On Thinking Big in Christchurch.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

On Thinking Big in Christchurch.

English: N1brick (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If there is a lesson unlearned from all this investment in bricks and mortar marketed as services is that we are all to ready to give up our ownership, operationally and in terms of civic use/access.

So our anchor projects are too employ a few people at base rates. It brings a few people to other peoples businesses in exchange for an inequitable public benefit, but it doesn't just fail there. If we,, as a city are to put a dollar down and everything on tick into these grand plans we have to internalise all the benefits.

If replacing and improving is worth doing for other people to profit from it, it is worth doing for us, for our benefit, for our children's benefit and not the shareholding 'returns' to otherwise foreign and/or distant enterprises.

English: Kilmore Street frontage of Christchurch Convention Centre. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Only on these criteria should we proceed. Design it so it is our solution, our asset and our character that is on display... not the functional but sparse tilt slab that we had in Kilmore Street, a facility we leased out to others because we couldn't/wouldn't sell it ourselves.

If WE cant do the latter, we shouldn't fund it... not until we are smart enough to realise money without brains values neither.

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the Challenge of Reason

Send the signal to the top of the table.

In the civic dialog surrounding leadership for Christchurch being largely mediated by the hard copy editors of the forth estate, new media; the internet, is the natural vehicle for independent thinking, participation and coordination. (ie: see http://canterburyissues.org.nz/)

The 2007 local body elections Christchurch will 'mandate' a direction for the cities foreseable future from the collective fog of signals it sends in electing the head of the Council table.

Such is your mayoral vote. Your vote for reason is a vote for rating equity, for affordable and accessable services and for intergenerational equity; [and more].

If you wish to cast a vote that will deliver beyond 'business as usual' outcomes then consider;

The writer's 30 years of examination of our drug laws has evolved into a comprehensive, long-term effort to bring about meaningful reform of drug policy on many levels. The principal objectives of this effort are:

reductions in crime and public disorder; improvement of the public health; better protection of children; and wiser use of scarce public resources.

Are these worthy aspirations? Worthy of the future Mayor of Christchurch?

It was these very aspirations that sent Seattle drug policy law proponent Roger Goodman of the King County Bar Association to the Washington State Senate. Seattle, Our Sister City, is away ahead of us here in Canterbury, (despite Mayor Moore's 'Time to Talk').

I see my symbolic stand for Mayor as raising awareness of the uncivil consequences of drug prohibition and all that represents.

Send YOUR signal to the top of the table.

Vote Blair4Mayor.comraising awareness of the consequences of drug prohibition and just about everything else others are either (a) intellectualy bereft or (b) compromised by affiliation to discuss.

Time to Talk, Time to Vote.....

Blair Anderson, on the hustings 'canvassing for opinion'

Saturday, December 15, 2012