Heard Around Town

I heard an ad yesterday about remembering 9/11 and supporting the President on NewsTalk 1150 (I assume the ad is airing on sister station Border 104 as well.) Without getting into the war (there are thousands of other blogs to debate that, this one is sticking to local issues), I salute the owners of J & H Printing in Pullman for taking a public stand on a very controversial issue.

Spin Cycle

Today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News has a front page story about last night's Pullman City Council meeting. During the meeting, Councilwoman Ann Heath questioned city Planning Director Mark Workman about Wal-Mart's traffic plan in the SEPA checklist. She and some of her constituents are apparently concerned about the projected traffic on Bishop Boulevard, in particular at the intersection of Bishop and Klemgard Avenue, as it is already pretty bad. The issue was raised as to whether a stop light might be warranted like the one planned for Bishop and Harvest Drive or the one Wal-Mart has pledged to help pay for at the intersection of Bishop and Fairmount Road. Mr. Workman responded that the level of traffic estimated for that intersection does not warrant a stop light, but at some point down the road the city could install one using some state grant money if necessary.

I have not seen Workman's study, but I can guess the rationale. Logically, most shoppers going to Wal-Mart will do so from South Grand Avenue. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that traffic will be heavier on the west side of Bishop (the Harvest and Fairmount intersections), versus the east side where Klemgard is located. Klemgard is also a dead end street. The biggest issue there is neighborhood traffic turning left onto Bishop. Ultimately, there are laws that control how close together stop lights can placed.

Contrary to the way it was reported, Ann Heath was just being a good representative for her constituency, versus bashing Wal-Mart. I have it from reliable sources that she is pro-growth and pro-economic development all the way. Why else would PARD member Judy Krueger be running for her seat?, in what promises to be a spirited election battle?

I'm sure the only reason that this council meeting even made the news at all was the fact that "Wal-Mart" was mentioned. The council meets weekly. How many of those meetings make the front page? The anti-Wal-Mart Daily News is almost certainly trying to spin this traffic concern angle, especially as Klemgard is the street where both Frankin Elementary and Bishop Place retirement center are located. The Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development has used both the fact that the city council does not vote on the project AND the increased traffic around schools and retirement homes as objections to Wal-Mart. Thus far, no council member has publicly agreed with PARD's assertions. PARD would love nothing more than to see a crack in the council over Wal-Mart, even a perceived one. How long must Pullman residents tolerate this biased reporting from the Daily News?

Getting Involved

If you are tired of the constant negativity from the anti-Wal-Mart and anti-growth crowd in Pullman and would like to make your voice heard, please drop me a line here. I can give you some ideas on how to help KEEP (thanks Ray!) Pullman a business-friendly community.

Letterman's Better (Part 1)

At the National Lentil Festival held in Pullman a couple of weekends ago, the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development had a poster displayed at their booth listing "The Top 10 Reasons a Wal-Mart Supercenter Would Be Bad for Pullman." The list is almost as funny as the ones David Letterman routinely does on his show. I have attached a picture of the poster below.

Now for the list, and my fisking thereof:

1. Traffic will slow emergency access to the Pullman Regional Hospital

Bishop Boulevard was purposefully designed over 30 years ago for retail growth, specifically for "big-box" type stores and commercial development. The city of Pullman designed the road in cooperation with the developer who owned the property. So, the question is not so much why Wal-Mart is choosing to locate there but why the hospital was built there. I assume the city and the hospital board had their reasons (availability of land, close to the retirement center, etc.). So, therefore, I trust Mark Workman, the city planning director, when he said that, with mitigating measures that Wal-Mart has agreed to, traffic on Bishop will not be affected significantly.

My trust is also based on facts. According to the Palouse Economic Development Council's 2004 Regional Transportation Plan, the average daily traffic volume on Bishop Blvd. from the Village Centre theaters to South Grand Ave. is currently 8,600 vehicles per day. Wal-Mart is predicting that their store will add 11,700 trips, which will increase the volume on Bishop by the hospital to around 20,000 per day.

The traffic volume at the hospital's old location off Stadium Way is 16,800 cars per day. That's only 3,500 less than what is projected on Bishop with Wal-Mart. Funny, I never remember emergency access being an issue for the old hospital, which was right by the main entrance to a major university.

PARD would do well to compare the increased traffic on Bishop Blvd. to U.S. 12/Bridge Street in Clarkston, the site of big-box Costco. The level there is 19,000 cars per day. But of course, that can be forgiven, as Costco supported Don Barbieri's campaign.

Remember, what PARD chooses to call “traffic”, our local businesses call “customers.” Did you see the story in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News yesterday about the proposed Moscow-Pullman ring road? Think local merchants will be glad to have reduced traffic on city streets as travelers bypass the two towns? According to this paper commissioned by the WSU Department of Agricultural Economics, you need only ask the residents of Colfax and Rosalia to get the answer to that question.

2. Significant noise, air and light pollution will have negative effects on Bishop Place elders, asthmatics and children in the area

The landscape of Pullman is dominated by the presence of Washington State University on College Hill. The WSU campus has dozens of buildings and hundreds of street lights which are lit all night long and visible from most everywhere in town. In addition, thousands of cars park in the scores of campus parking lots and garages every day. WSU Parking Services added 558 parking spaces in FY2004 and 2005 projects alone. So, suddenly we add one more large building and parking lot and the delicate environmental balance is ruined for our elders, asthmatics and children? Balderdash.

Wal-Mart will use light-reducing fixtures on street lights in their parking lot to minimize glare. These are the same kind of street lights the city uses. Nothing else really needs to be said about this frivolous and ridiculous assertion.

