Saturdays Scottsdale Tribune (the only real newspaper in town anymore), ran the following article by Investigative Reporter Brian Powell.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/126216

You might also want to read the comments (blog) below the article. I think "Pioneer" hit the nail on the head with his/her comments.

Manross, Ecton, Drake and McCullagh during their terms on the council were all instrumental in the huge continued cover-up and ruse known as SkySong, otherwise touted as "the answer to redevelopment and re-vitalization of South Scottsdale".

Let’s look at what has happened to the area since the SkySong ^$120+ million taxpayer dollar (including interest) deal was consummated by the 1st Manross Administration:

Let’s look at what that quartet of Manross, Ecton, McCullagh and Drake with lots of help and encouragement of the Scottsdale Area Chamber actually accomplished in the McDowell Corridor to date.

Prior to SkySong and Ellman, there were many thriving small businesses in the area from 64^th Street on the West to Pima on the East generating sales tax and property tax revenues. They’re now gone for the most part due to very poor planning and the inept running of the city on the part of the out of touch  Manross Administration.

The lone bright spots in South Scottsdale are the new Big "O" Tire Store, Lowe’s Home Improvement Center and the New Senior Center and ancillary buildings including a neat cafe for which the Manross Administration had absolutely nothing to do with any of those three additions to the community.

George Knowlton, Editor

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~ DRB & Planning Playing God?

Thursday, September 18, 2008, Development Review Board Scottsdale, was a perfect example of why Scottsdale boards and commissions need an immediate Charter Review.

There is one member of the Planning Commission and the Vice Mayor that sit on the DRB, so at least one of those members can be counted upon to vote the same way when the Waterview/Solis project heads from the DRB to the Planning Commission in October.

We have architects and developers on both of those panels (currently or recently working for and on other city sponsored or financed projects) and only one City Council member who is supposed to look out for the best interest of the citizens.

Since Scottsdale’s Mayor, council majority and former City Manager have not seen fit to implement the Neighborhood Element of the General Plan or the Housing Element, wouldn’t it be somewhat logical to have representatives from the Neighborhood Enhancement Commission and the Housing Board sitting on the Development Review Board instead of so many who are "in the business" as Scottsdale becomes more deeply involved in redevelopment of the mature neighborhoods?

Thursdays DRB meeting was the perfect example of the disdain that some of the DRB members have for residents of our older southern neighborhoods. Perhaps residents do not share the professional credentials of Mr. O’Neil, but his arrogance and disdain for the community at large was most evident and totally unacceptable.

Solis/Waterview has been a sloppy example of administration on the City side from the get go.

Don’t get me wrong; this is not a mess that should be laid at staff’s doorstep. When you have as many employees in key positions leave the city in little over a years’ time there is an automatic disconnect.

When employees who are also doing their own jobs are handling other planning jobs on an "interim" basis, you have a major mess because they obviously don’t have time to any of their tasks properly and in an efficient manner.

Scottsdale has at least four such interim positions and it shows like a huge neon sign.

When former Neighborhood Services manager Judy Register left for Chandler, it took the City almost 8 months to fill that position and re-align the Neighborhood Services Department to better address a multitude of issues concerning neighborhood revitalization. That decision was made earlier this summer. Judy Register left in summer of 2007.

David Roderique, head of Economic Development left last winter, and that is now filled as an interim position. Dolan left last winter and that is an interim position (though it would be to the best advantage of all Scottsdale if John Little stayed right where he is). Frank Gray left this Spring and Connie Padian absorbed that job. Mac Cummins, senior planner for the area South of Indian Bend Road, and was overseeing Solis/Waterview, left early this summer and others have taken on his project load in that department on an interim basis.

Lump it together with the "over the top" pushy practices of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, Scottsdale Healthcare, and other developers and we will have an even bigger mess than we do now.

These are the same people and organizations who dedicated a million or more dollars if necessary to "guarantee" the re-election of the same developer friendly members we currently have on the council majority. Should they lose the 4^th vote on the council, all of their projects as they are currently planned are "toast" and rightfully so.

