"Too Far Left?"

Not wanting to clutter up perfectly good dialogs like the School Calendar posting with unrelated comments, I am starting a new thread to examine the comments that some people view this blog as "too far Left". Answers Please is the most recent blogger to make that statement on the Calendar topic, but it appears in other places.

Personally, I don't see it. Not only are there heated comments on both sides of most issues that lend credence to the overall balance of the blog, but given the local flavor of the issues it is often hard to clearly see a left-right spectrum. For example, some might say that design review, zoning, and placing conditions on developments is restricting private property rights and therefore "leftist". Some have. But it is equally true that a capitalist who is interested in maximizing the value of his private property could support these things because they raise the overall value of the neighborhood or the commercial district. There are plenty of examples of such a price premium in real estate markets that have tighter restrictions. That thinking couldn't be "leftist" since it is clearly capitalist.

The same can be said for people's opinions on bi-lingualism in America or Burlingame. I can't imagine that only leftists' kids are taking a foreign language in our schools. And I see plenty of job postings that require a second language at large companies. Are these capitalist institutions abandoning their roots? I think not.

Is being opposed to housing on the Bayfront "leftist" if someone thinks it will protect the Bay from pollution and the city from lots of crosstown traffic that pollutes? Is it "right-wing" if they oppose it because they believe their taxes will sky-rocket to pay for new sewers, police, and schools. Is there any difference?

So is saying the blog is "too far left" just name calling or is there something to it?

- Written by anson

Comments

[Barney Rubble]

To say there is not a prevalence of leftist ideas on this site is simply false. Ideas of government intrusion on private property, historical preservation, encouraging public transportation and walking over the use of automobiles, preserving trees at the expense of developement, promoting mom-and-pop shops over national chains etc.. You may question why these are considered leftist but the fact is they are and they abound on this site. If it wasn't for Fred's solitary voice from the right, one would actually start to think these are main-stream ideas. The regulars on this site are to the left of center on most issues and to argue otherwise makes no sense.

[mary]

I'm sorry but it will take more than just you saying so to convince me. Can you actually construct an argument to show me why? Anson has his argument as to why not--show me yours as to why. I do question why the things you mention are leftist--tell me. Personally, as a committed capitalist in the investment business, I'm mainly interested in the result, not the means. If these things cause our property to appreciate faster than Foster City or Millbrae, I'm all for them.

[mary]

And by the way, maybe Barney can explain why buying up private property at below-market rates to turn it into government subsidized parking is NOT leftist?

[Answers Please]

I'm a Democrat who likes a spriited discussion. If race or religion are factors in a decision (like possibly in the school calendar) then they should be aired. My comments of too far left come from the fact that others want to shut down a discussion because race or religion make them uncomfortable. Evaluate an argument based upon its merits, not its political position. The Right currently controls the government and many states east (to the right) of California. The blog is not too far left, but some comments are made to shut down free speach.

[Joanne]

No one is shutting down free speech. You have the right to post here anonymously and say whatever you'd like. No one is afraid of talking about race and religion...but when race or religion is used as a wedge, don't be surprised if someone else finds it divisive. Merry Christmas!

[Joanne]

Or, for the sake of discussion, we could assume that "Answers Please" comment is correct: The SMUHSD changed the school calendar to accommodate Hispanic families and their desire to take off the first week of January. For the sake of discussion, we'll assume that's true. Now the question is: So what? What is the relevance? What was your point, Answers Please?

[Joe Baylock]

For the record, the editorial board of the Burlingame Voice is a bipartisan group. That's one of the beauties of our little group and one of the reasons the blog stays so well-balanced in my opinion.

As for preservation being leftist or capitalist, there is an interesting article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal regarding "Midcentury Modern" homes by architects such as Richard Neutra and John Lautner. There are a couple Neutra homes in the Burlingame-Hillsborough area. I'm not aware of any Lautners. The thrust of the article is that such homes are appreciating much faster than less distinct, less historic properties. The Journal lists a few others:

Howard Meyer, Dallas: People here knock on doors to see if owners of homes by this architect are willing to sell...some can sell for 25% more than comparable properties.