3. Lower property values of homes nearby on Pioneer and Sunnyside Hill

Huh? What an outrageously unsupported allegation. Where did they get this data from? Can anyone imagine what could lower property values in the red-hot Pullman real estate market right now? Maybe the presence of evil pod-people from outer space, but I can't think of much else. If anything, homes in those areas will go up in value as more retail moves into the Bishop Blvd. corridor because of Wal-Mart. Remember, in real estate, it's all about location, location, location.

4. Traffic will lead shoppers to shortcut via Spring, Crestview, and other streets near Franklin Elementary and Lincoln Middle School children

Ah, the greatest scare tactic of them all, "My God, what about the children!" Too bad for PARD this is a completely bogus argument. Have they actually BEEN to those streets and schools? Franklin Elementary is at the end of a cul-de-sac, for Pete's sake. And the only cars that will be going past Lincoln are the residents that live on Pioneer Hill. For anyone else to use Spring and Crestview as a "shortcut" to Wal-Mart is too preposterous to even contemplate. If some of these PARDners had lived here for more than a year or two, they might realize that.

5. The 1,039 space parking lot, open all night, will become a crime magnet and a student party zone, driving up local policing costs

My side hurt from laughing after reading this one. That's right, guys and girls. Forget about Greek Row or Campus Commons North. The new party place in Pullman will be the Wal-Mart parking lot. Wooohooooo!!

Is this argument even for real? Are they serious?

Wal-Mart allows RVs to stay in their parking lots overnight for free. The practice is called "boondocking." Considering how many RVs we get in town, and our limited motel room capacity, for football games, Dad's Weekend, Mom's Weekend, graduation, etc., it will be a very welcome addition to many Coug Moms and Dads. Does anyone imagine these parents and relatives becoming a "crime problem?" This just demonstrates the elitist and snobbish attitude PARD members have towards Wal-Mart shoppers in general and RVers in particular.

My challenge to PARD members: Show me even ONE study by the Pullman Police Department that projects a Wal-Mart will drive up policing costs. Just the opposite will be true. Sales tax revenue generated by Wal-Mart will allow the city to fully fund our police department as the city's population grows.

(Continued tomorrow)

Best Week Ever

Some of you are familiar, no doubt, with the show "Best Week Ever" on VH-1. It satirizes the popular penchant for instant nostalgia by having various D-list celebrities comment on news and pop culture events of the past week. I don't think the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development will look back on this past week as their "best ever."

For them, the heady days of May, with its press conferences and triumphal declarations of victory were as green as the wheat waving in the surrounding fields. Now, in late August, those green fields have been replaced by brown stubble. The city has approved Wal-Mart's SEPA checklist and it seems increasingly likely PARD's jihad is doomed. Instead of "PARD Wins the PR Battle," the headlines now read "Grassroots Movement in Favor of a New Wal-Mart in Pullman is Growing." And no more success stories either on Sprawl-busters.com.

That's what happens when you arrogantly ignore the businesses you claim that you are protecting. Perhaps PARD members should read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" instead of "Slam Dunking Wal-Mart." For example, this quote in yesterday's Daily Evergeen from Montine Vona-Pergola, the PARD Co-Media Coordinator about the businesses who appeared in the full-page ad in support of Wal-Mart:

“I wasn’t surprised that there were so many people coming out in favor of it, but I did notice that a lot of businesses in the ad weren’t going to be in competition with Wal-Mart...”

What? Not surprised that there so many people in favor of it? This is the same person who wrote a letter to the editor a few months back that claimed PARD's petition proved "by every academic standard" that 3/4 of Pullman was opposed to Wal-Mart. Businesses in the ad that weren't going to be in competition with Wal-Mart? There was a pro-Wal-Mart quote from Jerry Griebling, owner of Jerry's Auto Repair and a signatory of the ad, in that same article. In the PARD position paper issued back in May, Jerry's Auto Repair is listed as being at high risk from Wal-Mart. That paper also lists "slow food" restaurants as being at moderate to high risk. The full-page ad was signed by some of those restaurant owners as well. Almost every other business listed will compete with Wal-Mart in some way. As one local business owner put it: "Competition is what makes the world go around." PARD says they don't want Wal-Mart to have a "monopoly" and yet they support a monopoly on groceries by Dissmores IGA and Safeway, both big national chain stores in their own right? By every academic standard, Vona-Pergola's statement is ludicrous.

PARD has had plenty of warning that they were going against the majority of residents and businesses in Pullman, both in "petitioning" efforts aimed at local merchants (more on that in a future post) and at Chamber of Commerce meetings. I found this snippet from today's Daily Evergreen to be particularly amusing:

Vona-Pergola said a lot of people who are not a part of PARD sent documentation in during the comment period, though she has not heard of anyone who plans to appeal other than PARD.

“During the public comment period, Pullman residents turned in 585 pages of comments and documentation,” Vona-Pergola said. “Many of those from experts in a variety of fields. Because Mr. Workman has opted not to heed these warnings of concern, the citizens of Pullman will be forced to take the issue to the courts.”

"She has not heard of anyone who plans to appeal other than PARD." Well, DUH!! But then she goes on to say that "the citizens of Pullman will be forced to take the issue to the courts." Please. They need to look around and see they are the only ones who are still beating the dead horse. Don't drag us into it. People in Pullman are ready to move on and grow weary of T.V. Reed's increasingly shrill threats.

End Game

Mark Workman, Public Works Director, announced this morning that the city of Pullman has issued a final Determination of Nonsignificance concerning the application under the State Environmental Policy Act to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter. This means that Wal-Mart may begin construction after the site plan is approved, pending any appeals. Appeals must be filed by September 8.

The Daily Evergreen interview with T.V. Reed, PARD director, for today's issue states:

...there were 585 pages of public comments and documentation submitted after the preliminary determination of non-significance, and they [PARD] are prepared with five substantial areas of appeal if they feel the need to dispute the final decision.

“The appeal will only happen if we don’t think the city has responded adequately to the raised concerns,”

I hope they don't appeal. The city has taken over two months to reach this decision, after taking over a month before that to reach a preliminary decision. Obviously, careful thought has been given to all comments.

