Socialism Inaction
Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I was labeled as a socialist. I suppose this is because I believe in the efficacy of certain private/public partnerships to create opportunities for a community. A blogger who calls himself liberty or death gave a localized explanation on Cenla Antics:
Water slides, Bentleys, Condo’s, half million dollar buses, walking trails, landscaping architects fees, legal fees for studies blah, blah, blah are definitely examples of socialism in action. All of these schemes to take your money you produced for you and your family and spread it around to cronies who leach off the working person are the socialistic activities right here in River City. It exists and only an intellectually dishonest man or a fool does not see it. Will he disavow the status quo and move toward the laissez-faire capitalistic concept of having the free market provide the economic boon that will follow a change from force, fraud and gov’t to freedom and a vibrant economy. Address this issue in detail so we can see exactly what you perceive is in the best interest of Alex and its citizens (taxpayers).
There’s a good point somewhere in there: Phony projects that do not serve the common good are a misuse of our taxdollars and an abuse of authority. But, let’s take a close look at the projects he’s talking about:
1. The idea for a waterslide first came to our community’s attention after the City of Alexandria paid a consulting company $100,000 to study affordable housing in South Alexandria. For some reason, the study on housing turned into a study on building a waterpark. We wrote the check, but the consulting company has yet to provide a single “deliverable.” In short, we were ripped off. (And it never was a good idea to begin with).
2. The Hotel Bentley: The nuclear option first discussed by Dr. John Sams was neither feasible nor practical. Thankfully, it’s now a moot issue. There is very little the COA can do to assist new ownership (perhaps a tax abatement), but I would hope that the City do all that it can to ensure the viability of the Bentley. Why? Because it’s one of our community’s best assets. If you believe in free market capitalism, then perhaps you should consider the notion, espoused by many, that our municipal government is like a $150 million a year business. We’re competing against other cities for the same tourists, conventions, and jobs. The Hotel Bentley already has a physical connection to our Riverfront Convention Center, and its closure creates practical problems for large conventions. However, there are already state and federal incentive programs (like Bush’s renewal community incentives) that new Bentley ownership could utilize without dipping into local taxdollars in order to reduce its risks.
3. Walking trails are simply a component of a larger plan for revitalizing blighted neighborhoods. Unfortunately, despite spending hundreds of thousands of taxdollars on a master plan for the COA, we’re still left without a real course of action. Projects are haphazardly planned and completed. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason, no coherent vision.
4. Downtown condos: Developers would be more reliant on state and federal incentives in accomplishing this. Bush’s renewal community zone incentives allow developers to reduce their risks by writing off a certain portion of their renovation costs. Other than that, we should not expect local taxpayers to underwrite a private real estate development.
5. Landscape architects fees: First, I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of community beautification. Perhaps we’ve been spending too much on landscaping, and if we have, we need to find a new service.
6. Legal Fees: Couldn’t agree more. We spend too much money contracting legal services.
I think the central question here is this: Will our next mayor allow government to be run as a personal piggybank for his friends and family (under the guise of economic development)? Will our next mayor stand up and challenge the consulting contracts, the backdoor deals, and the misappropriation of funds?
Once the next mayor is sworn is, what is his or her first step?
CenLamar 
Any socialist programs are always a disaster. We have seen this first hand in medicine. I do agree we do not need to spend money on things just because the federal government foots part of the bill, like walking tracks that we still have the keep up. I believe the new mayor is going to change this. I will consult him for free.
I will be happy to consult “you know who” regarding that “you know what”. My only charge is a lifetime pass.
Waterslide, I think you should ask for a lifetime pass AND the right to cut to the front of the line.
Re: the walking trails. The reason they seem so ridiculous is because of all the stuff we should have been doing instead.
Walking trails work in other cities, like Houston and Austin, when they wrap around large public parks in safe, centralized locations.
And because, Alexandria’s trails aren’t very inviting for people who read the police blotter.
Yeah, you’re right, there are a lot of people who won’t use the trails because they perceive them to be in an unsafe area.
The counterargument would be that a walking trail helps clean up an area, increases property value, attracts citizens to the neighborhood, thereby adding to our tax base.
Has that happened in Alexandria? Eh, not really.
Socialism isn’t simply the redistribution of wealth unless the wealth is distributed among the masses. Giving government money to your buddy or to a firm that supports you heavily politically or in a number of different ways including giving lucrative consulting contracts to your wife or a lawyer in your office is not socialism – that is graft. Damn Lamar, and you went to a private school!
You honestly think I don’t know what socialism is? If I told you what I’ve read on socialism, you’d call me a socialist. Hehe.
You misunderstand.
With all due respect, read this post. It’s called “Socialism Inaction.”
I said I believed I was labeled a “socialist” (Conservative-speak for “SUPER-LIBERAL”) because of my support of private/public partnerships. I really don’t know why this person thinks I’m socialist… but when, a day later, this guy named liberty or death gave an explanation of local “socialistic activities,” I thought it gave some insight.
At least a handful of conservatives have conflated socialism with cronyism and graft, when the truth is that cronyism and graft occur in representative democracies, even among Republicans.
Socialism, in this case, is just intended to be political rhetoric. Its meaning and history take a backseat to the rhetorical implications.
Okay. I get it. The idiot who calls himself liberty or death doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.
Why didn’t you say that in your post???
What you talkin bout Willis? Who you sayin misappropriated funds?
Hehe. Well, let’s say this: When funds are appropriated for one thing, deemed necessary through the consent of the mayor and the council, and then spent on something else entirely, I think one could make the claim that those funds were misappropriated.
