[RTC List] HWY 299 report

[JBilderback]

> I just want to point out for everyone's information, that I first 
> talked with you (Jacqueline) on Friday afternoon, 5/8.  Today is 
> Wednesday.  I'll have a proposal to you today, as promised.  Our group 
> has researched this project at our own expense and time, without any 
> public assistance. We are proposing this project to be a PUBLICLY 
> OWNED project and we stand to benefit to the same degree as Broadband 
> Associates - in other words, only if it's approved for funding and we 
> come up with required financial match.  I am prepared to post my 
> summary proposal for all the public to see - provide me a public 
> posting site (RTC?) and everyone can check it out for themselves.  We 
> should post ALL proposals - even if they're just concept papers (e.g. 
> Digital Redwoods by Access Humboldt) and let's get everyone's honest 
> feedback. Call the press - let everyone in the community know.  Gather 
> everyone's input to bring to the board of Supes (or whoever makes the 
> final decision for a proposal).  That's a public process.
>
I confess to being way under-informed to have a legitimate opinion on 
this issue. That said ... if whichever project selected is going to be 
funded by a huge public
investment then I'm going to line up behind the group proposing some 
sort of publicly owned system. Launching satellites, wars, etc at public 
expense and then turning them over to politically connected individuals 
or organization(s) ... (often on a no bid basis) to profit ranks right 
up there with "too big to fail" as a strike against any
so called  "free market system". "Privatize the profits and Socialize 
the costs" isn't really working for the betterment of most of us ... our 
communities and country ... let's move in a different direction.

 - jim