Well, the crisis is here and swirling all around us.  You can tell by the pained and pinched looks on the faces of the members of Congress, Cabinet officials, and in particular Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men—you know the rest of that one. 

You can’t tell a crisis is with us, here in this valley, by the throngs of people downtown last weekend, lining up for the Leonardo exhibit at the Tech and the Sharks game at HP Pavilion, those carrying shopping bags in Valley Fair, and thousands lining up at Farmers Markets from Santana Row to Campbell.

I think that after years of writing about San Jose on this site, I have come to a realization about the crux of the problem with things in our city.

Week after week, I have become a broken record talking about what’s wrong, what’s right and how to make San Jose the place we want it to be. Many of you agree and more disagree. Many of you think that I am downtown-centric—you’re right. And many of you think things are never going to be better, no matter what.  But I was thinking about why they never will be different. And the reason is that those in power don’t think things are that bad.

Let me get this straight…San Jose voters are being asked to support Measures J and K under the guise of lowering San Jose’s tax rates?

Please.

Last week I visited the Rules and Open Government Committee which sets the agenda for upcoming Council meetings. The Rules Committee includes Mayor Reed, three councilmembers, the City Attorney, City Manager and the Redevelopment Agency (RDA). The purpose of my visit was that two memos that I wrote were going to be heard.

The first memo was to request that the city update it’s travel policy by using technology. I asked that the “travel request” form include a question asking if the proposed trip could be done via a “web meeting.” And if not, why not?

The Banksters are falling! The Banksters are falling! Leave your homes and cash behind and run for your lives! But before you do, take a moment and tell us what has your gut wrenching in this weekly open forum that is safely sheltered in a secure, undisclosed location.

San Jose moves past New York as most dangerous big city for pedestrians.

It’s as though Death Race is being filmed in San Jose. The city’s streets are no longer safe for septuagenarians, as the death toll of elder pedestrians has skyrocketed in the past year.

But as San Jose mourns the recent loss of its title “Safest Big City” to New York, it can find some consolation, and perhaps redemption, in the fact that it has topped the “Most Dangerous Big City for Pedestrians” list for the first time in a devastating counterpunch to the Big Apple.

San Jose native and pianist extraordinaire Thollem McDonas is about to make history. The SJSU graduate was recently invited to compose for and record on the only piano that French composer Claude Debussy owned during the last 14 years of his life (1904—1918).

We are approaching the second anniversary of the death of our good friend, SJI colleague and local historian Leonard McKay. I think of him often and still love re-reading his stories over and over, and remembering the wonderful conversations that we used to have. I was thinking that the very best way we can pay tribute to Leonard is to rerun one of his pieces that he wrote for this site and then ask our readers to post comments and remembrances, or tell a good story of your own. When I was trying to decide which piece to post here, I remembered that Leonard had a favorite story that he told again and again. It is also one of his bawdiest tales and it comes with a warning: Don’t try this at home.

As the dust settles on the global meltdown, the state budget fiasco, and the prevailing wage struggles in San Jose, there is one very bright point of light to be seen. Tesla Motors’ decision to locate their primary manufacturing facility and headquarters in North San Jose is indeed a noteworthy event, a major shot in the arm for the local economy.

Is it something to cheer about? Definitely.

... for Froilan Chan-Liongco

Breate deep, East Palo Alto.

The toxics that may have once filled your lungs—the pollutants from the chemical waste plant that threatened cancer, asthma and birth defects—are no longer. Friolan Chan-Liongco, who passed away last week due to a heart attack, cleaned the air for you.

A former employee of the high-tech toxic waste plant named Romic, Chan-Liongco stood up to the company that had for decades sacrificed East Palo Alto community members’ health in its pursuit of profit.

More news from the “Where have I been?” file, but has anyone noticed what the culture is like at a 49er game now? I went to the game on Sunday, the 49ers vs. the Detroit Lions, and I was shocked at how different the culture of the crowd had become since I last was there.

The last time I set foot in Candlestick Park (it was actually Candlestick then, and I was happy to see on Sunday that it has changed back to Candlestick) was about 1998. And there have been a lot of changes.

“Civic-minded citizens are not simply born, they must be taught and nurtured,” writes Norman Mineta. In an article published on “Constitution Day,” Mr. Mineta—a former San Jose mayor and US Congressman, who also served in the Cabinet under both Bill Clinton and George Bush—laments the decline in civic engagement, and expresses his concern that the public education system needs to do more.

If you’re a homeowner, most likely you received your property tax bill in the mail last week. I did and I owe $11,854. (If Washington Mutual does not collapse I will pay this amount from my savings.) My parents, who live next door, with the same size lot, will be paying $1,696.

Why the huge difference? A little thing called Proposition 13, which protects my parents and other seniors.

Welcome to Rants and Raves, the weekly SJI thread where the Bloggers Rule! Crank up that Opinionizer and start clicking those keyboards!

Since Metro’s Best Of issue focuses on a year of change, including the visionary thinkers who make it happen, my vote for Best Quantum Hydration Augmentation Utensil goes to the folks over at Quantum Age Water Stirwands.

Kids First Priority in Removal From Roadways

In a bid to clean up California’s dirtiest freeways, the US government agreed Wednesday to: “provide an $85 billion emergency loan to rescue Santa Clara County roads from litter, debris and children.”

Based on several studies, the state would have to supply billions of dollars a year to keep approximately 250 miles of freeways in a “really dirty, but not visible” state. This means that at a minimum, abandoned cars, mattresses and small children would be removed from the shoulders and medians.