But, PARD won't see it that way. You can't meet every Thursday night for 8 months, collect petition signatures, put tape over your mouth, hold press conferences, and have a booth at the Lentil Festival and walk away empty-handed.

So, prepare yourself for more delays and more theatrics Pullman. I know everyone is weary of all this and wants to move on. As Winston Churchill said: "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

I only hope the appeal hearing is fast and decisive. Stay tuned.

Not In Our Name

In a press release issued back on May 23, the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development stated:

Round One: The Battle for Public Opinion is Over. PARD Has Clearly Won that Battle.

Bull.

Today, a full-page ad was published in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News containing an open letter from Pullman businesses and residents in support of Wal-Mart and economic growth. 137 businesses and community leaders signed the letter, including the Pullman Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Combined with the pro-Wal-Mart SEPA DNS comments, that makes nearly 200 merchants and citizens that have publicly expressed their support.

The ad was paid for entirely with donations from businesses and residents in Pullman.

I am proud to say that I was one of the signers of the letter. People in Pullman are fed up. PARD has dominated the discusion about Wal-Mart for the last eight months. They have made their case, and it has been rejected by the people of Pullman. A petition with thousands of signatures from students and people outside of town proves absolutely nothing, other than PARD will do anything to try and stop Wal-Mart.

It is highly inappropriate that 99% of PARD members are affliated with WSU, the city's largest employer. This makes Wal-Mart supporters reluctant to come forward, as they fear some sort of backlash or a boycott. This is one of the most controversial issues in the history of Pullman. But if almost 200 supporters can come forward publicly, just imagine how many hundreds, if not thousands, of Pullman full-time residents support Wal-Mart privately.

So, PARDners, next time you blather on to the media about the "majority of people in Pullman," just remember: "Not in our name!"

Council Election Update

Things are beginning to heat up in the city council races.

Ward 1, Position 7

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported Saturday that Gary Johnson is running as a write-in candidate against incumbent Bill Paul and WSU student Joshua Coke. Johnson had originally filed in the wrong ward and was disqualified from the ballot. Not sure yet what his position on growth is, but if he's running against Bill Paul, whose pro-growth record is impeccable, it can't be a good thing. It'll be an uphill battle for Johnson in any case. Write-in campaigns are very difficult.

Ward 3, Position 3

Ann Heath, incumbent, had an entry in the Lentil Festival Grand Parade on Saturday. "Retain Ann Heath" signs were spotted on both Spring and Crestview today, as well as at a lunchtime mini-sign waving event in a Pioneer Hill front yard.

Judy Krueger was in the parade also, riding on the Neill-Wysup Chrysler-Dodge entry. She had a booth at the Friday night street fair as well. Picked up one of her flyers. She is an attorney with an extensive background in the federal bureaucracy (just what we need). No mention of her PARD membership or Wal-Mart. In case you don't remember, Judy Krueger was the person who wrote the letter from PARD to Mayor Johnson requesting a "public meeting" about Wal-Mart. PARD has mentioned that the denial of this meeting could be the basis for a future law suit against the city.

Perhaps she is distancing herself for the campaign, although this picture taken of the PARD booth at the Lentil Festival certainly tells the real story:


Krueger's flyer uses all the right buzzwords to indicate her opposition to Wal-Mart, such as "preservation of unique character of Pullman", "reasonable land development," "transparency in government," "zoning law reform," and "local business promotion." But she still leaves enough wiggle room to claim to be pro-growth with "increase in retail stores and restaurants," "downtown parking lots," and "more land for technology and light industries."

Don Heil had a booth at the Lentil Fest street fair Friday night and was profiled on the front page of the Daily News on Saturday. Mr. Heil has lived in Pullman for almost 50 years and has been very active in town beautification projects. He seems to be a fellow traveller with PARD ideologically, but I can't imagine they would run two candidates against each other in the same ward. His platform seems to be "Pullman should be just like it was in 1958." Maybe he needs Doc to send him back to the future in the Delorean.

Mr. Heil thinks Pullman's "charm and friendliness have been eroded over time" and he would "like to restore some of Pullman's grace." The students are maybe a little wilder now, but what else has changed with the town? I think most people would still consider Pullman to be very neighborly and livable. Why else would people be flocking here?

Heil believes the council should put "people before the tax base," whatever that means. Not a great attitude for a city council that will be facing negative cash reserves in less than three years. The council's first and foremost duty is to provide critical services to a growing population, such as police, fire, and streets, and there is no way to do that without tax revenue.

Heil seems to share many professors' neo-urbanist thinking and also hinted around about Wal-Mart, but never mentioned it by name ("we aren't going to be another Spokane"). Why can't these anti-Wal-Mart candidates just come right out and say they are against it, especially if they are so convinced the majority in the town feels the same way?

Lentil Chili and Liberal Claptrap

My family attended the National Lentil Festival this weekend. This annual tradition is one of the highlights of our year, along with the Fourth of July celebration at Sunnyside Park.

As I sat on the curb in front of Bank of America on a bright, beautiful Saturday morning watching the Cub Scouts, Ritzville Royalty and Tase T. Lentil march by in the Little Lentil Sprout Parade and Grand Parade, I thought: "This is just like a Norman Rockwell painting. We are so lucky to live in Pullman." I don't know how some can say that Pullman's "charm and friendliness have been eroded over time." I can't imagine anyone running for public office would espouse such a view, but more on that later.

Walking around the street fair Friday night, I was surprised to find the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development's booth mixed in amongst the kettle corn and the world's biggest bowl of lentil chili.

You remember PARD. This is the group that claims it hasn't had a fair chance to make its views heard. Well, they got yet another chance in front of several thousand people without any opposing viewpoints. The Pullman Chamber of Commerce must have held its nose and let them have a spot, because everyone in America has to be treated equally. There's a lesson to be learned there I think, but I'm sure PARD missed it.

