Another step backwards for Oak Ridge
March 13th, 2007 by Atomictumor
Well, thanks to the efforts of Citizens Oak Ridge, using an argument that essentially boils down to:
a): I don’t want a Target in Oak Ridge, regardless of the good it’ll do the town, and
b): I don’t want to put anything on that hill that some rat bastard clear cut a few years ago just to teach everybody a lesson
they have apparently gathered the necessary signatures to force a referendum on the Pine Ridge development gig.
Now, if there’s two things I don’t like, it’d be government and corporations. I find it ironic that I’m so behind our city government being a ‘big boy’ and making this financial decision by itself. Maybe its because I’ve grown apathetic in my old age and would just like a local place to buy color coordinated posh-ish furnishings, or maybe its because I’ve finally gotten used to the idea that America (and, by extension, Oak Ridge, whether you believe it or not) is a “representative democracy“, which means that we elect members of our populace to make all these big decisions because we, the people, are too busy watching American Idol and driving the kids to school to vote on every matter which appears.
Which really makes my life easier. I mean, think about it, no workshops with lobbyists, no late night meetings with other towns to make sure we all have similar laws, no catching up on all the various and sundry bits of information needed to run a town.
I mean, how much worse would it be if EVERY little decision was influenced by weird, bible thumping door to door peddlers, and every single peon voted on something based on a one or two line statement at the top of a petition page, vaguely disguised as “attempting to put more complete information and analyses into the hands of Oak Ridgers”
I’m glad that our system of government means that I pay people to do all this work for me. People who study all the financial data going into, say, a proposed retail development, and can reasonably say whether or not it would be a feasible thing. Sure, they make mistakes, and sometimes wind up dealing with douchebags, but it seems like overall they’d have the intelligence and savvy to be able to tell you which way the wind is blowing with regards to these matters. I mean, getting the people in means that you’re going to wind up dealing with a few thousand people, interrupted from their America Idol and alcohol, listening to bible thumping peddlers with dubious, agenda pushing information, and then crap would never get done, and I’d never be able to buy color coordinated whatsis from a place in this dumb little town again.
And that’d be a shame.
March 13th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Heh. Well I can see which side of this issue you come down on.
March 13th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
sigh… well, we can hope that more than a third of those are not valid signatures (and if a lot were collected outside Wal-Mart, as I’ve heard, that may well be the case), and we don’t have to do it.
Still, I fear that the greatest damage is to our reputation as a business-unfriendly city. Dare to try and bring something that enables us to grow our tax base, and WHOA — gotta vote on it!
March 13th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
If your area is anything like mine, it just means that all the tax dollars will just go to the next county over…I think that’s called shooting your self in the foot, or cutting off your nose to spite your face, something like that. Stupid people suck.
March 13th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Slow down and take a deep breath knucklehead. Hyperventilation will make you even dizzier than your natural state.
These people have a right to their little petition. If they are successful you will have a right to vote against their ideas in June.
If you were to take away their right to a petition this time, you may be the one with grievances next time, and without the right to put it to the citizens for a vote.
This is no big deal.
March 13th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
We’re continuing this discussion at your place, Daco, unless you’re chicken…
March 13th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
It’s hard for me to not see this as a sprawl issue… There has to be some existing (infill) location that could be used for this type of development. If Target wants to be in Oak Ridge they will find a way.
Try Target.com until then.
March 13th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Or take the short trip to “Buzzard Gulch.”
March 13th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
daco’s right about this.
Let me know how the discussion at his place turns out.
March 13th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
I’m so far removed from this subject in your town that I can’t have any opinion. However, I love a healthy debate.
AT and Supporters, I think you should rally round the campfire and begin your own campaign of “truth in advertising” if that is what you feel is missing from the referendum seekers. You don’t have to go door to door or hang out at the Wal-Mart; start firing off lots of well-written Letters to the Editor to the local paper. This is a powerful tool that is at your disposal.
March 13th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
All I got to say is city planning. And the other thing is that you got to start somewhere. Would in not be cool if OR got a Borders? Now I would come out from Knox for that. I mean my that I grew up in had 33,000 people in the middle of a corn field. They got a Target, Borders, Boston Market, Best Buy . . . Property values have gone up and the schools have a marching band and a strings program along with a track and a new baseball diamond. The strech of road that all this was on was undeveloped when I was in High School and now is booming in a good way. I don’t think anyone has sold their soul as far as I know but all empty store fronts are filled. Old downtown filled up with coffee shops and mom and pop operations.
March 13th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Timsan1, that’s precisely what we’re looking for here.
March 13th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Right on, Timsan. That happened here. Hint: buy property downtown NOW! while it’s cheap. If Target, et al does come, and your downtown market fills in like ours did, you could be in for a windfall in the future.
March 13th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
I think you should go door to door with a Target sales circular. Once people look at all the cool stuff and nice prices they’ll will be won over.
It will be like looking at the swirly thing!!
Pretty things!! Low prices!!! Oooohhhhh!!!
March 13th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
They WILL be won over.
Sorry I was looking at the circular!!
March 14th, 2007 at 6:55 am
such passion about target.
March 14th, 2007 at 7:05 am
For me, its about the fact that everybody’s been whining about how this town needs more business, and now that its coming they’re all whining because a sacrifice has to be made to get it.
Frankly, I don’t have the money to waste at target (or wal-mart, or anywhere but the grocery store)