THE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL

 A MILKMAID had been out to milk the cows and was returning from the field with the shining milk pail balanced nicely on her head. As she walked along, her pretty head was busy with plans for the days to come.

"This good, rich milk," she reused, "will give me plenty of cream to churn. The butter I make I will take to market, and with the money I get for it I will buy a lot of eggs for hatching. How nice it will be when they are all hatched and the yard is full of fine young chicks. Then when May day comes I will sell them, and with the money I'll buy a lovely new dress to wear to the fair. All the young men will look at me. They will come and try to make love to me,—but I shall very quickly send them about their business!"

As she thought of how she would settle that matter, she tossed her head scornfully, and down fell the pail of milk to the ground. And all the milk flowed out, and with it vanished butter and eggs and chicks and new dress and all the milkmaid's pride.

Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

FABLE: THE FROGS WHO WISHED FOR A KING

 

 THE FROGS were tired of governing themselves. They had so much freedom that it had spoiled them, and they did nothing but sit around croaking in a bored manner and wishing for a government that could entertain them with the pomp and display of royalty, and rule them in a way to make them know they were being ruled. No milk and water government for them, they declared. So they sent a petition to Jupiter asking for a king.

Jupiter saw what simple and foolish creatures they were, but to keep them quiet and make them think they had a king he threw down a huge log, which fell into the water with a great splash. The Frogs hid themselves among the reeds and grasses, thinking the new king to be some fearful giant. But they soon discovered how tame and peaceable King Log was. In a short time the younger Frogs were using him for a diving platform, while the older Frogs made him a meeting place, where they complained loudly to Jupiter about the government.

To teach the Frogs a lesson the ruler of the gods now sent a Crane to be king of Frogland. The Crane proved to be a very different sort of king from old King Log. He gobbled up the poor Frogs right and left and they soon saw what fools they had been. I n mournful croaks they begged Jupiter to take away the cruel tyrant before they should all be destroyed.




"How now!" cried Jupiter "Are you not yet content? You have what you asked for and so you have only yourselves to blame for your misfortunes."
Be sure you can better your condition before you seek to change.

"Plan Bay Area is Racist" - testimony from Walnut Creek 4/22/2013 (This is the "disruption" that the MTC wants to avoid in public meetings).

What are Joint Powers Authorities?

Joint Powers Authorities(JPAs) have been called the "Shadow Government". They are "governments of governments",  which are made up of appointed officials of member governments.  They have no direct voter accountability.  Although individual politicians can be recalled, citizens cannot recall the entire JPA.   It therefore becomes an effective "Administrative State" with massive powers to tax and create government policy and no citizens can thwart it's power.   Essentially, it is "extra-constitutional" in many critic's eyes.

Here is the Citizen's Guide to Joint Powers Authority to help you understand.

Children sit under the American flag and watch the puppets on stage in amazement,
 never seeing the puppet master behind the curtain.

THE CAT, THE COCK, AND THE YOUNG MOUSE

 

  A VERY young Mouse, who had never seen anything of the world, almost came to grief the very first time he ventured out. And this is the story he told his mother about his adventures.
"I was strolling along very peaceably when, just as I turned the corner into the next yard, I saw two strange creatures. One of them had a very kind and gracious look, but the other was the most fearful monster you can imagine. You should have seen him.



"On top of his head and in front of his neck hung pieces of raw red meat. He walked about restlessly, tearing up the ground with his toes, and beating his arms savagely against his sides. The moment he caught sight of me he opened his pointed mouth as if to swallow me, and then he let out a piercing roar that frightened me almost to death."

  Can you guess who it was that our young Mouse was trying to describe to his mother? It was nobody but the Barnyard Cock and the first one the little Mouse had ever seen.

"If it had not been for that terrible monster," the Mouse went on, " I should have made the acquaintance of the pretty creature, who looked so good and gentle. He had thick, velvety fur, a meek face, and a look that was very modest, though his eyes were bright and shining. As he looked at me he waved his fine long tail and smiled.
"I am sure he was just about to speak to me when the monster I have told you about let out a screaming yell, and I ran for my life."
"My son," said the Mother Mouse, "that gentle creature you saw was none other than the Cat. Under his kindly appearance, he bears a grudge against every one of us. The other was nothing but a bird who wouldn't harm you in the least. As for the Cat, he eats us. So be thankful, my child, that you escaped with your life, and, as long as you live, never judge people by their looks."