There was all the usual PARD propaganda, including a scrapbook with every newspaper article on the Pullman Wal-Mart, a photo that negatively exaggerated what Wal-Mart will do to the local landscape (conspicuously absent was the exterior plan that Wal-Mart submitted, available at City Hall, which is very nice), pamphlets, and a poster on the wall that listed the "top 10 reasons to oppose the Pullman Wal-Mart Supercenter." That poster was so full of falsehoods and untruths that it merits its own post. I will only say that PARD continues to embrace the almost laughable strategy of saying Wal-Mart is evil and destructive, and yet defending the one in Moscow ("One Wal-Mart is Enough!"). One reason not have a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Pullman, according to PARD, is that one is being planned for Moscow. Huh? Politics really does make strange bedfellows.

For a group playing the role of "David" to Wal-Mart's "Goliath,", PARD's slingshot looked awfully high-tech and powerful to me. They have their own logo, with their website listed, bumper stickers ("We can find a better neighbor"), buttons ("No Wal-Mart"), and enough PhDs to open a small college. Yeah, PARD is going to find us a "better" retailer, just like O.J. is still looking for the real killers.

PARD also had out the infamous petition that "proves by every academic standard" that 3/4 of the town opposes Wal-Mart, despite the fact that when I looked at the petition, every third or fourth signature was from Moscow, Spokane, Rosalia, Garfield, or somewhere else. I still need the reasoning behind that explained to me. And of course, they had the hat out, solicting contributions for their legal fight.

Oh well, I'm still glad we live in America where we have freedom of speech. Norman Rockwell made a wonderful painting of that too, with a man standing before his neighbors and voicing an opinion, the very heart of democracy. Perhaps PARD realizes Wal-Mart supporters have that same right. I'm not holding my breath.

Free Speech or Free-For-All?

Today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News has the following to say about last night's Moscow Planning and Zoning Commission meeting:

"...the meeting was marked by interruptions, outbursts, cat calls, snorts and even a few 'boos,' most notably when New Saint Andrews College president and dean Roy Atwood got up to speak..."

Folks, this is NOT free speech. It's a free-for-all. It's not democracy. It's anarchy. Democracy, at least in the United States, does mot mean mob rule, where those who shout the loudest get to make the laws. There have to be rules, limits and respect in public conversation. Normal, everyday people are not going to go to public hearings like that, and they certainly are not going to stand up and speak before such a hostile crowd. Eventually, since that is all they ever hear, politicians begin to give credence to those clamorous views. The radicals know this, and that is why it is their preferred tactic. Intimidation under the guise of free speech. They believe that anything they do to further their cause is justified.

The same thing has happened here in Pullman with Wal-Mart. I have talked to scores of people over the past few weeks about the issue. Everyone supports Wal-Mart, but many are afraid to do so publicly. Why? It's just a store, right? Wrong.

PARD has poisoned the discourse with their radicalism at city council meetings, press conferences, public gatherings, and in the media. In recent letters to the editor, PARD members mentioned how Wal-Mart supporters have used "polarizing" language that "undermines dialogue" and the city council is "denying the democratic process." In these same letters, however, they speciously link Wal-Mart to meth labs and the decline of the public education system. What will they blame it for next? The Mariners' horrible season? Wal-Mart is an all-purpose boogeyman to the leftists.

When people read or hear these strident diatribes about Wal-Mart and slave labor, poverty, crime, sexism, etc, etc., they think to themselves: "Wow, this person is really angry." Most people tend to avoid nasty confrontations and controversy, especially when hot-button subjects are involved. They don't want to write letters to the editor for fear of being attacked or ridiculed in a retaliatory letter or having their store boycotted. Many shy away from trading jibes with professors who have Ph.Ds in protesting. So next thing you know, PARD dominates the debate over Wal-Mart, all the while pretending to be the victims of a conspiracy by the city and Wal-Mart to stifle them. What a great strategy. How undemocratic. People in Pullman will soon learn about the lengths PARD will go to to win.

It's time for the conservatives in Moscow and Pullman (and there are many) to stand up to this radical menace. The futures of our communities are at stake. It won't be easy, but it's very important.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

It was reported yesterday in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News that the Moscow City Council has enacted an emergency ordinance concerning the construction of retail stores with over 40,000 square feet (i.e. "big boxes"). All such stores will have to get a conditional-use permit from the city after a public hearing before the Board of Adjustment. The ordinance will be in effect for 182 days, after which time they hope to have a permanent ordinance in place.

This all started earlier this year after Home Depot was scouting some property north of the Palouse Mall for a new store. A member of the city council proposed an emergency moratorium on all "big boxes" for 180 days, but that measure was defeated.

You know, it sounds good in principle, getting the public's input and all. Unfortunately, the public is too busy with work and hauling kids to soccer games to pay much attention to these matters and especially to attend public hearings. The kinds of people who attend are activists. And if there is anything I have learned over the past few months, it is that Moscow is full of well-established left-wing activists. All you need do is take a look at the Vision 2020 message board, the Moscow Food Co-Op, the Not on the Palouse, Not Ever web site, and all the recent controversies over Christ Church, New Saint Andrew's College and downtown zoning to see what I mean. The Daily News described the mood at a recent public hearing in Moscow on the zoning issue as ranging from "argumentative to contemptuous."

Many years ago, Pullman decided to depoliticize this process, I'm sure as a result of losing out on the Palouse Mall. The current method is fair, civil, and business-friendly. Pullman Wal-Mart detractors would disagree, but they have had ample opportunity to make their views known, both in the media and during the SEPA comment period. Unless they have been on Mars the last six months, no one in Pullman could fail to know they oppose Wal-Mart and why. Wal-Mart critics will also have a right to appeal any final decision made by the city.

