Rich, what you and Glenn fail to acknowledge in your tirades against such districts (CCD BID, whatever acronym you want) is one simple fact…
They exist SOLELY because Local Government is a Failure! … be it Police or Sanitation, the only area where Local Government (let alone State of Federal) succeeds is with Fire protection. Of course, one could take the position that Local Government chooses NOT to provide Police or Sanitation as a way to force the Privatization of those services. … But that could only be possible under Republican Administrations -- not Democratic ones -- like Philadelphia has been for the past 59 years (Since Joe CLark in 1952.) On Oct 3, 2011, at 10:12 AM, Richard Conrad wrote: > <http://www.downtowndc.org/> "For years the DowntownDC BID has worked in > cooperation with the Metropolitan, Metro Transit, and US Park Police to > provide personal safety information to area employees and visitors at > lunchtime Information Lobby Fairs. This August, we expanded and modified the > Lobby Fair program to focus more on the BID and the multifaceted work of our > uniformed Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance (SAM) employees." > > Glenn, I looked at that site a bit... > > Compared to help with financing / and housing programs, compared to social > economic reforms / and free access to legal and jobs skills (training and > usage); compared to jobs for peace, and a general returning to Faith, Hope, > and Charity... the instituting of only more private ownership of Police and > Safety patrols is somewhat like: "All the King's Horses and all the King's > Men, couldn't put Humpty together again.." > > What an ironic thing, they decided to call their uniformed force "SAM"... > when the acronym did not include their "Hospitality" word and should actually > be "SHAM", which is what it sort of sounds like, or "SHAME" which it sounds > like too... though if you put it in Hebrew just slightly juxtaposed, it could > be Shmae (as in Watch Out!). > > Reminds me of that famous allegorical restauranteer who's food kept making > people sick; and then the cook was quoted on their menu as saying "Please > come back soon, we love to hospitalize people." > > On Oct 2, 2011, at 8:49 PM, Glenn wrote: > >> http://www.downtowndc.org/issues/branding >> >> >> Lots of people here in the UCD still believe that the gentrification of West >> Philly was a local "vision" from Penn power brokers like Fry, Rodin, etc. >> While the Wharton university is a huge player on K St. and Wall St., the >> BIDification of urban centers is all part of a much larger nightmarish >> corporate scheme for the entire planet. (Think of Fry and Rodin more as >> used car salesmen than despicable intellectuals) >> >> Homeless outreach teams, pedestrian "studies", branding, etc. are copied and >> pasted for BIDs everywhere, just like the laws introduced by the >> Democrats/Republicans! (compare the web site to UCD) This international BID >> movement was never based on merely making Melanie happy! I believe an >> increased number of district consumers now understand that a primary UCD >> goal was always gentrification and not the cleaner and safer nonsense. >> >> But I think local consumers still need to wake up to the fact that our CCD >> and UCD are very much a part of a much larger international neo-liberal >> paradigm. Swallowing all public assets and destroying citizenship and >> rights (ie. peaceful assembly, free speech, etc.) are as much a part of the >> BID movement, as shifting wealth to connected cronies in the plutocracy. >> It's also about creating unlimited private taxation and spending power over >> a vulgar enslaved consumer culture, while representative democracy is >> rendered useless. (The entire population of the city is subsidizing BID >> territory, while the necessary resources of other neighborhoods are being >> stolen through grants, parklets, park redesigns, etc.) >> >> Compare the web sites and start considering "special service districts" >> beyond the obvious gentrification, feudalistic control over the petty >> bourgeoisie, and crony corruption/capitalism. As despicable as those goals >> are, international BIDification is much larger and comprehensive. This >> will become much more apparent when folks see that our UCD/CCD was not some >> local nightmare! >> >> Glenn >> PS: Freedom plaza, where the occupation of DC will begin Oct. 6, lies in >> the domain of this DC BID >> ---- >> You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the >> list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see >> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. > William H. Magill Block Captain 4400 Chestnut Street ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