Redevelopment is no way the same as new development in open desert. No matter how polished their credentials, the architects and developers sitting on the DRB and the Planning Commission need to understand that they have to work with respect for the integrity and history of mature neighborhoods and with the property owners. They have not reached the position of God in our community or anywhere else (although it seems many of them think they have), don’t pay our taxes and therefore need to get down where the rest of us live and take our opinions as major consideration for all decisions they make.

If they don’t believe it they need to read the Neighborhood Element of the General Plan because it is all there.

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The newest member of the DRB, David Ortega, just sold the average citizens down the river with his vote on Solis/Waterview/SRP.

David Ortega; You sir should be very, VERY ashamed of yourself for your vote to approve the incomplete, soiled, politically driven and very poorly designed Waterview/Solis.

The citizens felt they had a friend in you David; Most definitely not so, you drank the skanky Kool-Aid of the Manross "Dark Side" and have become another major enemy of the masses and will now be treated accordingly.

You allowed an incomplete plan with a huge, neighborhood destroying hidden agenda to be approved when you know in your heart it is totally opposite of what is needed to maintain the sanctity of historically mandated single family oriented  neighborhoods.

You totally Sold Out to Manross and her administration David. Mary is probably laughing so hard at you that she can’t contain herself. First, she stomps on you in the last election, now she gets what she wants from you as the newest member of the DRB.

What’s the matter with you David? Did the Manross Kool-Aide taste THAT good and slide down your gullet that easily?

We felt you had so much potential for fairness and honesty. But, it was apparently all lost through lack of knowledge, zero acceptance of public input and very unethical behavior which in our mind, means you were somehow bought off.

David, you had better check the new ethics code Scottsdale has in place before it bites you very hard in your wallet and professional standing for malfeasance.

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~ SRP & the Indian School Rd & 68^th Street Location

Just got the notice for the Planning Commission hearing 5 PM on October 1, in the Kiva, 2008 for the alley abandonment at 68^th Street and Indian School.

As with last notice, there was no mention of the SRP substation. It’s a big secret dealt with as only the Manross Administration knows how al la the SkySong rip-off.

We need to show up in force for this meeting, but as usual we’re afraid it will pass too as did the DRB fiasco unless we raise a big enough stink.

It is the City Council’s responsibility to draw the line with City Planning and those parties involved.  Reject the update for the Downtown plan which City Planning has created.  Request the process be fixed before any plans are evaluated.  By spending any time reviewing the draft tomorrow you will be clearing stating that the "citizen driven" element of the planning process was not necessary and has been disregarded by our City leaders who we have elected.     

There is no integrity behind the "citizen driven" planning process that has taken place and it cannot, as some would like it to, be substantiated by the many, many workshops that have been taking place.  Please see the third concern listed below.   The citizens of Scottsdale have been treated unfairly and are not truly represented in the planning process.     

We have a faulty process with questionable relationships and special interests dictating the updated plans for each of the grids in Scottsdale.  This is further enhanced by 3 central concerns.    

1. Dateline and quantity of workshops that inadvertently support the Chamber of Commerce and developers involved:  The workshops are long and spread out.  Anyone who has been advised to stay involved with the process will be living and breathing this update process.  Ultimately, most residents who take an interest will take part in one or two of the workshops and get back to their lives.  It would be unrealistic to expect more from those with families to invest anything more than this.  Only those with financial gain, developers, architects and related professions, will make sure to attend most if not all of the workshops.  In essence, they are being paid to stay involved through the big bucks to be made with the updated plans City Planning will be creating.      

2. Acquisition and questionable use of the feedback from the workshops:  The information derived from the workshops is blue sky, asking participants to throw just about anything they can think of onto the table.  Ideas and thoughts are then written on charts.  This makes it extremely easy for City Planning to go just about any direction with the update, including the direction that has already been predetermined by them.  City Planning can easily state that their position was supported in the workshops.  The Director of Advanced City Planning has already demonstrated that he will twist and/or fabricate information to meet the agenda that is already in place.