The only thing PARD has missed out on is the opportunity to have a loud, messy, vitriolic, free-for-all hearing that would grab headlines from here to Seattle. The purpose of that would not be democracy, as they claim, but political extortion and manipulation. PARD's hope is to put so much pressure on the city council that it will bend to their will and change the process. We see the left do this all the time, but that's not what free enterprise is all about. I, for one, am glad we have avoided that.

If I were Home Depot or Target, I would think twice before I subjected myself to the agony and spectacle of a public hearing in Moscow. Pullman, to me, would look much more appealing, even with PARD.

So, in my opinion, the Moscow emergency big-box ordinance is a de facto moratorium. After decades of retail dominance on the Palouse, Moscow may soon see the tables turn and lose its ascendancy to Pullman.

Attention Ken Vogel

Ken Vogel, the owner of Ken Vogel Clothing, has been one of the most oft-quoted opponents of the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter in Pullman.

I wonder if Ken would be surprised to learn that recent statistics show that his business is threatened very little by Wal-Mart. According to this CNN/Money article, only 34% of Wal-Mart's 100 million weekly customers purchase clothing there. Target, on average, charges 14% more than Wal-Mart for clothes, but its most recent quarterly profits jumped 50% due to apparel sales. Seems people are willing to pay more for name brand items.

Yet again, the hysteria-inducing myths of PARD are exposed by the light of cold, hard facts. As much as they try to spin Wal-Mart as a "mall" that sells everything from soup to nuts and destroys all local business, very few people actually do ALL their shopping at Wal-Mart. It certainly is nice to have that option, especially if you are pressed for time, but Pullman consumers know the real story. How many of us have ventured over to Moscow to shop at Wal-Mart, and then end up at Hastings to browse the books and movies, Office Depot to shop for school supplies, and then over to the Palouse Mall for clothes and shoes? Probably while we're there, we'll stop at Applebees or Lefty's to grab lunch or dinner.

The only thing Pullman merchants are asking is to have an equal chance of getting those customers to shop at their stores instead of over in Moscow. Does anyone recall much opposition to Wal-Mart from ShopKo? Right. ShopKo stands to benefit greatly from the presence of Wal-Mart, as do all businesses in Pullman, especially since Pullman is growing faster than the state and national average. Apparently Schuck's Auto Supply feels that way. They just opened a new store in the Wheatland Mall, right in Wal-Mart's front yard. There is room for everyone in our severely underretailed market.

California Dreamin'

I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A.

- The Mamas and the Papas

Note to all the Palouse neo-urbanist amateur social engineers: Nirvana is only 1,500 miles away. According to this Seattle Times article, Los Angeles is the most densely populated place in the continental U.S. Surprisingly, its population density is 25% higher than New York, twice as much as Washington D.C. and four times that of Atlanta.

Seems that back in the 80s, suburban sprawl in L.A. stopped because the only land left was way out in the desert or on the other side of the mountains, so everything started "densifying." Urban planners in L.A. are now developing trendy and aesthetic "pod" housing that still allows for views and privacy. High density "is a high-energy stimulant for suburban ennui, luring high-end stores, protecting open space and paying for toll roads that reduce traffic."

As always though, the law of unintended consequences has reared its ugly head. Orange County is one of the most expensive areas in the country for housing. Only 1 in 10 households make the $165,000 a year needed to buy a median-priced home. The working poor and immigrants in L.A., reliant on public transportation and thus unable to leave the city center, are forced to double up in old houses and apartments, often converting garages into bedrooms. This becomes a perfect breeding ground for crime and gang activity.

I'm sure that one of the Palouse's new California transplants, escaping the urban jungle of L.A. with its drive-by shootings, drugs, and skyrocketing real estate prices, would be happy to trade places with you.

Daily News "Duped" Again

Today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News features a front-page story on record-breaking growth in construction in both Moscow and Pullman. Michelle "Duped" Dupler followed her usual pattern on such stories and sought only quotes from only local government officials and a token anti-growth professor. She never makes any effort to contact anyone else in the community, giving the impression that the local governments are shoving this growth down the people's throats as they lust after tax revenue. Hogwash.

As is finally pointed out at the very end of the article, all this construction is addressing pent-up demand. It still isn't sufficient, as shown by the very tight real estate market. Of course people that move here with families want to buy single-family homes. No one with a family wants to live in multi-family housing and apartments in a college town if they can help it. What's wrong with that?

Moscow and Pullman are very desirable places to live. The scenery is beautiful. Our schools are great. Our economy is diversifying and growing. Should we just turn people away? Has Michelle Dupler ever been in a town that was dying? Is that preferable in her opinion? I wonder if other towns on the Palouse are envious of Pullman and Moscow or glad they aren't us. I'd wager the former.

The article states: "'I don't like anything that looks like sprawl,' said Mike Owen, a Pullman resident and Washington State University architecture professor." Who the heck cares what you think, Mike? Again, we have one of these WSU Brahmins pronouncing judgment on us. I'm sick of it. What he calls "sprawl," I call construction jobs, homes for young families with good-paying jobs, and potential customers for our local businesses.

Owen goes on further to enlighten us that he doesn't like subdivisions or anything that requires an automobile as that is not sustainable, preferring instead high-density development in the city. Where? There's no place to build or park in downtown as it is now. He wants Pullman to be like East Berlin or Leningrad I suppose, with all the high-rise socialist-style apartment buildings. Those were big "pedestrian cities" as no one had any cars there either.

Funny, I wonder if the cabin he built in Potlatch would be considered "sustainable?" Do you figure he walks or bikes up there from Pullman?

In very PARDesque language (he must be a member), Owen mentioned Duane Brelsford's name four times to try and give the impression of not being anti-growth. He thinks the city should encourage developers to design more projects like Bridgeway Centre in downtown. Those were luxury loft apartments designed for a specific clientele. The monthly rent is more than most people's mortgage payments. Good idea, Mike. Maybe on your professor's salary.