Lamar, please explain the instance to which you refer.
Walking trails are nice for me to practice carrying my pistol and using it to defend myself.
I practice self defense on the walking trail.
When it comes to local projects such as the Bentley or the downtown condos project the City’s hands are pretty well tied. First, there are NO local incentives. AND NO – they CANNOT ABATE TAXES. To do so, would require a constitutional amendment. There is a possibility of some sort of a rebate on property taxes, but no abatement – sorry! Besides – the way the system works now the Bentley would never be abated – it’s already on the tax rolls.
The only local incentive the City ever had was a facade program back before the Heart of Spain as an effort to clean up downtown.
Now, the City can participate in projects as long as their money goes to “public” infrastructure such as utilities, streets and things of this nature. They cannot spend money on the private side of the project – period the end. For that matter, neither can the state.
The state can offer rebates, credits and tax deductions, as well as abatements as allowed by the constitution, but it cannot give money directly to a private entity. When you hear they gave UTLX $32 Million, it was not a big fat check for that amount and it would take too long to go into details here to break down how they “gave” that money.
Public-Private partnerships work on projects when the private has more, if not equal, the investment of the public and the public is getting back more return on its investment. There is a quick down and dirty impact study that is done to determine what, if any incentives are even considered for a project. People aren’t just out handing out “money” on the street everyday to every Joe Blow who has a good idea.
As for the waterpark study, I, like everyone else am still waiting for the results of that study and can’t wait to hear how it is not going to cost at least $1 Million in liability insurance for the City if they actually put the stupid thing in place. The reason they closed all of the City owned swimming pools and did cooperative endeavor agreements with the school board was to save money on liability insurance. I guess the council forgot that!
Thanks for the post. Yes, as a point of clarification, yes, I meant rebates, not abatement.
Either way, the City shouldn’t get involved in private real estate development, unless it’s to complement and/or improve infrastructure (and only when there is a documented need).
I think the Heart of Spain incentives dried up a long time ago.
Anyway, thanks for the explanation.
Anon 7:41
I think Lamar was referring to the Housing Study. The funds were apprved by the Council but halfway through the project CFS called the consultant and told them to divert their efforts to a Watepark study. CFS admitted this in a Council Meeting so the illegal misappropriation is a matter of public record.
An absolutely perfect classic example – it is also noteworthy to mention that these two “consultants” were tenants of Myron Lawson. And we returned the pirates to office.
If they were a certain out of town engineering firm, I know where their office was and still is and it’s not at Myron’s – it’s down from city hall.
CFS did admit that he changed the scope of work without consulting anyone. I doubt he has the power to that even though he is president of the Council. As I can appreciate once the Council approves a professional service agreement, the Adminstration is in charge of the scope of work. The Council can only authorize the Mayor to entering into the agreement and then approve payment for services rendered.
The facade program actually does still exist – it simply has been funded since the Heart of Spain. At any time, the Administration can amend the budget, with Council approval to fund the program again.
I think the Water Park gig was Gamlin & wife – Lawson tenants. $100,000 – pooooofff
Correction – The facade program has NOT been funded since Heart of Spain. Sorry – left out not.
keep on keepin on Lamar!!!!, remember, “life’s a garden, dig it!”
(I felt the Joe Dirt Motivational quote is quite appropriate with all the carnies in town)
mp199
You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.
Hey, check out the TT today. Story about Ethics Board discussion about blogs scheduled for Thursday. Ethics staff says the conversation will be short because there are no state laws on the books that apply to blogs.
I hope we are all working right now to motivate more people to vote. We can do that before JR is officially mayor.
Just as we have seen, mainly through these blogs, that our city is run like a big clique, to some extent, I would suspect that IMHO the same is true of our other governmental institutions. Many people reading this blog have knowledge of the police jury, the school board, the city council, the city police structure, sheriff’s office, etc. None of these groups operate with transparency or without self interest. Let the sun shine in through Lamar’s site. It is a place where the most disenfranchised voice can be heard. The more knowledge that is shared, the clearer the picture is of our community. The detailed perspective of knowledgeable people can give our new mayor a headsup. We know the Cleco deal is the mess that shocked him into political action. Let our citizens give him a clear picture of all the agencies that govern our monies, our benefits, our safety, and our lives. Our institutions have so much control that they alone have created much of the apathy of our individual citizens. They have not listened to the people because they have not had to. The average joe or jane actually had no voice until Lamar and Antics, etc. created places to be heard.
Don’t you think these blogs can make a positive difference in shaping our future?
I don’t know that writing about it in a blog is any different that screaming about it on a street corner or talking about it in open forums. Those with the power to change things simply choose not to listen and not to read.
The one things the blogs have done is motivate a group of people – primarily young, techno savvy people (no offense to the older bloggers) who don’t want to see the same City we have now in 5-10-20 years.
Look at history. In order to change things you have to have a movement. These “political rebellions” were either led by women or young people. That’s what’s happening today in Alexandria.
Someone made the comment the other day that yes, Jacques has a machine behind him. It’s not the political machine most people are alluding to – it’s a group of people 40 and under who want Alexandria to be a place they want to stay, live and raise their families. They either moved back here after college or starting their career or never left, but they don’t like what they’re seeing and they want to make a difference.
The fact that people are paying attention to what we’re saying on the blogs give us even more credibility when we stand up in person and say the same thing again.
Granny, do all fairy tales begin with “Once Upon a Time”?
No, honey. There’s a whole series of fairy tales that begin with “If elected, I promise.”