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No it's not an April Fool's joke. This has got to be the first presidential candidate's visit to Carrboro! (Someone please chime in if I'm wrong.) Whatever you may think about his campaign, Dennis Kucinich has been articulate, poised, and principled. And it's kind of exciting that he's coming here!
This is an e-mail from the venerable Joe Straley:
DENNIS KUCINICH
At the Farmers Market in Carrboro
1:00 PM, Sunday, April 4
Satisfied with the hawkish tones of US foreign policy? Come and become dis-satisfied.
Tired of being a part of a nation which bullies nations which it doesn't understand? Come and hear an alternative foreign policy.
Tired of spending billions for war while penny-pinching domestic needs? Dennis is your man.
Dennis Kucinich will be in Carrboro long enough to convince you that a vote for him in the April 17 Democratic Caucus is the best vote you will be able to make this year.
ALSO...
I've always been perplexed that people think of the media as liberal, especially after the coverage of the war, local gay civil rights issues, and free trade have all been decidedly right of center over the past few years. That's why it's refreshing to hear that there is a new unabashedly progressive voice on the radio: Air America. This radio community includes shows with Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, two faves among progressives. It will debut at noon today, so be sure to log on and be one of the first to hear.
The question is, when will we get this programming on local stations? WCHL apparently thought about including these shows, but then bailed. Who will step up to the plate to make sure that we have progressive voices in with the mix of right wing and centrist voices on our airwaves locally?
The Independent Weekly ran a story by Fiona Morgan last week about the Orange County Democratic Party. They are experiencing an influx of Dean supporters which is giving the overall party a boost in organization and momentum.
As for Dean's mantra of "taking back the party," [Orange County Democratic Party Chair Barry] Katz says he would like to see it happen. "On a local level, re-establishing a party that exists independent of its candidates but exists to support its candidates, that's taking back the party. And that's what's happening in Orange County." - Independent Weekly, 3/17/04
The Herald reports that the Carrboro Board of Alermen discussed whether to allow a payment option for developers to meet their affordable housing obligation. We have debated this issue on the Chapel Hill Planning Board as well. So far we have come out against it every time, but there are also some compelling arguments for it.
Developers in Chapel Hill and Carrboro are currently required to include either a certain number of small (< 1,350 & 1,100 square feet) or affordable (<80% of area median income) homes in all residential developments over a certain size. Payment-in-lieu of housing would allow developers to make a financial contribution instead.
What do you all think? Are we missing a chance to support municipal housing efforts, or would we be letting them off the hook too easily and allowing further economic segregation of housing?
So let's make some assumptions up front for this discussion. Let's assume that the TTA builds according to plans it's rail system (big assumption at this point due to the Bush administration's witholding of dollars). And let's assume this area continues to grow and becomes what we many folks really want it to be - a drawing point for the creative class and a great place to continue living. Well, while folks in Durham and Raleigh and even, gasp, Cary will be taking advantage of the rail line and touting themselves as a pseudo-urban mecca, we'll be over here with our wonderful but less than glamorous bus system trying to compete. So far, south Orange has the best planned development and the best public transit, but what happens when that isn't true anymore? Do all the cool single artists and video clerks move to Durham? Doesn't this put us at a competitive disadvantage in terms of attracting some of the people that add color and diversity to our towns?
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