I see next week's article is going to be about how growth affects infrastructure issues such as water use. Ah, xeriscaping, here we come again.

Wal-Mart Eradication Association

Well, it's not surprising but certainly disappointing. 30 press conferences were held in 20 states yesterday by various labor unions against Wal-Mart. Here at home, the Washington Education Association announced its $50,000 yearly Children's Fund, designed to reimburse teachers who purchase supplies and emergency items for disadvantaged students, can no longer be used for purchases at Wal-Mart. The WEA cited Wal-Mart's alleged "exploitative" labor practices as the reason.

On average, teachers spend around $600 of their own money on school supplies. So to punish Wal-Mart for "low wages," the WEA is going to force teachers, who are low paid in their own right, to take more money out of their own pockets.

This decision was reached by the WEA Children's Fund Board on March 3. Obviously, the announcement yesterday was just a rehash for political purposes.

The organized labor movement in America is floundering and dying, as witnessed by the recent defection of the Teamsters and several other large unions from the AFL-CIO. Non-unionized, controversial, and wildly successful Wal-Mart presents the biggest and most convenient target for a diversionary attack.

What does any of this have to do with educating children? Nothing. But then again, neither does the WEA. They are more concerned with political grandstanding than preparing our kids for the 21st Century workforce.

All Washington teachers are forced to pay dues to the union, whether or not they join. I know many teachers who could care less about Wal-Mart and do not support the ultra-leftist views of the WEA. My heart goes out to them. Theirs is a difficult profession.

Town Whiner

The "Town Crier" op-ed series in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News are really starting to get on my nerves.

The pieces appear to be predominantly written by professors at WSU and the U of I. Can someone explain to me the Daily News editorial board's fascination with advanced degrees? Is it Ph.D. envy? Personally, I'd like a little more commentary from Main Street and Grand Avenue instead of the ivy-covered halls of academe on College Hill.

Lately, it seems, every "Town Crier" I read has one of these intellectuals whining about how us townies are ruining their little "Athens on the Palouse" with all the buzz about Wal-Mart in Pullman and the zoning controversy in downtown Moscow. Just because someone is an Associate Professor of Serbo-Croatian Numismatics, does that give them the right to pass judgment on an entire region? If they don't get tenure, these guys are here for a few years and then head on down the road. Yet, they presume to tell us what kind of town we should have 30 years from now. There is no consideration for the people that were here before them and that will be here long after they are gone. They view Pullman as some sort of Disneylandesque Lake Wobegon and we full-time residents as the animatronic robots whose job it is to provide them with a folksy, tolerant, inclusive, diverse, physically fit, nutitionally sound, socially progressive, fuel efficient, environmentally sustainable, xeriscaped, planned, neo-urbanized Utopia while they live here.

If we are pro-growth, then we must be supersized pigs, who waste water sprinkling the lawns of our cookie-cutter suburban homes and trampling all over the pristine countryside in our gas-guzzling Durango while munching on a greasy Big Mac.

How absurd, elitist, and demeaning. My family lives in one of those cookie-cutter homes because it is what we can afford. And yes, I water my lawn, because I want my two year old daughter to play in grass, not a dusty gravel and sand pit. People drive SUVs because they want their families to be safe. And we want our businesses to prosper and spend our money where we live. We are pro-growth because we are the common people of Pullman and we want our share of the American dream like anyone else. What's wrong with that? Aren't liberals supposed to be for the working man? If your dream is different, good for you. As the Montgomery Gentry song says: "You do your thing, I'll do mine."

These academics never give any thought either to the fact that all those safe schools, bike paths, 100-year buildings, and tree-lined avenues they want have to be paid for by someone. And since their employer pays no property taxes, the major source of local funding, that someone is the businesses and citizens of Pullman. Sure, WSU contributes around $175-$200 million to the local economy, mostly through its employment payroll. That's great, but it's not enough. We need to diversify our economic base and have more places for those WSU employees to spend their money locally, not in another community.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not down on professors. I admire our mayor, Glenn Johnson, very much and he is a professor. There are many current and retired members of the WSU faculty who support growth in Pullman. I'd just like some of those professors who talk about tolerance and diversity to practice what they preach when it comes to their neighbors in Pullman and quit presuming to know what is best for everyone.

Quod Erat Demonstrandum

According to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Finance Director Troy Woo reported at the July 26 Pullman City Council meeting that 2004 sales tax revenues were down because fewer major construction projects are happening in the city. Meanwhile cash reserves are dropping and may go negative by 2008.

Councilman Keith Bloom asked Woo, "Is it fair to say one way to help our budget situation is to encourage our retail and expand our sales tax base?" Woo agreed and said conservative spending and growing the retail sales tax base would help the city's financial picture.

"The more businesses we get in, the better off we'll be," added Mayor Glenn Johnson.

This is what I have been saying all along. Pullman needs Wal-Mart. Any questions?

Council Election Update

Good news! According to the Vote Washington web site , Al Sorensen's hat is officially in the ring and he is unopposed as I reported earlier:

City of Pullman; Ward 2 Pos. 1
Two Year Unexpired Term
ALAN "AL" SORENSEN (NP)

The Vote Washington site also has a few errors:

Sue Hinz's position is listed as Ward 2 Position 7, it should read Ward 2 Position 1.
Ann Heath's position is listed as Ward 3, Position 3, it should read Ward 3 Position 5.

I have corrected my previous postings.

I-912 Makes the Ballot for November

The following e-mail was sent by NoNewGasTax.com yesterday:

After a 32-day campaign for which you helped collect and turn into the Secretary of State a near record 420,570 signatures, the good news has just been announced.

Initiative 912 has qualified for the November ballot!!

Because of your support we did what all the experts said was impossible and our opponents fought hard to prevent. You helped ensure that Olympia got the message that the people run Washington state, and not the special interests.

