Lots of national news today, with the stock market rally and a new public-private partnership plan from the Treasury Dept. Do you like public-private projects?
Also interesting is this lame explanation of a secret meeting:
Reuters reports that Pres. Obama held talks with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, in Washington last Friday, said Gorbachev’s spokesman. He gave no details of the discussion. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was pressed at a news conference about why the meeting between Obama and Gorbachev was not previously disclosed and did not appear on Obama’s official daily schedule.
“The president tends to roam around the larger (White) House and sometimes walks into meetings that weren’t previously on his schedule,” Gibbs said.
I hope our City Council doesn’t get any big ideas from Obama!
If you want to read the whole article about the Gorbachev meeting, you can find it here: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE52M2RG20090323
Comment by mary — March 23, 2009 @ 1:45 pm
Well, if that works for The Obama it should work for any of us. Let’s start roaming around city hall confines or stakeholder hangouts and…..just walk in, especially the ones where the doors are closed! Should be fun. We could hold a news conference to talk about it, too.
Comment by Gary Ingram — March 23, 2009 @ 1:50 pm
Maybe Obama was looking for the coffee pot.
Comment by Dan — March 23, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
He probably left a meeting, in the middle of someone’s presentation, to go find that coffee pot!
Comment by mary — March 23, 2009 @ 2:18 pm
Jumping jehosephat Daddy Warbucks! What are the odds that while Obama was “wandering” around the White House, he would run into Gorbachev. The bigger question…why was
Gorbachev “wandering” through the White House. If Gibbs can’t think any faster than that, he should be unemployed. One gets used to political spin and political stupidity. But “lame” doesn’t cover this. Well, laughter is the best medicine!
Comment by Faringdon — March 23, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
I always wondered how to spell “jehosephat” ! Gibbs is entertaining to watch, in an awkward, almost painful way. I am amazed the sleek, elite Obama administration would have him making their first impression.
Comment by mary — March 23, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
As I see it, public private partnerships seem to enrich the private sector at the expense of the taxpayers. Parking structures are a prime example of the cost to the taxpayers. In the case of downtown Coeur d’Alene, the reduction of the number of required parking spaces for new construction will only serve to bolster the request of an entity to utilize the decrepit tennis courts as the perfect site for a parking structure to service those buildings. If that takes place, the taxpayers will be subsidizing development. Also note that parking structures never seem to be financially successful. Could LCDC be considered that private entity?
Comment by Susie Snedaker — March 24, 2009 @ 7:46 am
River Park Square in Spokane was a public-private partnership that did not work out well for the citizens of Spokane or for Jo Ellen Savage or her family.
Comment by Bill — March 24, 2009 @ 7:55 am
Didn’t the last parking study indicate that there was no need for additional parking in Coeur d’Alene?
Comment by doubleseetripleeye — March 24, 2009 @ 9:22 am
I do believe that you are correct doublesee. However, with future additional structures parking may very well become an issue – especially in the area around Seventh Street.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — March 24, 2009 @ 11:38 am
The area around Seventh Street? You mean where the Library is 50 spaces short by the city’s own code?
Can someone please review the public minutes and remind me again why the Library is downtown?
Comment by Dan — March 24, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
remind me again why the Library is downtown?–dan
sure, be happy to remind you. it is downtown because that is where great public buildings are built. 😉
Comment by reagan — March 24, 2009 @ 6:06 pm
I want to know where great mausoleums are built, myself. There are so many names on the walls of the Library, I often get the two structures confused.
Comment by Dan — March 24, 2009 @ 6:12 pm
Just remember that Charlie Nipp and Steve Meyer now own the half block on Front Street, right across from McEuen Field. (They bought it while Charlie was Chairman of LCDC–but don’t worry, he says it’s not a conflict of interest!) LCDC is very, very interested in the McEuen field “renovation”. I’m guessing Charlie wants to direct the remodel of the park so it enhances his property for future development. Parking is going to be a big part of that equation.
Comment by mary — March 24, 2009 @ 6:34 pm
One of the consultants who was responsible for the open space public meetings and calculating those many opinions, told me that the city and library people should listen to the public as the majority of the participants did not want the library downtown – they wanted it in a central location. At the final open house I met the architect of the plans based on the outcome of those meetings and asked him why he placed the library downtown. He told me that he was told to place it in that location but refused to divulge the name or names of those who gave the instructions.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — March 24, 2009 @ 10:38 pm
Great public buildings? Have I missed the AIA award of merit recipients for new buildings?
Comment by Susie Snedaker — March 24, 2009 @ 10:42 pm
Susie, have you considered a public records request in order to get a answer to your concern in item 15?
Comment by Gary Ingram — March 25, 2009 @ 9:59 am
It’s tiring talking about someone like Pres. Obama who is trying to bankrupt this country. Why can’t we learn from history? We have been through this before with Roosevelt.
(1)print up a bunch of money we don’t have to bail-out the economy and put future generations at risk.
(2)create a bunch of social programs
(3)then we’ll have a small period of hyperinflation.
(4)then the federal gov’t will eventually raise everybody’s taxes.
(5)the economy will struggle some more and we will be in a depression;if we aren’t already.
What is so bad about declaring bankruptcy?I tend to believe the country could have rebounded faster with it.
Comment by kageman — March 25, 2009 @ 10:56 am
Kageman, I agree completely! If they had let all the “too big to fail” companies go under, they wouldn’t have gone out of business, they would have been broken up into smaller entities and sold off for pennies on the dollar. Important people would have lost a lot of money.
The stimulus could have been a good thing, if it was focused on creating jobs and reviving the stock market by doing three things: lowering capitol gains taxes for two years to energize the market, lowering the corporate tax rate to engender companies to expand and create more jobs, and reducing everyone’s income tax rates across the board. It would have been cheaper than what they did with almost no lag time.
But that was not their goal. Their goal was to fundamentally change the way this country operates; to empower government control of banking, business, healthcare and energy. We get the government we deserve? I didn’t vote for this!
Comment by mary — March 25, 2009 @ 11:12 am
Gary, I did not file a records request as it seemed pointless. Do not forget the work of the so called Gang of Nine who I believe determined the physical future of the open spaces. For all I know they might still be meeting upon occasion.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — March 25, 2009 @ 11:22 am
Susie, LCDC mentioned the Gang of Nine at their last meeting, and said something about getting them back together again. Aren’t several of them on the LCDC board? I know Brad Jordan is one.
Comment by mary — March 25, 2009 @ 11:34 am
Mary, the thought that they would meet again sends up red flags for me. Would they be determining the fate of public spaces once again? I certainly hope not for numerous reasons. I believe that the members included Brad, the mayor, Nancy Sue Wallace (now of the Hayden URA board.) I cannot remember the rest.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — March 25, 2009 @ 4:49 pm
The stimulus could have been a good thing, if it was focused on creating jobs and reviving the stock market –mary
in the few short weeks since the economic recovery act was signed into law the stock market has been on a 2 1/2 week climb and local politicians and business people across the country, even post falls representative frank henderson, have saod “this is going to create a lot of jobs.” (quote is rep. henderson’s from an article in the cda press.)
Comment by reagan — March 25, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
in the few short weeks since the economic recovery act was signed into law
nothing of meaning in that ‘law’ has occurred. whatever recovery has happened has happened naturaly not because of the porkulus fraud passed without any hearings, any bipartisanshipm or transparency. sorry sam, no banana.
Comment by TheWiz — March 25, 2009 @ 9:39 pm