Al Beadle, Phoenix: Beadle designed using steel frames and foundations on stilts. Price appreciation for his projects is outpacing the local market.

Paul Hayden Kirk, Seattle: Houses by this Northwest modern architect can fetch 10% to 15% more than comparable homes, but in the current hot real-estate market some are being torn down.

The article goes on "Likewise, prices for homes in Arapahoe Acres, a (Frank Lloyd) Wright-inspired subdivision in Denver rose 16% this year according to the MLS. Median-home prices in Denver rose 4% according to the Board of Realtors. 'After 25 years of McMansions, people are looking for unique homes,' says broker Craig Meyer." It goes on to relay similar stories for Houston, San Diego, Portland, Cinncinati.

This all sounds like regular, vanilla capitalism to me. Find undervalued assets, fix them up or advertise them better and generate a capital gain. We are seeing the same effect in Burlingame where Don Lembi once said "the Burlingame bungalow is dead" and realtors now trumpet the fact that a local house is Mission-style or an Arts and Crafts bungalow. Some of them aren't even really those styles, but are close enough to tag along for the upward ride.

[visitor]

I think of conservatism mainly as being against big governement - on the state and federal level. And I agree that California is extremely liberal as is the San Fransisco Bay Area. But this blog is not what I would call liberal as a whole. Local issues are important and local government and citizen efforts can be very results oriented and effective. Federal and State efforts more often than not lead to wasted money and less results than the planners had hoped for. Conservatives don't want their taxes to go into the federal wasteland of pork budgets. Tax money that stays local is much more valuable to us as citizens of this city. Local initiatives are quite different and for this reason I would not classify the issues debated here as being conservative/liberal. San Francisco, on the other hand, just passed an initiative to outlaw the ownership of guns by private citizens. That is liberal. The kinds of things being talked about and discussed on this blog are not those types of issues by and large.

I think the discussion here is interesting and extremely informative. I appreciate those who spend the time to put their $0.02 in.

I think the last two writers put well the discussion at hand. It isn't about being liberal/conservative. The Burilngame Voice helps people figure out how best to make Burlingame a place where people visit and make their home.

In keeping Burlingame charming, the property values and thus, the interest in shopkeepers and merchants remains high. This pro-community and pro-business atmosphere is a perfect balance in keeping the town charming and profitable for the citizens.

It also keeps down the temptation to tax property owners with parcel taxes or hidden fees, and allows the visitors and customers to help keep our city vital through use-taxes based on their interest in purchasing goods.

I think this is a wonderful balance for our town, the citizens, our merchants and our visitors.

Pete

[fred]

Capitalism - In common usage it refers to an economic system in which all or most of the means of production are privately owned and operated (commonly for profit), and where investments, production, distribution, income, and prices are determined largely through the operation of a "free market" rather than by centralized state control (as in a command economy).

Laissez-faire capitalism is the doctrine that markets function to the greatest good when government does not thwart the operation of free markets through intervention.

*****

In my opinion, what is usually promoted on this website is not capitalism but socialism. Socialism advocates substantial public involvement in business. Capitalism promotes profit as the benefit of business, not property values (which I understand can reap profit but that is not the intent of most businesses, except under extraneous circumstances).

Capitalism is private investment and little government intervention - a free market system. This website often promotes government intervention - the Safeway construction, the area specific plan, mixed use development. They don't want to wait and let the market dictate change, they feel that the public must actively guide the future of this town. A difficult and possibly costly venture considering there are so many uncertainties and varibles involved in any business or economic change. Usually why the free market is successful - the failures and successes dictate the changes.

Many people want to see the town emulate European communities. Well, they are mainly socialist and that causes them a disadvantage in the global economy. A free market system has always provided the USA an advantage in the global economy (especially over Europe), but that seems to be a problem currently not just locally but across the nation. Jobs lost to overseas competitors like India and industrial giants like China. America is slowly becoming less of an industrialized heavyweight, the steel industry is gone, the big three automakers are in trouble. We may end up in the same boat as Europe with high taxes and tariffs, out of control pensions and welfare costs, loss of productivity.