3. Overall lack of integrity of the "citizen driven" planning process:  City Planning with the Chamber of Commerce has already decided what they would like the grids to look like.  The process put in place can be touted as a "citizen driven" planning process, however, is far from it.  There is no integrity behind it and it cannot, as some would like it to, be substantiated by the many, many workshops that have been taking place.  Please see the Tribune article posted July 23rd.  It was attached to the e-mail I sent to the City Council on July 30^th.  I have attached it again for your convenience.   Although this article is in regard to the Greater Airpark Area plan it is strong grounds for what has taken place with the Downtown plan.  John Lusardi was quoted as stating that 24/7 and "demand for nightlife" had been heard "fairly strongly" in the workshops.

You may know many of these participants.  I only stated "you know them well" on those two individuals that basically stated that you did. (Editors Note: do you see any home town, just plain citizen property owners listed here?)

Randy Clawson, Michael Leary and Mark Ortega were also participants in the Land Use workshops last week.  These are the workshops that stated you could only actively participate in one workshop.    

I have been forwarding council members e-mails and articles in reference to the faulty planning process being taken by our City Planning department since the workshops began for the Greater Airpark Area.  

Each e-mail I have sent includes information that clearly indicates that City Planning and the Chamber of Commerce have, and will be creating the ultimate updated plans for our area. 

The Director of Advanced City Planning has gone so far as to misrepresent information from the Greater Airpark Area workshops to meet the agenda they currently have in place.  This is not acceptable. 

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Next meeting is September 25th, Thursday, 7:00 pm, at the Granite Reef Senior Citizens Center at 1700 N Granite Reef Rd, Scottsdale.

Speaker will be Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Public is invited and there will be a chance to ask questions.

Jerry Lennemann, President.  480 945 7557.

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~Letters to the Editor  

Editors Note: The following S&S was a response to a Shout & Spout concerning the lack of Police presence in the downtown Bar/Entertainment zone. Unfortunately, some of our emails have been held up for some unknown reason and this unfortunately was one of them.

~I am totally surprised that you did not find any cops in the area, because in my experience, they are lying in wait for men and women who are so inebriated that they cannot make it to the next bar in their rotation and are using the alleys and parking lots of Scottsdale as Port-A-Johns.  They are also picking up impaired drivers.  It is usually when a Scottsdale Citizen calls in and reports a driver swerving through traffic or having a fender bender and then the police are all over it.  (I am just grateful that the DUI laws are mandates from the state legislature and not the city council!)  Or go down to the FBR or any entertainment venue in Scottsdale that serves (or rather promotes) drinking and watch the cops citing people coming out of the tents.  You might call it protecting the populace.  Or you might call it making income for the city courts...and a huge income it is.   None of this is what Scottsdale should be about...

~Everyone can thank her highness and great PooBah Susan Bitter Smith and her campaign manager for using dirty politics in spreading many nasty half-truths and untruths about David Schweikert, then after getting her rear-end handed to her in a straw basket, announcing her "full support for his candidacy" against Harry Mitchell. Gee, with support like that, who needs any support at all? If I were Schweikert, I’d strongly suggest she be thrown out of her local political party organization for personal malfeasance as an honorable and honest human being.

 ~ David Ortega is a HUGE disappointment. We thought he was more intelligent than to vote for something as vague and incomplete as the Waterview/Solis/SRP plan. If we had known how he felt about things like this, we would have actively tried to stop his appointment to the DRB. We thought David was a home town boy who would respect the system as it is supposed to operate.

~ The Bird Picture is a classic!! Thank you for a pictorial explanation of what's actually happening in Scottsdale AZ.

 ~ We LOVED the bird picture and boy does it tell it like it is! Keep up the great work, you must be driving Manross and Kidder crazy by exposing them on a regular basis. Too bad even more people don't see what you guys expose about our crooked council, chamber and incumbents.