Tomorrow, you will receive additional information about our fight to protect the right of the citizens of our state to work for and support initiatives.

But until then, good work on helping get the No New Gas Tax initiative on the ballot. Without your committed support it never would have happened.

Now, we will work together to pass this historic measure at the polls in November.

Pullman voters should appreciate the rare chance to rid themselves of an unfair tax at a time when gas prices are at an all-time high. We don't need to help Seattle pay for its ferries, viaduct and floating bridge.

I-912 has been one of the hottest issues in Washington political history. It should make for an interesting off-year election, with the inevitable ads for and against I-912.

One thing's for sure: I-912 is bound to increase conservative voter turnout here in Eastern Washington. That's bad news for all the PARDners running for the city council.

Look, Up in the Sky!

Those helicopters seen over the Palouse a couple of weekends ago were not those infamous "black helicopters." According to OregonLive.com (free registration required), the flights were organized by the Washington Department of Ecology and the City of Moscow to study the water temperatures of the north and south forks of the Palouse River and Paradise Creek in Idaho and Washington.

The Federal Clean Water Act set standards that streams in the Palouse watershed stay below temperatures of 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

If the Department of Ecology feels that the water temperature is too high, the city of Pullman could be required to cool the discharge from its sewage treatment plant.

A reader believes it was the Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute that brought the original lawsuit forcing Paradise Creek (i.e. ditch) and the north and south forks of the Palouse River up to minimum standards.

This isn't a major environmental issue. Salmon have never spawned here because of Palouse Falls and rainbow trout are not native to our region. We're just talking plain old minnows and suckers. This is another example of social/environmental utopianism run amuck.

I wonder if they will fly helicopters over again to measure how hot taxpayers in Pullman are going to be when they get stuck with a multi-million dollar bill to fix the sewage plant?

Pullman Wards

In case you don't know what ward in Pullman you live in, here are the official descriptions from the Pullman City Code:

Ward No. 1 of the city of Pullman shall consist of the following described area of the city:

Beginning at the intersection of the northerly city limits of the City of Pullman with Grand Avenue; then southerly along Grand Avenue to its intersection with Stadium Way; then west along Stadium Way to its intersection with Hall Drive; then northwesterly along Hall Drive to its intersection with Timothy Street; then westerly along Timothy Street to its intersection with State Street; then northwesterly along State Street to its terminus at the section line between Sections 31 and 32, Tier 15 North, Range 45 East, Willamette Meridian; then S.00°01' W. along said common section line, 122.23 feet to the quarter-corner of said Sections 31 and 32; then N89°30'W, 1644.94 feet along the center­line of said Section 31, to its intersection with the centerline of Douglas Drive; then southerly along Douglas Drive to its intersec­tion with Darrow Street; then easterly along Darrow Street to its intersec­tion with Clifford Street; then southerly along Clifford Street to its intersection with Harrison Street; then easterly along Harrison Street to its intersection with Ritchie Street; then southerly along Ritchie Street to its intersection with Grand Avenue; then northeasterly along Grand Avenue to its intersection with Stadium Way; then easterly along Stadium Way to its intersection with Monroe Street; then southerly along Monroe Street to its intersection with California Street; then west along California Street to its intersection with Ruby Street; then southwesterly along Ruby Street to its intersection with Colorado Street; then west along Colorado Street to its intersection with Maple Street; then south along Maple Street to its intersection with Ash Street; then west along Ash Street to its intersection with Kamiaken Street; then south along Kamiaken Street to its intersection with Whitman Street; then northwesterly along Whitman Street to its intersection with the Palouse & Coulee City Railroad; then southerly along the Palouse & Coulee City Railroad to its intersection with Kamiaken Street; then southwes­terly along Kamiaken Street to its intersection with the Blue Mountain Railroad; then easterly along the Blue Mountain Railroad to its intersection with Spring Street; then southwesterly and southerly along Spring Street to its intersection with South Street; then easterly along South Street to its intersection with Side Street; then southerly along Side Street to its intersection with Dexter Street; then westerly along Dexter Street to its intersection with Spring Street; then southerly along Spring Street to its intersec­tion with Grant Street; then westerly along Grant Street to its intersection with Kamiaken Street; then southerly along Kamiaken Street to its intersection with Crestview Street; then westerly along Crestview Street to its intersection with Grand Avenue; then southerly along Grand Avenue to its intersection with the southerly city limits line of the City of Pullman (at Fairmount Road); then westerly and continuing along said city limits line in a clockwise direction around the City of Pullman to the intersection of said city limits line and Grand Avenue, said point being the point of beginning.

Ward No. 2 of the city of Pullman shall consist of the following described area of the city:

Beginning at the intersection of the northerly city limits of the City of Pullman with Grand Avenue; then southerly along Grand Avenue to its intersection with Stadium Way; then west along Stadium Way to its intersection with Hall Drive; then northwesterly along Hall Drive to its intersection with Timothy Street; then westerly along Timothy Street to its intersection with State Street; then northwesterly along State Street to its terminus at the section line between Sections 31 and 32, Tier 15 North, Range 45 East, Willamette Meridian; then S.00°01'W., along said common section line, 122.23 feet to the quarter-corner of said Sections 31 and 32; then N89°30'W. 1644.94 feet along the center­line of said Section 31, to its intersection with the centerline of Douglas Drive; then southerly along Douglas Drive to its intersec­tion with Darrow Street; then easterly along Darrow Street to its intersec­tion with Clifford Street; then southerly along Clifford Street to its intersection with Harrison Street; then easterly along Harrison Street to its intersection with Ritchie Street; then southerly along Ritchie Street to its intersection with Grand Avenue; then northeasterly along Grand Avenue to its intersection with Stadium Way; then east along Stadium Way to its intersection with Monroe Street; then south along Monroe Street to its intersection with California Street; then west along California Street to its intersection with Ruby Street; then south along Ruby Street to its intersection with Colorado Street; then southeasterly and easterly along Colorado Street to its intersec­tion with "D" Street; then northerly along "D" Street to its intersection with Shaw Street; then easterly along Shaw Street to its intersection with Lake Street; then northerly along Lake Street to its intersection with Stadium Way; then easterly along Stadium Way to its intersection with Lybecker Road; then northerly along Lybecker Road to its intersection with Upper Drive; then northeasterly along Upper Drive to its intersection with Wheatland Drive; then westerly along Wheatland Drive to its intersection with Hillside Drive; then northerly along Hillside Drive to its intersection with Valley Road; then easterly along Valley Road to Orchard Drive; then continuing easterly on easterly extension of Valley Road to Nez Perce Drive; then northerly on Nez Perce Drive to Terre View Drive; then easterly on Terre View Drive to the east line of Section 33; then northerly on said east line of Section 33 to the northerly city limits line; then westerly and continuing along said city limits line in a counterclockwise direction to its intersection with Grand Avenue, said point being the point of beginning.

