape. They can only envision changing the environment to enable them to use heavy machinery…for ease of building and their preconceived notions of what it ought to look like. A real artist would design to fit the landscape, not alter the landscape to fit the design.

The price of gas does not encourage long commutes and houses far out from employment are not going to be as salable. White elephants eat a lot, don’t they?

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Hello From West Tucson

Ah! We sit here today with the wind and dust and no rain in sight. Not much mention of drought conditions except Channel 13 Tucson published a video article on the notorious Colorado river, stating historical proof of severe fluctuations and drought. The Colorado River is like a faithless lover who promises much but cannot deliver, dashing the dreams of entrepreneurs and developers who want to develop something that is no longer there. I feel sorry for them and their money, bereft of cheap land and plentiful water.

There's plenty of water in New Orleans. Maybe KB Home could start a subdivision called Storm Surge View! Desert Views around here are being Mojaveized. Possibly the Sonoran Desert will vanish into the merciless maw of the Mojave with genuine sand drifts at the base of alluvial fans no longer flowing.

So the Tucson paper prints a story about certain developers getting bidless deals while everybody else looks in from the cold except it almost hit a hundred in the shade today, particularly for those listed as having received cushy deals. This is just plain old corruption, the good ole boys running things to make a fast buck. Where are the good ole girls? Mascarading as women? Downtown has always been creepy at night and too many Indian Spanish ghosts cruise all those empty buildings. So Downtown is primarily a day destination but some in the city would subsidize 'development' that is so often aimed at the consumption of alcohol. Interesting. Now they think they have the money to put in a trolley from the UA to downtown, I guess so drunken college kids can safely ride from the S&M store to the bars and back to their cloisters paid for by their parents.

Tucson is no Spokane, dearie. We had pueblo style houses with little courtyards, not miles of red brick. We looked more like Santa Fe, before that awful Urban Renewal.

Why if you will think about it, you might even think of Tucson as a gateway to Mexico. How about a first class passenger train to Nogales, where it will hook up with one built by the Mexicans, with connections to Guadalajara and Mexico City? That would make downtown boom and nobody would have to pay anybody to start a business there. Mexico is our best ally and we should recognize that fact and use it to make money here in Tucson. You might even help somebody