Do not trust alone to outward appearances.

Fable: The Fox and the Stork

One day, Mister Fox invited Miss Stork for dinner.
Miss Stork was very pleased with the invitation and accepted.
However, Mister Fox only pretended to be a gentleman and had a very sly personality.
He thought about how he could deceive Miss Stork.
Mister Fox prepared a delicious soup. He arranged the food on flat plates.


It was impossible for Miss Stork to eat from the plate with her long beak.
Any effort from the stork to try to grip some food was useless. Miss Stork was so very sad.
Mister Fox could easily finish his plate with his lapping muzzle.

A few days later, Miss Stork returned the invitation from Mister Fox.
Without a moment of hesitation, he replied that he would go to Miss Stork’s dinner party.
He hurried to be right on time.
Mister Fox praised the politeness of Miss Stork for the re-invitation.
Miss Stork was preparing wonderful meat. She cut the meat in bitesize pieces.
The appetizing smell made his desire for the food irresistable. Mister Fox was very hungry.
But Miss Stork had made her plan how to serve dinner.
She had thought about how she could torture the fox.
She arranged the food into tall and slim vases.

For the stork, it was a convenient way of eating.
Her long beak could go in and out the vase easily.
By all means, the snout of the fox wouldn’t enter the vase.
Mister Fox left the dinner party with drooping head and tail,
The hungry guest had to leave without having any food.
Miss Stork had her revenge on Mister Fox.

 

Moral of Aesops Fable: "One bad turn deserves another."

 

Activists reject the CASA compact

Why I'm Not Signing the CASA Contract

Ellen Wu, Urban Habitat

Tuesday January 29, 2019 - 09:50:00 PM

Two years ago, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) invited me to be part of the Steering Committee for CASA, a committee dedicated to identifying and acting on regional solutions to the Bay Area’s housing affordability crisis.

At Urban Habitat, we knew this was important work. Everyone is feeling effects of the housing crisis, and we saw participating in CASA as an opportunity to advance racial equity, raise consciousness around historic and continued regional segregation, and fight displacement.

We worked with our partners at every step. We co-convened the 6 Wins for Social Equity Network and, together, advocated for a “tenant protection first” approach. We knew it was critical to first stabilize gentrifying communities so that existing residents can prosper in place, and then work to preserve and produce deeply affordable housing.

MTC is currently collecting signatures for the final CASA Compact from the Co-Chairs and Steering Committee. My signature will not be on it.

Unfortunately, while the final Compact includes much-needed tenant protections and affordable housing revenue proposals, it falls short in protecting vulnerable communities from the risk of continued displacement.

Policymakers need to put in place strong tenant protection policies before introducing any up-zoning and streamlining of market-rate housing. In addition, no up-zoning or streamlining should take place in communities at risk for displacement and gentrification. These places should be identified based on a geographical analysis developed with meaningful community engagement.

Elements of the CASA Compact will now be turned into state bills. As these bills move through the state legislative process, we must continue advocating for solutions to the housing crisis that are rooted in racial justice, self-determination, and de-commodified housing alternatives. Beyond CASA, Urban Habitat will deepen our collective political analysis so that we can develop visionary land and housing strategies, and stop false solutions that continue to tear apart low-income communities and communities of color.

Solano MTC rep votes NO on CASA compact

FABLES: King Canute on the Seashore

by: James Baldwin, The Book of Virtues

Long ago, England was ruled by a king named Canute. Like many leaders and men of power, Canute was surrounded by people who were always praising him. 

Every time he walked into a room, the flattery began. "You are the greatest man that ever lived," one would say. "O king, there can never be another as mighty as you," another would insist. "Your highness, there is nothing you cannot do," someone would smile. "Great Canute, you are the monarch of all," another would sing. "Nothing in this world dares to disobey you." 

