[Vision2020] Hawkins Water & Sewer Agreement

[Chasuk]

On Feb 13, 2008 1:53 PM, Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com> wrote:

> I am curious if you think there should or should not have been more open
> public discussion of this water/sewer/responders deal between Moscow and the
> Hawkins developers, given the potential impacts on the residents and
> taxpayers in Moscow?  Thousands of other Moscow residents did not vote for
> Wayne Krauss, after all.  Don't you think their potential objections to this
> Moscow/Hawkins deal deserve to be heard before deals are made in "secret?"
> Government officials are elected to represent their entire constituency, not
> only those who voted for them.  I am not disputing your admiration for Wayne
> Krauss.  But honorable intelligent people can make questionable decisions.

Personally, I think these sorts of issues should be decided by
referendum.  I'd also get rid of polling stations, and handle all
voting via absentee ballot.  But that is not how this was done.  We
elected hopefully wise individuals to represent us, and that's what
they did.  You ask whether I think there should have been "more open
public discussion" first, and my truthful response is no, I don't.
First, because I believe that there had already been ample opportunity
for discussion for everyone who had anything viable to say.  Every
nuance of opinion had already been expressed ad nauseum.
Regurgitating the same views would not have suddenly made everything
more clear, or caused mass migrations from one camp to the other.
Second, because I am not really a very egalitarian kind of guy,
despite my perhaps paradoxical preference for referendums.  Not every
opinion is of equal worth.  An uninformed opinion is worth nothing at
all.  But it is frequently the uniformed on both sides of the argument
who squeak and dribble the loudest, thereby wasting the most time.

I would be surprised if the majority of Moscow even knew of the
water/sewer/Hawkins debate, and very few would find it interesting.  I
predict that most would think "Cool!  Lowes!" and go back to watching
American Idol.

Anyway, that's my admittedly cynical (though I think of it as realistic) input.

Chas