The clearest example of local government shooting itself in the foot is the third runway at SFO. The bay area needs the it. The runway would benefit the local economy in many ways, but it will probably never get built and it makes the area less of a global player. It will keep the area stagnant and allow other areas to become the technological hubs of the world.

Is this site a little to the left? Yes, of course - come on, please, seriously...

Will too much government intervention help or hurt the local economy? I think we will find out someday.

Property values are pretty secure though, we live on a thin strip of land between 101 and 280 and as Will Rogers said, "Buy land. They ain't makin' any more of the stuff." What will effect home prices though are the local and national economies.

[fred]

A majority of these businesses rent so actually higher property values are a deterrent because they also mean higher rent factors. As property values go up it is actually harder for many of these mom and pop stores to stay in business as the rents increase.

Don't get me wrong though, higher property values and attractive areas are important and well worth it in the long run for business and resident alike.

You bring up some interesting points, Fred, and I agree with a lot of what you've said. However, I disagree with some issues that are quality of life issues, at least for me. Capitalism is great, as long as it can co-exist with quality of life. Where Americans miss out is when they mix up the push/impulses to buy buy buy, with what really will make them happy in life. I think it is a quest that is never completely satisfying.

That is where the europeans, though in a slump for a variety of reasons, are leaps and bounds ahead of us. While an american will often use leisure time to shop, a european may relish in time spent with family and friends. Shopping is by far not as convenient. Stores are most often closed on Sundays, a time that is considered sacred. Those who have been to America, and experienced what it is like to be able to shop around the clock, may consider this paradise. But a closer look reveals that this is a veneer.

Americans really have no down-time to speak of. Some don't even take vacation. I imagine that there are even some restaurants/shops that are open on Christmas, because somebody would like to make money on those day. While I don't mean to be judgemental of my fellow countrymen, I think that we spend far to much time trying to find happiness in material items (and I am as guilty as the next.) The bigger the house, the car, or whatever, the better. Our things become a reflection of ourselves and our esteem. Just look at the average sized home in the area, and you will see what I mean. At the same time, with focus on thyself only, people have become more rude and outrageous to each other, than anytime that I can remember.

Interesting that you brought up the runway, because I was just discussing this issue with someone. I like to call the push for the runway (circa 2000, Willie's World.) I know that some of my friends left the area because they were not in agreement with what seemed like a done deal, to fill in a large area of the Bay, and sacrifice what they considered to be a major asset to the area, our Bay and the environment around it. Amazingly, when scandal after scandal hit about consultant fees etc., and the economy tanked (the only reason I think we, in fact, didn't end up with the fill), the airport shortly thereafter managed to use technology to accomodate the air traffic control issues. I don't know everything there is to know about runways, but that bothered me. I don't know about you, but I don't like being told that there is only one way to do something, and then when that doesn't work, miraculously, there is another, cheaper and less destructive way to accomplish this. But hey, nobody (consultant, developer, etc) makes money when the runways aren't built.

I imagine the conversation isn't over, and though King Willie isn't around pushing for it, others will. If those huge european planes want to land here, we'll start the debate all over. My thought is that we need to decide if the benefits outweigh the risks. At some point, we have lost out on qualitative issues, and life is so fast paced that many don't even notice it. You will call me a nimby, (and feel free to do so,) but I'd rather stick with what we have and make it function as well as it can, and not fill in anymore of the Bay. I believe that people (business and tourists) will come here anyway, even if they need to switch planes somewhere else. We may lose out on tax dollars, but at some point, you sell yourself and have nothing left to give. That's just my opinion.

