My hat is off. Mr. Brown and Luce are very, very good at changing the subject, statistical obfuscation, name calling, and narcissistic moral preening. I know I'm not the first to receive their fine-tuned disdain and lofty disapproval, and will likely not be the last.
They have spent many words parading their personal purity but done little to advance a discussion of the challenging public policy issues involved in attracting desirable businesses to poor neighborhoods, or siting supportive housing. Those challenging issues remain. My initial rather modest points are still worth some calm discussion, if that's possible. 1. Demographics will usually play a role in the siting of any business, Kowalskis included. 2. The pre-existing demographics at 18th & Nicollet (near the proposed Lydia House) are "daunting," i.e., very low disposable income. I'm comfortable with my motives and my record of investing and working in struggling neighborhoods, intensive volunteering, creating jobs, and employing the poor and disabled. If this were a "compassion competition," and sadly, it sometimes seems like it is, I think I'd do just fine. Tom Berthiaume Loring, Navarre, Stevens Square, Whittier _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