 ~ How does Susan Bitter Smith get away with the crap she does? I have never met a more devious candidate as she was for that congressional seat. Hopefully, she won't cost Sheriff Joe the election.

 ~ We just met Nan Nesvig and a few days later we ran into Tom Giller. We have never met two more intelligent and dedicated candidates as they are. We cannot believe they didn't receive more votes than they did. I have a sneaking hunch that something crooked was happening with the mail-in ballots, like maybe an incumbent had supporters give them the ballots to fill out to make sure they got the ones elected they wanted so a legacy or 2 could be finished.

 ~ The DRB meeting was a total set up deal and you can look forward to the same from the tainted planning commission. I have never seen such egotistical, butt kissing Jackasses in my entire life. I wonder what they were promised in the form of future personal business to vote for that stupid, incomplete and ugly design?

 ~ If we don't get the council majority changed in November, you can kiss Scottsdale as we have known it for over 50 years a sad goodbye as it slips quietly into a financially bankrupted shadow of itself and the oblivion of just another Anytown USA.

 ~ OMG!!! Manross and McCullagh HAVE GOT TO GO!!  They have totally screwed over this city and it will take some time to recover from their stupid boners for a number of years.

 ~ I've tried to contact Lisa Borowsky and she doesn't even return phone calls. If that's the way she plans to do business as a council person, she needs to lose the election very badly to someone like Nan Nesvig who always has returned my calls and answers all my questions without hesitation, even when she was injured and barely able to walk.

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  Living in the Land of Oz

Well, I have to say I did not catch all of the three ring circus’ "study session," but I did manage to catch what I missed on Friday night and I have to say I am not sure who the heck the people in those chairs were, oh wait, I forgot we have a run-off election coming up.

I mean really, do our council incumbents think we are all so stupid that we cannot see that some of them are saying one thing, but that if they are re-elected they will indeed in short order do the exact opposite by passing the plan as it is with very little to no changes?

Was it not funny to see people like the Chamber of Oz, Westcor, Oz Healthcare, and DMB and other developers pushing for the council to adopt the plan "as is" with all of its missing information and they are even asking for the city to start adopting new zoning areas.

It is clear to see who is against the community at large and seeking changes to their own plans so they can make their bundle of money and move on leaving the residents and taxpayers with the mess they will leave behind.

What about some of the issues that are NOT addressed in the document like whether Scottsdale Road will remain 2 lanes through the Downtown which has merchants of the area somewhat nervous? The city stated a while back that Scottsdale Road was to remain two lanes, but now no one is sure. Why?

Well, if you think about the plans’ design, or lack there of, for increasing shade and pedestrian movement there is only one way the city can do that in any section of the Downtown. It will require removing a lane of the street in each direction in various areas.

If you take the tour of Downtown, or have ever spent any time there, you can easily note that in order to accomplish just the shade element, with buildings so close to the street, the city will have to strip fronts off stores or try to use condemnation to acquire the space they need to accomplish just this one item.

The Transportation Master Plan even stated that the city needs to remove the existing problems they have that block the sidewalks, and in spite of that, the city continues to ignorantly approve patios that stretch into the pedestrian walking areas.

What about the issue of infrastructure and how it relates to what little information there is about the increases in heights and densities?

What about the issue of wanting to expand the Downtown boundaries? Just how large and expansive does the city intend to keep trying to make the Downtown at the cost of losing hundreds of single family residences in historically single family residential neighborhoods?

Why are heights and densities being discussed on the edges of Downtown? Does the city not realize that the edges of the Downtown boundaries are the areas of mature neighborhoods? These are the neighborhoods that have been openly complaining and offering other suggestions about the plans, or lack of plans, for their community areas to begin with that all go unheeded, or don’t they care?

What is with the 24/7 Downtown? That is all we have heard since they started using this so cool term 8 years ago. Now all we have are empty condos, no increase in anything business-wise, that was supposed to increase tax revenues, except for the ever loving bar districts that they have scattered all over downtown under the guise of being "restaurants". IT appears that all we have "grown" in downtown is guns, shootings and drunks, all coming from and living everywhere but Scottsdale.