[Joanne]

I don't think the issues can be framed anymore as "left" or "right". In his book, The Lexus and The Olive Tree, Thomas Friedman argued that much of our political language is outdated. He came up with a new matrix based on where one stands on globalization. The horizontal continuum was separatists on the left (Anti-Nafta people and most trade unions) and integrationists on the right (those who want the free global markets to have free reign) On the vertical axis it was a question of how much government should adopt policies to ease some of the pain of the globalization process (at the top are the "Let-them-eat-cakers" and on the bottom are the Social-Safety Netters). Friedman wrote his book in 1999 so some of his examples are already a little outdated but his examples were: Separatist/Social-Safety-Netter Dick Gephardt:, Integrationist/Social-Safety-Netter Bill Clinton; Separtatist/Let-Them-Eat-Caker Ross Perot; Integationist/Let-Them-Eat-Caker Newt Gingrich.
For Burlingame it seems to be that our matrix is made up of two major concerns: Design Review and Supports for Small Business. So on the horizontal design review continuum we'd have the "Property Owners Rule" on the right (who don't think anyone should be told what to do with their property) and "Community Rules" on the left who think that all building projects should be subject to community input for all aspects (size, design, use, etc.) Then on the vertical business axis we would have the "Market Rules" folks who are comfortable letting Burlingame Avenue turn into 100 % chain stores if that is what the market tended to dictate and the "Protect the Small Business Owners" on the other hand who feel there is a social worth in trying to put in supports to protect small businesses because they tend to keep the profits in the community, etc.
So, some of our outgoing politicians would probably be in the quartile that supports Market Rules/Property Owners Rule; some like Rosalie, are probably more in the Market Rules/Community Rules quartile (or at least closer down the continuum away from the total Property Owners Rule); and some are more in the Community Rules/Protect Small Business Owners.....We might also have some Property Owners Rule (no design review) but Supports for Small Business types...I don't know.
Unfortunately most of our dialoque has been stuck in the extremes....Dick Gephart type Democrats or Newt Gingrich type Republicans...most of what those two extremes have to offer in terms of discussion are not helpful anymore. We'd do better to just describe the issues specifically and where we stand rather than sling labels at each other like spaghetti against a wall.
By the way, I got a kick out of Answers Please saying (in a derogatory manner) that this blog was "too far left." Since when has that been a "put down" in the Bay Area?!

[Joanne]

PS for Fred. I agree with you (!) that Europe's economy has been killed by protectionist laws and trade unions. On the other hand, I don't want a total free market economy to rule on a local level (which carried to its extreme would mean no urban planning, no control on the mix of businesses etc.) Is it possible to be a free-market global integrationist (to use Friedman's terms) and STILL want strong, architectural review and good urban planning at a community level and some sort of support for local businesses?

[visitor]

European problems are are result of the state and the European Union. They are not the result of local communities that debate the direction of their towns. I trust people to take care of their own communites. Burlingame can react fairly quickly and nimbly to local issues. San Francisco, the State and the Feds cannot.

Fred, SFO needs another runway like Millbrae needed a Bart station. You seem to think another runway is 'capitalism' yet you ignore the fact that the runway is being built by the governement. I would not trust them to go ahead until the local citizens think this is of value to their community. Citizens are helpless against governement run institutions like the airport. You seem confused.

By the way. There is an airport in San Jose and Oakland. That seems like quite a bit of traffic in the Bay Area.

In addition, the tram (or whatever it is called) that takes people to the rental car area at SFO was a waste of money and inconvenient for visitors. Talk about bad for business. Every single person who uses it complains about it. The fact that Bart goes to the Internation Terminal is absurd - nobody takes Bart to fly international. I don't trust the goverment to decide whether another runway should be built.

[fred]

Visitor, confused? Burlingame can react fairly quickly and nimbly to local issues? When was that? (lip firmly placed between teeth)

[fred]

Just kidding by the way, I can think of quick action by the local government.

[Joe Baylock]

Let's not mix up envying the walkability of the central business districts in many European cities and towns with the socialist form of governments that run those towns a the moment. Much of the urban designs date from before the rise of socialism and there are certainly a lot of good modern examples that come from elsewhere (Australia has a few).