Wednesday, October 1, 2008

what's up the pike: this blog in review

BUT FIRST: Following a brief charrette in June, County planning consultants reveal their suggestions for how Burtonsville should redevelop its village center tonight. The meeting's at 7:15 at the East County Regional Services Center on Briggs Chaney Road.

Check out Maryland Politics Watch latest series on Montgomery County's most influential people, sure to piss off a few local power brokers in the area. MPW's Adam - a former guest blogger here at Just Up The Pike - has such an interest in how the political game is run that I wonder if he's not scoping out for a run of his own . . .

Greater Greater Washington says the new Road Code changes could do County pedestrians a lot more harm than good. I hadn't gotten a chance to say anything after last week's post on the topic, but I note we did get a good response from AAA Mid-Atlantic Chair Lon Anderson from it, which I definitely appreciate.

As always, take a look at my weekly column in the Diamondback. This week, I'm suggesting that we need to name a new dorm on campus after Rockville, our county seat. Our friends at Rockville Central seem absolutely tickled.

3 comments:

Thomas Hardman said...

I'd love to stop in at that Burtonsville planners thing, but in my humble opinion, it would be wasting my time if I didn't speak my mind, and I'd be "out of procedure" and speaking with no standing if I did speak my mind.

Until and unless MD-198 west of US-29 gets realigned in a nice wide straight line bypassing the existing business district, redeveloping Burtonsville's business district would be like putting nice fresh icing on a cake that's been out in the rain for the last few weeks. It might look pretty good from far enough away, but get up close and it stinks.

Adam Pagnucco said...

I guess I had that coming, Dan. I've been stirring so many other pots that it's legitimate for someone else to stir mine!

Most bloggers would probably make poor politicians because of their long, documented records of expressing opinions on everything. The exception is MPW founder David Lublin, who was an excellent blogger, somehow avoided offending people, and became a Town Council Member in Chevy Chase.

Thomas Hardman said...

Adam, I would have to disagree with you, but mostly depending on how you define "politician" on the one hand, and how you define "democracy" on the other hand.

If you define "politician" as "sleazy weasel that you can't pin down because they've never taken a solid public opinion", you're probably right; blogging does tend to leave a record of opinions.

On the other hand, if you define "politician" as "someone who has a public record of stating well-informed opinion that they are willing to rhetorically defend in writing", you're probably not so right.

And if you define "democracy" as "a government run by people elected by voters who don't mind voting for sleazy weasels", then the first definition of "politician" gives the voters exactly what they demand and deserve.

If on the other hand, the bedrock of democracy is a well-educated and well-informed populace, then you'd think that the democracy will be best served by electing candidates with long public histories of their opinions and positions which have survived rhetorical attacks over time.

Thus, despite your blogging, you'd be a good politician, or at least the voters would know what they're getting.