San Jose Inside

About a month ago, I came upon a car accident at a signalized intersection. One car was completely flipped over and on the opposite side of the road. The other car was spun around in the intersection. I stopped to speak to people on the scene and the police. Apparently, a middle-aged driver blatantly ran a red light, striking the other car and flipping it over. Luckily, no one died.

In 2006, almost 900 Americans were killed and an estimated 144,000 were injured in crashes that involved red-light runners. About half of the deaths in red-light-running crashes are pedestrians and occupants in other vehicles.

SJI’s esteemed editor, Jack Van Zandt, has adopted a strict (Groucho) Marxist policy regarding the twelve state propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot: “Whatever It Is, I’m Against It.” For those who’d prefer to approach the ideas on a case-by-case basis, we present here the third installment of SJI’s pre-election discussion of state props and local measures.

Rants & Raves is taking a sabbatical this weekend to make room for discussion of two specific questions: one about children’s hospitals and the other about abortion. This is the second installment of a two-week pre-election marathon, during which SJI is presenting endorsements of the state propositions and local measures appearing on the Nov. 4 ballot. The pieces were written by Metro editorialists, and are presented to inspire discussion and debate.

Over the next couple of weeks, SJI will be presenting a series of endorsements of the state propositions and local measures that will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. These were written by reporters and editors at Metro and its sister-publications, and are presented here not so much to preach any one point of view, but more to spur conversation and debate. Of course we are counting on all of you to contribute your two-cents worth.

Proposition 444 Would Make Albino Enclave Independent Nation

Deep in the heart of Alum Rock Park, a small enclave of un-dead albinos numbering somewhere in the hundreds have been working quietly and diligently, in between the sacrificing of small domestic animals, to gather enough signatures to place a proposition on the ballet that would dramatically change their standard of living by declaring them an “independent political community” preceding pigmented colonization.

After a recent trip to Chicago, San Jose City Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio warmly posed this question at the end of a blog entry: “What cities have you visited that you feel San Jose could learn from and/or adopt best practices from?”

Well, I’ll begin my answer to that question with, “San Francisco,” and mention an upcoming soirée that author and pal Erik Davis is hosting on Nov. 1 at Artists Television Access (ATA) in the Mission District. Davis will lecture and present an evening of obscure films exploring the influence of philosopher, poet and mountain climber Aleister Crowley on 20th/21st-century subcultures, including the music of Led Zeppelin.

Food for Thought

Your proposition may be good
But let’s have one thing understood—
Whatever it is, I’m against it!

With the approach of every election with state propositions to consider, I start hearing Groucho Marx singing “Whatever it is, I’m Against It” from Horsefeathers in my head. That’s exactly how I feel when I look through the 12 propositions on this year’s ballot. Why are we even being asked to consider most of them?

There’s something profoundly wrong with an economic system that sells homes cheaply then takes them away from young families; that encourages wasteful energy consumption while fuel prices double and ExxonMobil serially breaks corporate profit records ($12bn last quarter). And there’s something immoral about a political order that allows its leaders to invade countries on pretext then fails to hold them accountable; that end-runs international and constitutional principles on torture and incarcerating the innocent while endeavoring to globally spread its values.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to local politics ... Little Saigon is back. After months of relative quiet on the Story Road front, the Vietnamese activists behind the push for the designation have returned with a double whammy.

Well although tonight is the last Presidential debate,  I won’t pay much attention. This one is over except for the huffing and puffing of the talking heads,  the excuses of the consultants, and the dearly needed change in this country. Even Tina Fey has had enough, vowing to go to outer space if Palin wins. 

But there is one Presidential event worthy of comment that occurred 96 years ago yesterday: Teddy Roosevelt was shot.

As we trudge through October, reading about the Great Depression and the Dow, layoffs and 401Ks, we also listen to the Presidential candidates promise that their way will be the way out of the slump we are in.  So who are we to believe? McCain makes promises and slams George W. and his own party for many decisions they have made. Is he part of the problem and now washing his hands of it now that it’s convenient and opportunistic for him? What can John McCain do to get us out of our slump? In the same vein, Obama has no problem pointing out the mistakes of a Republican President and how things would be different with a Democratic President such as himself in the White House.  But can Obama really make changes that will last and get us out of Great Depression, the Sequel?

There’s an organization called CEOs For Cities that has weighed in heavily on the question of how American cities should address their futures.  According to Carol Coletta, the organization’s president, “Many of our communities are built on outdated assumptions.”

“We thought gas would always be cheap and plentiful, we could always grow our way out of congestion and new sources of labor would always be plentiful.  We assumed Americans were willing to abandon a public life, content to live privately in their ever-expanding suburban homes.”

While the economic morass commands the headlines, there is a bright spot in San Jose. Specifically, south San Jose, in Edenvale.

Much of this manufacturing has gone overseas for lower labor and material costs. However, due to the increase in the price of oil, the shipping and logistics costs have made it more sensible to build here vs. China for some companies. Plus, their customers do not have to travel around the globe to visit their outsourced manufacturing facilities—and especially for medical devices, the USA still has better quality.

Ever have one of those days when you can’t get an old tune out of your mind? All day yesterday I kept hearing the Steely Dan song “Black Friday.” Use this weekly open forum to tell us what noises and voices you hear in your head.