Ward No. 3 of the city of Pullman shall consist of the following described area of the city:

Beginning at the intersection of Grand Avenue and the southerly city limits line of the City of Pullman (at Fairmount Road); then easterly and continuing along said city limits line in a counter-clockwise direction to a point on said city northerly limits line where the east boundary and north boundary of Section 33, Township 15 N., Range 45 E.W.M. intersect; then due south along the east boundary of said Section 33 to the easterly extension of Terre View Drive; then westerly along Terre View Drive to its intersection with Nez Perce Drive; then southerly along Nez Perce Drive to its intersection with the easterly extension of Valley Road; then easterly on Valley Road to its intersection with Hillside Drive; then southerly on Hillside Drive to its intersection with Wheatland Drive, thence easterly along Wheatland Drive to its intersection with Upper Drive; then westerly along Upper Drive to its intersec­tion with Lybecker Road; then southerly along Lybecker Road to its intersection with Stadium Way; then westerly along Stadium Way to its intersection with Lake Street; then southerly along Lake Street to its intersection with Shaw Street; then westerly along Shaw Street to its intersection with "D" Street; then southerly along "D" Street to its intersection with Colorado Street; then westerly along Colorado Street to its intersection with Maple Street; then southerly along Maple Street to its intersection with Ash Street; then westerly along Ash Street to its intersection with Kamiaken Street; then southerly along Kamiaken Street to its intersection with Whitman Street; then westerly along Whitman Street to its intersection with the Palouse & Coulee City Railroad; then southerly along the Palouse & Coulee City Railroad to its intersection with Kamiaken Street; then southerly along Kamiaken Street to its intersection with the Blue Mountain Railroad; then easterly along the Blue Mountain Railroad to its intersection with Spring Street; then southwesterly and southerly along Spring Street to its intersection with South Street; then easterly along South Street to its intersection with Side Street; then southerly along Side Street to its intersection with Dexter Street; then westerly along Dexter Street to its intersection with Spring Street; then southerly along Spring Street to its intersection with Grant Street; then westerly along Grant Street to its intersection with Kamiaken Street; then southerly along Kamiaken Street to its intersection with Crestview Street; then westerly along Crestview Street to its intersection with Grand Avenue; then southerly along Grand Avenue to its intersection with the southerly city limits line of the City of Pullman (at Fairmount Road), said point being the point of beginning. (Ord. 02-3 §2, 2002; Ord. 95-14 §1, 1995; Ord. 92-2 §1, 1992; Ord. 86-19 §1, 1986; Ord. A-974 §4, 1971).

Sorry, I haven't been able to find any maps online as of yet.

Seen Around Town

This picture was taken recently in the parking lot of the Moscow Wal-Mart. It is kind of hard to make out (the picture was taken with a camera phone), but on the right end of the bumper is a sticker that reads: "Say No to Wal-Mart".

You have to love these anti-Wal-Mart loons. They always show the strength of their convictions. Is it any wonder no one cares about the stupid petition vowing not to shop at Wal-Mart? Believe me, PARD members will be shopping at the one in Pullman eventually. I would love it if Wal-Mart took all the names from the PARD petition and entered them into their store computers and then not allow anyone who signed to shop there.

Council Election Update

This is the official line up for the November Pullman City Council elections from the Vote Washington web site:

City of Pullman; Ward 1 Pos. 7
BILL PAUL, Incumbent.
JOSHUA COKE, Windows 2000 Administrator with WSU Student Computing Services. PARD affiliation unknown at this time, but suspected.

City of Pullman; Ward 2 Pos. 2
C.B. (BARNEY) WALDROP, Incumbent.
JOANNE SELLEN, Instructional Designer at the WSU Intensive American Language Center and another potential PARD candidate, was disqualified for filing in the wrong ward.

City of Pullman; Ward 2 Pos. 1
NO CANDIDATES FILED
I think Al Sorensen and Gary V. Johnson filed for this ward. Gary Johnson, a retired elementary school teacher, was disqualified for filing in the wrong ward. I'm not sure what Al's status is at this time.

City of Pullman; Ward 3 Pos. 5
ANN COX HEATH, Incumbent
DONALD HEIL, Retired WSU Architecture professor, Member of the Board of Directors, Pullman Civic Trust and Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. PARD affiliation unknown at this time, but suspected due to background.
JUDY KRUEGER, Investigator with the WSU Center for Human Rights and active PARD member.

Luckily this will not be the Armageddon I had feared it might be. There is at least one pro-growth person in each race, and two of those are unopposed, but Ann Heath and Bill Paul are going to need our support.

I will keep exposing PARD's tactics early and often. As one reader says: "They are running on one agenda, to bring Pullman back in to the dark ages and back in line with WSU's thinking."