Please allow me to provide you with some insights into how the media is used to advance the cause of the social planners. I’m sure you are all familiar with the basic goal of Smart Growth which is taking shape, rather quickly now, in Walnut Creek and outlying cities around the county.
Smart Growth - SG - has to do with redeveloping the physical structures of a city - it’s housing areas - who and what gets housed. It’s transportation agendas making it “easier” to get around town or to get cars off the streets altogether, etc. etc.
What you may not be aware of it that there is a human corollary to all this transforming of a city. The people must be encouraged to embrace this planning and make it their own.
In Contra Costa County, the human element in all this is contained in a plan that has been in the works for three years entitled Contra Costa For Every Generation. Over 300 representatives of county, private and religious groups have been meeting under the guise of preparing for the social, health, housing and transportation needs of a soon to be massive cohort of aging baby boomers who “want and need” government services in order to “age gracefully” and avoid being “at risk” of losing their independence.
The first phase of this strategic plan, the development of the plan, is now finished. Phase two starts “stakeholders” down the road of preparing public policy plans and appeals to state and local officials to put teeth into these plans through legislation or ordinances.
But first, the people must be softened up, prepared psychologically,to accept the goals of the social planners. One of the ways this is done is through articles placed in the newspaper touting some important discovery or making articles on nutrition sound like breaking news.
Saturday’s CC Times, 9/10/05, contains 5 such articles.
Page 3 an article states “Residents want to live downtown.” The article is filled with vague generalities about peoples desires to live downtown. This idea probably came from small group discussions led by consensus building trained leaders. Note that one of the senior residences planned for downtown is called Casa Vasconcellos. Sen. John Vasconcellos was, in 1999, the author of a bill that mandated the statewide development of plans to consolidate and organize services to all seniors regardless of income, education level, etc. SB 910 is the sire of Contra Costa For Every Generation.
Other articles on pages 4, 5,13, and the Opinion page talk about cities planning residences for teachers - that’s a part of Smart Growth - it’s called housing equity. Area employees must be encouraged to live/work in the same community to avoid commuting, get people out of their cars.
The most insidious article is on the Opinion Page and is titled: “Your call can help stop elder abuse spread.” Remember some years back al the misery created when parents were being turned in by school teachers, their own children,etc. for presumed abusive treatment? It seemed that only the “experts” knew how to deal with teenagers. Well, this is the same thing. Seniors, according to the bureaucrats, must be funneled into senior housing, health care, gotten out of cars, placed under the protection of the state and out of the watchful eye of their adult children. I have actually read material stating that fact in a rather forward and blunt fashion.
I will be writing more about this. I would also like to ask anyone who might be interested in trying to help us short circuit the work of this public/private partnership in social engineering if
you would please contact me asap. We need other people to help get out the word.
posted by Diane Lily @ 12:12 PM
1 Comments:
I empathize with your position, many other municipalities across the nation are attempting similar measures. Affordable housing is a complex issue, and, as everyone knows, inclusionary zoning is not a panacea. Under the right circumstances, with legitimate popular support, and with sufficient subsidies affordable housing can be built, albeit not in meaningful numbers. Unfortunately, most municipalities latch onto this concept because, I believe, it covertly discourages affordable housing and continued growth. The Reason Foundation makes some legitimate points but they will be marginalized by local progressives as publishing "advocacy journalism". There are many sources of legitimate critique from the proponent side as well. In most cases IZ will be implemented haphazardly, and this provides a window for criticism from true, affordable housing proponents. Check out this link "advice from the pros" (proponents).
http://disutopia.blogspot.com/2005/12/inclusionary-zoning-advice-from-pros.html
IZ cannot be implemented haphazardly or piece-meal. Hopefully you will be able to convince people that such initiatives are not without costs, and certainly should not be implemented without due dilligence and full public disclosure of the risks involved.
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