The king was a man of sense, and he grew tired of hearing such foolish speeches. One day he was walking by the seashore, and his officers and courtiers were with him, praising him as usual. Canute decided to teach them a lesson. 

"So you say I am the greatest man in the world?" he asked them. "O king," they cried, "there never has been anyone as mighty as you, and there never be anyone so great, ever again!" "And you say all things obey me?" Canute asked. "Absolutely!" they said. "The world bows before you, and gives you honor." "I see," the king answered. "In that case, bring me my chair, and we will go down to the water." "At once, your majesty!" They scrambled to carry his royal chair over the sands. 

"Bring it closer to the sea," Canute called. "Put it right here, right at the water's edge." He sat down and surveyed the ocean before him. "I notice the tide is coming in. Do you think it will stop if I give the command?" 

His officers were puzzled, but they did not dare say no. "Give the order, O great king, and it will obey," one of then assured him. "Very well. Sea," cried Canute, "I command you to come no further! Waves, stop your rolling!. Surf, stop your pounding! Do not dare touch my feet!" He waited a moment, quietly, and a tiny wave rushed up the sand and lapped at his feet. "How dare you!" Canute shouted. "Ocean, turn back now! I have ordered you to retreat before me, and now you must obey! Go back!" 

And in answer another wave swept forward and curled around the king's feet. The tide came in, just as it always did. The water rose higher and higher. It came up around the king's chair, and wet not only his feet, but also his robe. His officers stood before him, alarmed, and wondering whether he was not mad. 

"Well, my friends," Canute said, "it seems I do not have quite so much power as you would have me believe. Perhaps you have learned something today. Perhaps now you will remember there is only one King who is all-powerful, and it is he who rules the sea, and holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand. I suggest you reserve your praises for him." The royal officers and courtiers hung their heads and looked foolish. And some say Canute took off his crown soon afterward, and never wore it again.

"Jake MacKenzie's Mighty Fall from Grace" is just a first of many stories to come

INTERVIEW: Jake Mackenzie Responds To His Ouster From Two Regional Transportation Boards

 JANUARY 24, 2019  MORNING NEWS, PODCASTS, TOP STORIES

    

Photo courtesy of Jake Mackenzie.

Rohnert Park City Councilman Jake Mackenzie was stripped of his position on the SMART Train Board and the Sonoma County Transportation Authority. He begins by describing exactly what he believes happened, his disappointment over the results of the proceedings, the reason he believes he was shut out from his longtime positions in transportation, how he responds to the notion that they may have wished for a fresh approach to the position, and how he plans to work with the Council going forward:

 listen HERE

Editor's Note: The Jake MacKenzie ouster is being picked up by the media.  Apparently the videos I created about his statements in favor of the CASA compact made the rounds.  Not only did he keep the CASA compact hidden from his fellow council people, he also refused to convey the sentiments of the council.   He is a corrupt, out of touch politician who has forgotten what public service means.  Referring to himself as "William Wallace" is a laugh.  William Wallace fought the corrupt King Edward I for Scottish independence and paid for it with his life.  If anything, MacKenzie is more like the toady loyalists to the Crown that betrayed their countrymen for the taste of power.  B.S. with a Scottish Brogue.

ᐧ

Payback is a b*tch. Rohnert Park de thrones Jake MacKenzie.

Jake McKenzie was passed over for nomination to the Sonoma County Transportation Commission and the SMART board. at the January 22, 2019 Rohnert Park City Council meeting.  Jake MacKenzie, long time council member and  chairman of the MTC CASA Compact committee shocked the community on 1/8/2019 when he approved the CASA compact which among other things could cost Rohnert Park 15 million dollars per year.   He did not inform his fellow board members during the two years of negotiations at MTC.  Although fellow council people tried to cover up their disappointment,  all agreed unanimously that he abused his responsibility to Rohert Park citizens. This marks the end of an era in Sonoma County regional politics for Jake MacKenzie even though he will still serve his term as director for MTC.

https://youtu.be/E8c22z2zMZ8

You may recall the councils negative reaction to Jake MacKenzie "forgetting" to regularly inform his board during the 2 years of negotiations of the CASA compact.  The council was very upset...

https://youtu.be/XYwDTpyS3Rw

ᐧ

The CASA Compact written by big cities/developers but nofiscal analysis

The CASA compact is a joke!