What happened to the discussion about the existing and different character areas that have been there for over 60 years? What happened to the plan to define and enhance the western theme and architecture where it is appropriate and that does not belong in other character areas?

Should the whole Downtown Plan Update be totally trashed due to a failure to understand Scottsdale’s rich history or provide a real vision for the area at all?

No, I don’t think we need to go that far, however this "plan" needs a whole hell of a lot of work yet before it can be approved.

On another note what the heck is all this talk about this plan not being a policy document when they are already saying this is going to be rolled into the General Plan?

Where are the other 12 elements, things that have to be considered when putting elements like this in the General Plan? For example, economic impacts, infrastructure, sustainability, and so on, I have yet to see any of those elements brought forward in this half-baked, totally incomplete plan.

I think my friend Michael Kelly stated the issue well: The general plan and this update have not been tied together in any way, shape, or form. That is my biggest objection to doing anything with this plan until it is all tied together.

I have to admit that Wayne hit the nail on the head and I am wondering who the heck wrote that speech for him, ‘cause it sure wasn’t Wayne.

I think Betty made the real points even better, with greater detail, and I am going to tell you again why I support her for re-election, she can be an asset to the "development" of the city if everyone is as pro-proper development and includes the neighborhood voices.

Betty finally made it publicly clear that what many in the community asked for, which was a village planning type process, and which was never carried out because Jan Dolan had staff going in every direction except the right direction for proper sustainable growth. Maybe this is what got Wayne to change his mind about keeping Dolan around.

So the reality is, the council asked for something and there were certain people who hijacked the process and this is what we ended up with: A remnant of the past when Mary and Jan played to the developers and screw the rest of you so they could implement their dreams and legacies.

And, it smells as bad as the supposed Master Transportation Plan.

Now, let’s take a look at our own sweet dear Mayor, Mary "mother of Scottsdale" Manross, actually stated. She was not expecting a document with any details attached, but yet the whole discussion was about….. What?

An update that is already going to the Planning Commission for a vote, then to be turned over to the council for yet another vote and there is not a darned thing in the document that clears up anything, and a "Vision" cannot be found anywhere in the plans or the details!

It is another remnant of what was going on when Jan Dolan was her sidekick in crime. They are reason the city is at this point now; these two people were looking to make their own legacies and to hell with everyone. Just like they tried to do, and got away with, in the Master Transportation Plan. Can you smell the Umpa Lumpa droppings that are still rotting?

After this massive failure to provide any vision for Scottsdale’s future, can any of you out there finally figure out why the hell this woman needs to be strongly defeated at the polls in November? For once I am glad to have seen that everyone on Council was against her in the plan to do it to us yet again.

OH, except for her gold fanged moron and homebred craven weasel Ron, "I am as stupid as our mayor," McCullagh.

Betty made the best point when she stated that "this is a document that would collect dust" and "is not a tool the City Council could use to finally say, I can’t vote on this because it goes against the downtown plan.

It took us 18 months to come up with a "visionary statement" 85% supported by big business, developers and the Chamber and only 15% by the residents.

The General Plan is right around the corner and the question is: How do we fix this nightmare before they all vote on it?

Michael Merrill
"The Brutal Critic"
Scottsdale

"Watch out! You nearly broadsided that car!" My father yelled at me. "Can't you do anything right?" Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.  

"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving." My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.  

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil.  

What could I do about him? 

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.  

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it.  He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.  

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived.  

But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone.

My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.

Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue. Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind. But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.  

The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of t he sympathetic voices that answered In vain. Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article." I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home.  All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.  

I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons: too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed. Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.  

I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement.  

"He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate.  We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow." He gestured helplessly. 

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're going to kill him?"  

"Ma’m," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."  

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said.  

I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch. 

"Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly.  

Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it" Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house. 

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples.  

"You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!" Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. 

