Notes From the Edge

Earth moves elliptically in its invisible track around the sun and completes another passage. All of science and provable evidence indicates that this process has been going on for billions of years, whereas our redoubtable species is a relative latecomer appearing somewhere in the last two million years. If all of time was a 24-hour clock we humans would have come upon the scene sometime in the last five minutes. Gives one pause; or should.

Of course this is all if you believe in science, empirical little bugger that it is. Some do, some don’t. Some folks insist the Earth is 6000 years old, despite history, geography, biology and all that’s irrefutably provable. Well, why should we believe our lying eyes and rational mind just because those instruments define and describe objective reality? Maybe everything is subjective, and only exists in the mind of the beholder. After all, why let facts get in the way when faith in what’s true or not is so much more … comfortable?

Mr. Lagacy

And speaking of faith-based thinking let us turn our thoughts to our if-his-lips-are-moving-he-must-be-lying President and his legacy. Our soon to be departed (from the White House, that is) walking disaster, he who lies practically with every breath, the dull dispenser of misery who’s brought incompetence to a world class level, is leaving the stage. Hopefully, if there is a God, or karma, or justice, never to be heard from again. He and his neo-loony crew have almost single-handedly, albeit with the able assistance of a compliant and easily bullied Congress brought our nation to new depths of degradation by practically any standards. To wit: Fabricating reasons for going to war and occupying that country; repealing civil liberties and Constitutional rights; illegally spying on the U.S. population’s phone calls and e-mails; breaking the code of conduct on the treatment of detainees set by the Geneva Conventions, and violating UN and U.S. laws prohibiting the use of torture; presiding over a failed economy while benefiting the wealthiest one percent with billions in tax cuts – and that’s just for openers.

No matter where you look the Bush crew has left greater suffering and more despair in its wake. More people without health insurance; more costly health care; a crumbling infrastructure, and a feeble education system drastically under funded because the national treasure goes to two wars and the occupation of Iraq; and the response to Katrina – need more be said? Add to these ignominious accomplishments a stagnant minimum wage guaranteed to keep people in working poverty, and greater pollution and fewer environmental protections – all in the service of industry and its profits. Incompetence, lying, unaccountability and secrecy of totalitarian proportions have been the landmarks of the Bush regime. These and other transgressions and failures comprise the Bush legacy. A recent political cartoon showed Bush being read a list of these abject failures, and him saying,” Well, I guess my work here is done.”

Oh please, Dear Lord, or whom or what rules the universe, hear this agnostic’s prayer, and grant that we may never hear from or gaze upon these radical Republican miscreants, these sycophants, enablers or benefactors alike until the end of time. And then some.
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From macro to micro

Hey, how about that City Council, folks, can they dazzle and delight or what?

The new mayor, and she seems to be relishing the role, never being one for half measures, unfurled a modest proposal – annexing the Springs – just to test the waters, one reckons, and the proverbial do-do hit the fan. Calling Ms. Sanders annexation idea half-baked is crediting her with having thought it out that much.

Turns out the Springs has a lot of long-and-hard-fought- for redevelopment money finally coming its way if it passes approval by the county Board of Supervisors. That vote comes up soon. Talk of annexing the Springs so it all becomes one big fat City of Sonoma would effectively queer that deal because the county is not about to grant the redevelopment funds (over $100 million), earmarked for Springs’ improvements, to the City of Sonoma to spend however it wishes.

This was brought to the mayor’s attention after she unloaded her little bomb at a recent State of the Valley speech fest. One wonders what thoughts went through District Supervisor Valerie Brown’s mind when Sanders unveiled her annexation brainstorm. Perhaps Sanders was unaware that the long-awaited Springs redevelopment money would be put in jeopardy by an annexation proposal at a critical time for Board of Supervisor support. Doesn’t seem likely, but it’s possible. She certainly knew after the fact in no uncertain terms when Springs’ leadership spokespersons made clear at a subsequent meeting with Sanders, and in an Op Ed in the Index-Tribune, that her timing couldn’t have been worse.

But despite knowing that the timing of her grandiose idea could cause the Springs to lose its desperately needed infrastructure and business development money, she put the item on the council agenda of 2/20.

And what a meeting it was. Lots of pro and con comments from lots of folks, city and county, concluding in a 5-0 council vote to table all talk of annexation at this juncture. The idea might be brought back in a future discussion, presumably after the Supes vote on the funding, but it’s highly unlikely given that three of the council members are adamantly opposed to the scheme.

As usual, August Sebastiani eagerly supported Sander’s initial proposal to go ahead with a discussion of the idea, as well as embark on a two-to-four year annexation process itself. He could barely contain his gleeful exuberance speculating on how much juicy revenue the (new) city would get from the Sonoma Mission Inn’s transient occupancy tax (TOT). To his credit he stopped short of rubbing his hands together and licking his lips. It was subsequently explained to him that the county would still be getting a lot of that revenue from the city anyway. It was also pointed out by the three opposing council members that the costs involved in going from a small city, approximately 2.5 square miles with a population under 10,000 to one that would increase four or five-fold in size with upward of 30,000 to 40,00 people, would be enormous in terms of providing services, and the staff required to run a municipality of that size. The injection of reality onto the mayor’s Springs fantasy seemed to bring her to her senses, at least for that moment, along with the fact that the writing was on the wall as to how the vote was going to go. In the end both she and Sebastiani voted with the other three to can the discussion, but not before the good mayor got in a few swipes at Supervisor Brown, while posturing like a B-western movie sheriff that she was willing to “call her bluff” regarding the redevelopment funding vote. Easy for Sanders to hang tough when she and the city had nothing at stake.

Whether the idea of annexation is good or bad is something that can be looked at further down the line. There are pros and cons. But the discussion should start in the Springs. It should be up to the Springs’ folks whether or not they’re interested in being annexed. That’s step one. And, as was pointed out by Springs Task Force representative Steve Cox, there are any number of ways the city and the Springs can affiliate, and work jointly for higher quality of living by joining forces and forging agreements beneficial to both entities.

Hopefully Ms. Sanders will calm down, take a few deep breaths, not make this a personal matter, and explore her idea in depth and with careful consideration of all its ramifications.