vision2020
Re: Alturas Technology Park
At 02:19 PM 12/17/1999 -0900, Greg Brown wrote:
>The complexity of government requires some general
>public hand holding. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I would
>call it good parenting just as I would call good government one
>that reaches out and finds creative ways to encourage
>participation.
Back in Ohio, where I was somewhat interested in local politics, someone
once asked if the Medina Township Trustees could send a newsletter to the
residents informing them of local issues. A public official responded that
they had investigated the possibility, but the law prohibited them from
spending taxpayer dollars on such mailings. Other options include the
officials paying for mailings out of their own pockets, or accepting
sponsorship/advertising for such newsletters. Do we see the potential of
the tail wagging the dog here?
This issue ties into issues of quality media, which have also been
discussed here recently. Isn't it the job of our elected officials to
govern? And isn't it the role of the media to keep the public informed on
major issues? If the media were doing a better job, public participation
might be better.
Example: In Pullman, the University applied for a state permit to build a
new medical waste incinerator. Public notices were posted, as required by
law, in newspapers, but the papers did little, if anything, to cover the
issue until a last-minute effort, organized by word of mouth, was mounted
by citizens to oppose the facility. Proper media coverage might have
resulted in hundreds, instead of dozens, of comments to the Department of
Environment. You'd think with the issues involved--animal & medical
wastes, an existing facility in violation of the law, a proposed facility
that would still emit dioxin, furans, radiation, & heavy metals, etc., that
there was a good story there. But it takes effort to investigate such a
complex issue, and the media interests are arguably beholden to many of the
same interests that sway public officials, hence the silence from both camps.
FYI, an appeal to the incinerator proposal resulted in a settlement that
should substantially reduce, if not eliminate, highly toxic emissions from
the incinerator. Public participation can change things, even in spite of
the silence of the media and the governing powers that be.
Bob Hoffmann
229 East C St., Suite B
Moscow, ID 83843 USA
Phone: (208) 883-0642
Fax: 1-800-683-3799
http://www.alt-escape.com
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