We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw. 

Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw.  Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.  

It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet.  

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.  

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near Dad's favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.  

The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life. And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers."  

"I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.  

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article...  

Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter. . .his calm acceptance and  complete devotion to my father.. . and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all. Life is too short for drama and petty things, so laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly.

Live While You Are Alive.

Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. 

Forgive now those who made you cry.

You might not get a second time.  

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 ~ Cantoni Confab

Assumptions are powerful. Two faulty ones have brought us to the edge of another Great Depression:

1. That home ownership is good for everyone.

2. That home prices always go up.

In fact, many people are better off renting than carrying a mortgage, and home prices have declined in 52 of the last 100 years.

The government, the media, and, of course, the real estate industry perpetuated the assumptions and ignored the facts. Those of us who tried to do the opposite were called negative, pessimistic, dumb-asses, ass****s, and other endearments.

Even in the midst of today’s economic carnage, the assumptions continue to be perpetuated. Turn to the Home & Garden (HGTV) cable station and you’ll see people of modest means and intelligence being encouraged to invest in granite countertops and gourmet stoves the size of aircraft carriers.

My uneducated, immigrant grandparents knew better. They had the same kitchen sink with the plumbing showing underneath all of their lives. At retirement, they did not have a granite countertop, but they had something more important: They had enough savings to live without the government’s help. Equally important, their savings provided the capital for investments in industry.

Back then, the nation didn’t have to borrow from the Chinese. But it did have to face the horror of exposed kitchen plumbing.

Sure, the proximate cause of today’s economic collapse was the government’s failure to regulate the shadow banking system that competed with its monopolistic central bank and fiat money. Another proximate cause was the government’s easy-money policies. But the root causes were the two assumptions.

The two presidential candidates bought into the assumptions, proving that they are moo-cows in a herd and not presidential material. Sen. Barack Obama was in bed with Fannie Mae and ACORN, the leftist organization that pushed people into housing they couldn’t afford. Sen. John McCain was too dimwitted to have learned the lesson of faulty assumptions and real estate bubbles from his sordid role as one of the Keating Five in the earlier savings and loan meltdown. Meanwhile, the only candidate who understood economics and monetary policy, Rep. Ron Paul, was largely ignored by the left-wing media and portrayed as a kook by right-wing talk radio.

If you vote for Obama or McCain, you will be stepping into the stuff that moo-cows leave behind.

Speaking of stuff that moo-cows leave behind, Andrew Cuomo has probably left more of it behind than anyone else in government, including, as unbelievable as it may seem, Congressmen Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd, and Charles Schumer. The article at the link below from the Village Voice details how he bought into the two assumptions and helped to bring about the sub-prime disaster.

A nation that doesn’t imprison the politicians responsible for bringing us to the edge of another Great Depression is a nation of granite heads and a doomed nation.

An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com

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~ Miscellaneous but Important City Information

New Issue Brewing?  The City of Scottsdale has no formal noise ordinance. As new residential projects are approved in the downtown core, as existing neighborhoods nearby are impacted, and as new liquor and nightclub licenses are approved----abusive noise levels are an increasing problem for local residents.  We have one COGS member who reports that a nearby club plays live music until 2 AM with their doors open.  The level of noise is unlivable---and unsleepable in their home. They have received no enforcement from the police department. 

Camelback and Indian School Road construction continues....82nd Street will close briefly at Indian School Rd...Camelback Rd east of Scottsdale Road will reduce to one lane in each direction from now to October for a new water and sewer line. 

 ~ Loop 101 General Purpose Lanes

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 ~ Candidate Endorsement Announcements

 Check the Candidate section for the latest endorsements for Council and Mayoral candidates. You might be surprised who has endorsed who and who hasn't been endorsed.

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 ~ Council and Mayoral Candidates Information

Information is added to the candidates list as the candidates send it to us. We do not solicit such information, but will will include it if offered by any and all candidates for Scottsdale elected offices at no charge.

~ Information You Can Use

Just click on the logos below to go to these websites.