Rohnert Park, CA Vice Mayor tells fellow councilperson, Jake MacKenzie who serves as the MTC chairperson for the CASA compact, that MTC's plan is a joke.

The Suburbs: Planners, Smart Growth and the Manhattan Illusion

Excellent 6 minute video critique of Smart Growth in Southern California

 "If you really believe that suburbs are going to die, then let them die, and let the market address the situation" says Joel Kotkin, Chapman University professor and urban planning specialist.

But letting the market work is far from ideal for California's regional planners and local politicians, who want almost 70 percent of new housing over the next 25 years to be multi-unit apartment-style dwelliings, despite the facts that more than half of Southern California households reside in a single-family home and that more people are leaving California than are coming in.

"In a great nation like ours, you can't let people do what they want. It has to be coordinated," says Hasan Ikhrata, the executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). Ikhrata's group, which directs planning for the Southern California region via subsidies and contracting with big developers, foresees a future in which Southern California is dense, full of high-rise buildings, and connected by rail, much like New York City.

The problem is, LA isn't New York. No city but New York is New York, and attempts to force high-density, New York-style development onto areas that don't need it can result in terrible unintended consequences.

"Many people see a light rail and think the San Francisco trolley line," says Damien Goodmon, spokesman for the Crenshaw Subway Coalition. He lives in LA's historical black neighborhood Leimert Park and has seen the effects bad planning can have on established communities.

"You can have transit riders and still destroy a community," says Goodmon.

And the ultimate irony of the unending push for high-density planning in sprawling Southern California is that while, yes, Manhattan is denser than LA, if you zoom out a bit, LA-Long Beach-Anaheim is already the densest urban region in the United States. That happened without any sustained, conscious high-density housing development or state-of-the-art rail transit.

"One of the things that happens when you force this kind of high-density development is you destroy the very urban neighborhoods that retain the middle class," says Kotkin. "The neighborhoods have to fight this kind of guerilla-style."

Marin is greenwashing urban growth.

CASA compact explained to League of California Cities

The Politics of CASA and a Warning to Bay Area Governments

To find out about the real housing politics of MTCs CASA organization, check this out talk by Zelda Bronstein at Livable California meeting on Dec 8, 2018. MTC is the equivalent of SCAG and CASA is a committee made up of hand picked insiders in development, labor, and the affordable housing industry. They call this "democracy". I call it a corrupt collection of lobbyists.

MTC to discuss affordable housing at posh Sonoma retreat

Editorial: MTC to discuss affordable housing at posh Sonoma retreat

Metropolitan Transportation Commission holding $29,000 taxpayer-funded meeting at Wine Country inn

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn is known for its fine-dining restaurant, Sante, and luxurious accommodations. (SonomaCounty.com)
By MERCURY NEWS & EAST BAY TIMES EDITORIAL BOARDS |
PUBLISHED: November 27, 2018 at 6:15 am | UPDATED: November 27, 2018 at 6:20 am


Talk about tone-deaf.

Members and staff of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission are holding a $29,000 taxpayer-funded, overnight retreat this week at the posh Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, where the first order of business will include discussion of affordable housing.

Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up.

Seventeen of the 21 commission members are expected to attend. Of those, 14 are expected to stay overnight, including Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. In addition, 15 commission staff members will attend and 12 will stay overnight.

The email invitation to commissioners calls for meeting from 1-5 p.m. on Wednesday and 8:30-noon on Thursday. Participants, who were offered single or double accommodations, will be provided meals and a night’s lodging at the resort, which is known for its spa, Michelin-rated restaurant and the neighboring Sonoma Golf Club.

It’s great that commissioners want to engage in serious discussion of policy issues. But the 7 1/2 hours of planned meetings could have, and should have, been held in one day in downtown San Francisco, where the transportation commission two years ago moved into a new $256 million regional government building.

