Alameda's Progressives have a history here in Alameda. In the 50's, "progress" meant surrounding The Island City w/ landfill, ranch homes, and a giant shopping plaza. These days, density is all the rage and Alameda progressives are blogging overtime for ways to "improve" Alameda and its inhabitants. After all, that 50's mentality has got to go!
Many old guard Alamedans fret w/ the threat of unrelenting, true-believing world improvers right here in A-town. Hell, it's True Believers that are the most dangerous (more-so than the bought-and-paid for shakers)... because it's conviction that drives them! Che and Mao and Bush all know they were right, and look at how they improved things for so many!
But back to Alameda's True Believers for Density, or shall we call them the Tool Believers (for Big Development?) There is no need to worry about them much anymore... at least for now. Sorry to be The Bearer, all of you well-meaning Tool Believers and your dreamy improvements for us all, but you have a major obstacle in front of you. And I offer you a solution where you can even make a BETTER difference and help more people than you ever imagined!!
First, the obstacle. It's called the MASSIVE DE-LEVERAGING of the global financial system. There won't be any money to do SQUAT w/ Alameda Point for perhaps decades. Think the City has the cash? Checked out the stock of homebuilders lately? Who the hell is going to finance new housing, yuppie shopping, and office parks in a deflationary environment? NOBODY. Look what just happened to that Cosmopolitan development next to the Bellagio in Vegas. It's like that. Financing is done for now, seeya.
But oh no! the progressives say. We must provide a better life NOT JUST FOR US (Bayport wants a coffee joint or 3 within walking distance) but for many others also who don't live here YET. But they should, so they won't have to drive as far to hip center of the Bay Area thereby intensifying global warming. They'll be grateful to be here and always take the bus for our greater good because they'll be hip, thoughtful, knowledge-working, bloggin' Progressives too!
Well, now we can all win. We can have dense living at Alameda Point and very little traffic impact by hosting Tent City. 1000's of the newly homeless from all over California can set up their tents at Alameda Point. I mean, they are going to need somewhere to go!
Just check out the scene right now in L.A. (courtesy of the BBC):
See... everybody wins. The progressives are doing good by providing living arrangements for as many people as possible... especially those who need it most! How they love to arrange. And there's bound to be some coffee stands and food shacks springing up! The old guard traffic-sensitive types need not worry... they won't afford cars... much less have jobs to commute to and from anyway... clogging up the bridges and tubes!
The Improvers could insure this by dis-allowing cars in Alameda Tent City and installing new bus stops. I'm sure they could even figure out a way to divert tax money to get them bikes too. They'll be healthier... and so improved!
