Mitch: A rebut

Mitch has begun writing for The Vancouver Manifesto and I already disagree with some points in his first post.

First and foremost, that is SOME disclosure: “I will say that I am a supporter of the Federal Liberal Party, and I am also a supporter of the Provincial Liberals”

I’m a little disappointed that my new writer has come out of the closet but, to be fair, while I’ll vote NDP through and through I don’t necessarily feel like the NDPs are saints either. They the lesser of three evils, really. Likewise, Obama is the lesser of two- let us not have any illusions that the so called “left” in our political system is left enough to change the system. The left that we have to choose from is always highly moderated. There isn’t really a left that any true progressive can really feel proud of.

Now let’s looks at the rest of this list:

• We need bars that stay open later with patios that do not close at 11
True, but let us be careful that we keep the range of activities that do NOT include drinking open. Excluding my two can-do-no-wrong cities (San Francisco and Montreal), places that have a lot of bars open late also have nothing much else to do. Which creates a city of drunks. I think activities, amenities themselves need to be more available and accessible at all hours, not only bars.

• We need to utilize our waterways more effectively for both transit and goods movement
Mitch, feel free to elaborate. Vancouver is a port city. We’re good at being a port, no?

• We need 24 hour bus service in the whole region especially south of the Fraser river.
24 hour bus, but limited service. It is true, Vancouver’s density just isn’t great enough for critical mass on public transit. Unfortunately it is sometimes a chicken or egg argument. If we build it will they come? Or do they need to come before we build? Transportation is expensive. It needs to be an appropriate transit for the amount of people there. For example, I am wholly against a rapid transit line going to UBC. Yes it is a busy street and YES we will need it eventually. But to have a heavy expensive project that will gut up the busiest street outside of downtown is ridiculous. We have other transit needs, why screw with a system that already works when there are so many other weaknesses in other areas? Just bust more B-lines along the way. As a person who has both been squished and harassed on the B-line, I still think it is the best system out there for the Broadway corridor

• We need some form of affordable housing for those of us who are trying to buy our first places.
To mirror ursa minor, “then why the hell are you damning yourself by supporting the Liberals?
We need affordable housing period. And to be frank, I’m glad that regular people are feeling the squeeze. It is about time that the middle class feel the squeeze and realize that it is not only a poor man’s problem. Our housing unaffordability is everyone’s problem and as incomes polarize and they fail to rise with the cost of living all of us get damned with the housing question. We’ve got a terrible lack of people who are fighting for affordable housing but as more middle class professionals find themselves marginalized from the housing market there is a possibility for greater mobilization.

• We need more support for growth and development of the downtown east side
I’m highly suspect of what this statement is trying or not trying to say. Growth and development real estate wise (EcoDensity style), socio-economically or both? We have to be very careful with what we do with the DTES. ANY development and gentrification will occur. No doubt we are seeing that now. I would even say any development on the FRINGE of DTES and we get gentrification. We have to be careful about changing the form and character of the area. There needs to be rehabilitation, not necessarily development. There needs to be density, not necessarily growth. We have to approach the DTES delicately.

So thank you for your contributions, Mitch. But we don’t necessarily agree. Healthy debate makes for better political decisions. TheVancouverManifesto will be posting more of Mitch soon. RECOMMEND this Post on Progressive Bloggers CLICK HERE!