In that All Things Portland thread, you kind of intrigued me with this comment: Now, there's no doubt in my mind that you're a lot smarter than me in political and civic-related subjects. My question, though, is how much more influence/power does the governor have over a city than the mayor -- in this case, Sam Adams?
It's a fair question. I'd say in terms of the sort of infrastructure projects that the photos were of, the city has vastly more influence when they are wholly within the city limits. Maybe not the mayor, precisely, but the city council as a whole, anyway. Then there are infrastructure projects outside the city, but within Oregon, where the city has no say. And some where there are shared influence (columbia crossing, light rail). barfo
Actually, a bicycle is the way to go. Adams wants to spend millions on more bike paths. Pretty soon, cars will be taxed, and bikes will get a stipend.
Not so far from the truth, I think. Eventually, we are all going back to bicycles, although maybe they'll be nuclear powered bikes. The oil will run out and/or become prohibitively expensive at some point. Sam might be too far ahead of the curve, but he is ahead of the curve. barfo
No, no, no. What will you do with all the nuclear waste? Where are you going to bury it? The solution, quite frankly, is bio-diesel bikes. The world would be a better place if every annoying bike person would at least smell like french fries!
I have noticed over the last 30 years that politicians love to pave the big wide streets that don't need it so people can think kindly of them. Meanwhile the side streets fall into near gravel. But that's just the way of politics. Pander to the masses and forget about the individuals.