Send our Brave Troops "Something from Home", Click on  Links below.

Gathering of  Eagles Website was launched 2/9/07. Click on the Logo above for more information on how they are protecting America's Memorials.

~ UPDATE!! A "Must See" for All Americans

Every American should check out all of these websites to learn more about what the American population is about to have to deal with.

This is NOT for Children.

I don't normally allow anything but Scottsdale information in the Scottsdale Activist but after receiving many emails about this and viewing it, I think that it's imperative that every adult at least look at what's offered here if for  nothing more than their own education and to have everyone stop and think about the future of our country. Click on the link below,

 www.obsessionthemovie.com

If you don't have Adobe Flash, install it from the bottom of the page that comes up after you click on the link above. You should be able to view all available links within the main page.

The website below is of great interest as seen from a Lebanese point of view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8fa9yKQeTY

The website below gives some history of Terrorist attacks:

http://patriotfiles.org/civilizationcalls.htm

This website tell you what REALLY happened:

http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened

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~ Arizona Tax Revolt

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~ View Past City Council Meetings

We can now access the city council meetings by clicking on the following link:

If you have any problems, check your firewall and other safety features which could block access to the city site.

~Continuing Light Rail Information

The Scottsdale Citizens Transportation Study Committee invites you to view their website for more questions and answers at  www.norailforscottsdale.com .

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Simply click on the links below to get all the information you'll ever need concerning Light Rail.

     Goldwater Institute Report

     American Dream Coalition

    The Public Purpose

If you have any questions about light rail, send them to editor@scottsdaleactivist.com and we'll get the answers to you as soon as we can.

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~ For Continuing Information on Photo Radar,
Click on the Logo below.

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 ~Are Red-Light Cameras Fair to Drivers?

These modern-day robocops make ticketing easier and can be huge moneymakers for local governments. But critics question their accuracy and fret over privacy issues.

Click on the link below , then scroll down to read the article:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/AreRedLightCamerasFairToDrivers.aspx

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The Scottsdale Activist is very pleased to announce an effort on the behalf of the residents and taxpayers of the city of Scottsdale to promote open, honest and accountable city government. The Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) has been created to take legal action to hold the City accountable when its actions are contrary to state law, the City Charter, City ordinances or the public interest.

The most necessary ingredient to make the SLDF work will be confidential contributions from concerned Scottsdale citizens who are willing to help their community.  By contributing, we can change the way City Hall does business and insure that our tax dollars will be spent wisely.

No funds from the SLDF will or can be used for any political purpose.

Contributions shall be kept confidential as permissible by law and can be made in any Washington Mutual Bank to account number 3114165786 for the Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund. Branch locations are listed below. Contributions are not tax deductible.

The SLDF has retained the law firm of Miller LaSota & Peters, PLC, in connection with the patently illegal action taken by the Mayor and Council appointing the most recent Scottsdale City Attorney, while ignoring the residency requirement of the Scottsdale City Charter even though the new City Attorney’s contract (according to Scottsdale Republic reporter Laurie Roberts) requires that she reside in Scottsdale.  The City Council action was based on a legal opinion which was reportedly rendered during a closed door Executive Session of the City Council by a subordinate to the then acting City Attorney, who was subsequently appointed to the City Attorney position by a vote during a public City Council meeting. The opinion has been requested as a public document under state law, but the City has not yet provided it. The SLDF will take other appropriate legal actions based on the conduct of the Mayor and Council.

Washington Mutual Bank Locations at which contributions to the SLDF can be made are:

72^nd & Shea                    7337 E. Shea Blvd #120                480-609-8524
Hayden & Chaparral     7908 E. Chaparral # C-113            480-949-0069
Horizon                            14854 N Frank Lloyd Wright         480-614-6660
Scottsdale Ranch          10155 E. Via Linda Blvd #131       480-767-2060
Kierland Village              6501 E. Greenway Pkwy #133     480-315-2905

There are many other branches throughout the Valley.