Steve Frenz is frustrated with the regulatory environment. What, that we HAVE one? I wonder what his picture of the suburbs is, vis a vis regulations. That landlord is God?
Sheldon Mains claims to be leftist, but he can't understand why something good for a corporation is bad for a neighborhood. Well, the easy answer would be "because corporations generally don't care about the neighborhood until there's money in it for them." But right now, corporate pork is coming more out of residential property taxes due to their pressure to shift the burden over onto residential property. So if you hand out corporate favors, you are increasing the burden on the residential property owners. A real leftist would have figured that out without help. ------------------------------------ As for the homily of Craig Miller, I'm having trouble giving it credence. The reason is that there was a time when there were 1 or 2 percent vacancy rates in the city. That probably was because Chairman Greenspan was trying to single-handedly deflate the economy. Some even say he succeeded. But now mortgage rates around here at at levels of the 1950s. Result: rising vacancy rates. Signs out in front of rentals. And DROPS in what the landlords can charge. Well, I CAN imagine what a "gas" it was when renters had few choices and couldnt up and move if you gouged them or refused to do repairs. It was hog heaven for every slumlord out there. Now, to try to approach the ease and profitability, you probably have to move to housing involving the actual RISK of a good deal of your capital! And then please the tenants, too, since your nest egg is at stake. No, the Clinton years were groovy years for Minneapolis landlords. The Bush years are the years of hard work and slimmer wallets. Not a "gas" at all. They would love a contrite Minneapolis which thought of landlords as gods and renters as vermin. But we're "different". We're stubborn just like "the little scrapper". By the way, it is evident from my travels within my city that renting is hardly coming to a screeching halt. When the easy-livin' bunch sold out, people who weren't intimidated by our awful regulations moved in to make a buck or two. "Dysfunctional" to one may be "profitable" to another, even in a slack market. --------------------------------------- Doug Mann: What is this jargon you are using? What are the "orders" of reading skills? I mean to sound words is not reading. So, anyone who merely teaches people to sound words is not really teaching reading. So reading words and comprehending is the only reading skill I know about. What can the suburbs do that is a "higher order" than that? As some teachers complain there are things that hinder any learning at all. Lack of attention. Lack of effort. Lack of parental desire to make it happen. And, finally, too many students. I should volunteer to be a tutor for a kid who's "not learning" sometime. I doubt I have the skills, but even so, at least I would have a firsthand knowledge of why some kids fall so far behind. _________________________________________ In light of our many messages on education, I found this web page very interesting: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/reading/why_johnny_cant_decode.html ===== Jim Mork Cooper Neighborhood ------------ Minneapolis is awaiting your input at [EMAIL PROTECTED] (before January 1, 2003) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
