~ Paul Berg ~
2007-08-01 17:11:14 UTC
`
From The Hillsboro (Oregon) Argus - July 31, 2007
Webster's Dictionary defines a hypocrite as "a person who acts in
contradiction to his or her stated beliefs."
Roget's Thesaurus lists these synonyms for hypocrite: charlatan, cheat,
con man, deceiver, fake, four-flusher, fraud, phony, quack, shyster.
None of these words seems adequately diabolical to capture the duplicity
of the City of Portland "smart growthers" who last week jubilantly cut
the ribbon on Portland's newest dreaded big box store.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with big box stores in the minds
of most, Portland's leaders have long decried them as inappropriate for
their little left-wing utopia on the Willamette.
Utter "Wal-Mart" in a group of Portland politicians and they will shun
you as they melt Wizard-of-Oz-witch style into a horrified heap.
Yet, substitute the American company with a Swedish big box furniture
emporium, hang a sign on their building the size of Connecticut (another
violation of smart-growthers' sensibilities), and top it off with the
automobile hater's equivalent of hell on earth (1200 parking spaces),
and Portland's politicians will scurry to celebrate your arrival.
Back in 1999, these same nearsighted visionaries adopted a plan for
Cascade Station to justify the almost $30 million they wanted to spend
on airport light rail expansion. It was going to be a mixed-use
planner's paradise of quaint hotels, boutiques, restaurants, offices,
but under no circumstances would there be ugly car-required big boxes.
Six years later, Cascade Station was another smart growth disaster. They
built it, but none of the politically correct businesses they coveted
came. Cascade Station was a ghost town, less used than even the costly
airport light rail line constructed to bring no one there.
Did big box stores suddenly start to look less grotesque to elitists in
Smartgrowthville? Not exactly. American businesses like Wal-Mart were
still described as the devil incarnate. On the other hand, Ikea, a
Swedish, nonunion, "we do business with China too" furniture giant,
popular with the hoity-toity, was unexpectedly perceived as the ideal
tenant to anchor Utopia.
Perhaps it was the 75 bicycle spaces that transformed this particular
big box store into a boutique in city leaders' eyes. While common sense
dictates most Ikea customers will not be transporting their purchases on
light rail or hauling a new bureau aboard a bike, the ban on this big
box store was lifted.
Planners in Portland-adjacent Washington County on occasion emulate
their neighbor's dimwitted, antibusiness, anticar, antigrowth policies.
However, Oregon's fastest-growing region fortunately has demonstrated
more reason, balance and true economic vision than the closed-minded in
Portland can muster.
Portland's Mayor Potter and his timber industry-loathing entourage
deserved an Oscar for clapping like seals last week at Ikea's "Swedish
log rolling" grand opening ceremony. It was a picture deserving
insertion in the 2008 Webster's dictionary next to the word "hypocrite."
~
From The Hillsboro (Oregon) Argus - July 31, 2007
Webster's Dictionary defines a hypocrite as "a person who acts in
contradiction to his or her stated beliefs."
Roget's Thesaurus lists these synonyms for hypocrite: charlatan, cheat,
con man, deceiver, fake, four-flusher, fraud, phony, quack, shyster.
None of these words seems adequately diabolical to capture the duplicity
of the City of Portland "smart growthers" who last week jubilantly cut
the ribbon on Portland's newest dreaded big box store.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with big box stores in the minds
of most, Portland's leaders have long decried them as inappropriate for
their little left-wing utopia on the Willamette.
Utter "Wal-Mart" in a group of Portland politicians and they will shun
you as they melt Wizard-of-Oz-witch style into a horrified heap.
Yet, substitute the American company with a Swedish big box furniture
emporium, hang a sign on their building the size of Connecticut (another
violation of smart-growthers' sensibilities), and top it off with the
automobile hater's equivalent of hell on earth (1200 parking spaces),
and Portland's politicians will scurry to celebrate your arrival.
Back in 1999, these same nearsighted visionaries adopted a plan for
Cascade Station to justify the almost $30 million they wanted to spend
on airport light rail expansion. It was going to be a mixed-use
planner's paradise of quaint hotels, boutiques, restaurants, offices,
but under no circumstances would there be ugly car-required big boxes.
Six years later, Cascade Station was another smart growth disaster. They
built it, but none of the politically correct businesses they coveted
came. Cascade Station was a ghost town, less used than even the costly
airport light rail line constructed to bring no one there.
Did big box stores suddenly start to look less grotesque to elitists in
Smartgrowthville? Not exactly. American businesses like Wal-Mart were
still described as the devil incarnate. On the other hand, Ikea, a
Swedish, nonunion, "we do business with China too" furniture giant,
popular with the hoity-toity, was unexpectedly perceived as the ideal
tenant to anchor Utopia.
Perhaps it was the 75 bicycle spaces that transformed this particular
big box store into a boutique in city leaders' eyes. While common sense
dictates most Ikea customers will not be transporting their purchases on
light rail or hauling a new bureau aboard a bike, the ban on this big
box store was lifted.
Planners in Portland-adjacent Washington County on occasion emulate
their neighbor's dimwitted, antibusiness, anticar, antigrowth policies.
However, Oregon's fastest-growing region fortunately has demonstrated
more reason, balance and true economic vision than the closed-minded in
Portland can muster.
Portland's Mayor Potter and his timber industry-loathing entourage
deserved an Oscar for clapping like seals last week at Ikea's "Swedish
log rolling" grand opening ceremony. It was a picture deserving
insertion in the 2008 Webster's dictionary next to the word "hypocrite."
~