The building was masterminded by outgoing Executive Director Steve Heminger, who deceived the public about the deal. The state auditor slammed MTC for bogus accounting on the project. And the state Legislature’s attorney questioned the legality of using bridge tolls for the building.

The least the commission could do is use the building, which is accessible by public transportation, for its meetings rather than gallivanting off to Wine Country. Especially just as it’s about to raise bridge tolls by another dollar Jan. 1.

But that’s not the mindset at MTC, where money seems to be no object to the executive director. It was Heminger who flew around the world on top-priced airline tickets at public expense. Fortunately, he plans to retire at the end of February. As we’ve said before, his departure can’t come soon enough.

All of this might have been easier to swallow if MTC were doing a good job. But have you looked at the Bay Area’s traffic lately? Or ridden public transit? Commutes take longer. Tolls are going up. Fares and property taxes are escalating.

MTC desperately needs fresh leadership. Commissioners are in the process of recruiting a new executive director. Heminger was an inside hire, promoted after his boss, Lawrence Dahms, retired in 2000. Between them, they have led the agency since 1977. Clearly it’s time for outside perspective.

But as the Sonoma Mission Inn extravagance shows, the commissioners are also part of the problem — equally out of touch with the reality of the commuters they serve.

In addition to Schaaf and Liccardo, the other commissioners staying overnight are: Damon Connolly, Marin County supervisor; Jim Spering, Solano County supervisor; Scott Haggerty, Alameda County supervisor; Warren Slocum, San Mateo County supervisor; Jeannie Bruins, Los Altos City Council; Carol Dutra-Vernaci, Union City mayor; Jake Mackenzie, Rohnert Park City Council; Julie Pierce, Clayton City Council; Amy Worth, Orinda City Council; Tony Tavares, California Transportation Department; Dorene M. Giacopini, U.S. Transportation Department; and Ann Halsted, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

Most of them are selected for the commission by city or county officials from their regions. Perhaps it’s time for elected board members. Maybe if they were directly accountable to the voters they would have been sensitive to the cost and the optics of this two-day extravagance.

MTC "We can raise taxes without going through the voters"

MTC "We can raise taxes without going through the voters"

Damon Connolly asks how small cities will receive housing funds and gets this surprising response

at the MTC Program Allocations Committee on Oct 24, 2018

The CASA technical committee full meeting Oct 17, 2018

Aesops Tale , The Wolf and the Lamb

The Wolf and The Lamb.
Once upon a time a Wolf was lapping at a spring on a hillside, when, looking up, what should he see but a Lamb just beginning to drink a little lower down. "There's my supper," thought he, "if only I can find some excuse to seize it." Then he called out to the Lamb, "How dare you muddle the water from which I am drinking?"

"Nay, master, nay," said Lambikin; "if the water be muddy up there, I cannot be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to me."

"Well, then," said the Wolf, "why did you call me bad names this time last year?"

"That cannot be," said the Lamb; "I am only six months old."

"I don't care," snarled the Wolf; "if it was not you it was your father;" and with that he rushed upon the poor little Lamb and .WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA .ate her all up. But before she died she gasped out ."Any excuse will serve a tyrant."

------------------------------------------------------------------
A wolf comes upon a lamb and, in order to justify taking its life, accuses it of various misdemeanours, all of which the lamb proves to be impossible. Losing patience, it says the offences must have been committed by someone else in the family and that it does not propose to delay its meal by enquiring any further about the matter. The morals drawn are that the tyrant can always find an excuse for his tyranny and that the unjust will not listen to the reasoning of the innocent

Tax Scheme to raise BILLIONS of dollars for developers

Private Developer,  Michael Corvarrubias speaks to MTC CASA technical committee about a proposal to raise BILLIONS annually from San Francisco bay area residents and businesses to fund affordable housing.  The CASA technical committee consists of industry insiders and appointed politicians.  Absent from this group are taxpayers. They had hoped to raise THREE times the amount.  This is a sick.  It will tax millions of people out of their homes, enrich a few and wreck havoc on the local economy.   It is time to sound the alarm.