The Observation Deck

This is an eye opening video. It is long but very informative. The speaker is basically showing how the desire to make life easier for urban spawn can and should be stopped. After watching this I see Lakewood as a place where this new vision can start to take root.

Ryan Salo wrote:This is an eye opening video. It is long but very informative. The speaker is basically showing how the desire to make life easier for urban spawn can and should be stopped. After watching this I see Lakewood as a place where this new vision can start to take root.

Lakewood is the perfect place for that new vision to take root. If it did take root it would it do more to preserve and protect much of the Westside of Cleveland like Gordon Square, Edgewater, Ohio City and West Park than all of the downtown subsidies put together.

But it's never going to happen.

Crain's Cleveland just reported that the Port Authority just authorized another round of bonds for Crocker Park to help finance a new hotel to help support the new Clinic Hospital and medical center in Avon. The total taxpayer funded support for Crocker Park totals hundreds of millions of dollars. All of those tax dollars support the exodus from Cuyahoga County, the development of farmland, an increase in sprawl and the impoverishment of cities like Lakewood.

All funded by our regional institutions. Those institutions are controlled by the same people who the Plain Dealer thinks should run Lakewood because regionalism is the answer.

Unless you change their mindset you are not going to change their policies. You are not going to change their mindset because their friends, relatives and campaign contributors own a lot of land out that way.

Just as an aside, it's clear that building more and wider freeways just increases congestion.

http://www.roadswerenotbuiltforcars.com/induceddemand/

I recently read a better article on the subject which I can't find. Anyway:

What do you think about narrowing Clifton?

And

If everything our regional institutions do does so much damage why doesn't the political leadership in Lakewood stand up to them?

The 1,400 jobs at Lakewood Hospital will be gone in just 6 years and no one has anything to say about it.

Bill Call wrote:If everything our regional institutions do does so much damage why doesn't the political leadership in Lakewood stand up to them?

The 1,400 jobs at Lakewood Hospital will be gone in just 6 years and no one has anything to say about it.

Bill

We both know the answer. They are beholding to them. Just like why everyone keeps
quiet in Lakewood. The amount of people that afraid to speak their mind is staggering.
Either they are on a committee, or ant to be on a committee, or want to run for office, or
need the city to approve parking, or permits, or allow them to have events, or are non-profits
that do not dare speak up. ALL OUT OF FEAR.

Speak against the Cleveland Foundation, and you have not only cut yourself off from one
of the largest non-profits of its kind in the world, but then they will use their might,
connection and power against you, forever.

Non-profit in Lakewood, speak up for themselves against a city idea. Cut off.

The entire region and city is so inbred it becomes ridiculous, and is the most serious
problem to drag the region down. Everyone is addicted to the funds/power of a few.

Ryan

Interesting video, thanks for sharing.

.

I'd expect a lot of in-breeding with all that urban spawn.

Bill Call wrote:What do you think about narrowing Clifton?

And

If everything our regional institutions do does so much damage why doesn't the political leadership in Lakewood stand up to them?

The 1,400 jobs at Lakewood Hospital will be gone in just 6 years and no one has anything to say about it.

First, yes I believe narrowing Clifton would be amazing for this city.

Second, I do not believe we have political leadership period. We do not have anyone with a vision leading us somewhere. We have a city babysitter. Babysitters are reactive and sometimes take advantage of the owners things to benefit their friends (beer, tv, connections, etc)