Interesting the charter review committee thought they had to bake that policy into the city charter over the council’s head. Constitutionalism in operation. Anyway, I’m glad the electorate agreed.

Swiss cantons are said to enjoy initiatives /referenda (how ever they do them there).

Ballot initiatives are for when officeholders refuse to take “common sense” actions, e.g. create needed maps. Glad the initiative passed, but it raises the question, Why wouldn’t the city council authorize an obviously useful project for the common good on its own? Sounds like Developer Capture.

These were monumental errors of judgment IMHO, though based partly on the politics of the day.

It was also a central - albeit again highly flawed - rationale of Ds for opening relations with the Chinese at the expense of US labor - that business activity would moderate and westernize the Chinese government. (Rs just wanted the contracts; had fewer compunctions.)

As wrong as it is, it’s been a central tenet of Ds since Bill Clinton’s election (1992), and the “Third Way” or “New Democrats” he led, their “triangulation” strategy, and Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America in 1994. (It turns out they actually believed that stuff, if there ever was a question.)

Colossal error of judgment.

Harris said essentially the same thing in her Rachel Maddow interview on release of 107 Days - that she believed business would stand up for and save democracy if she lost the election because democracy has been good to business. youtu.be/p8OyMIen9d4?...

ALDI is the king of speedy POS (it’s a serious difference!). No LIDL around here, but the CVSs and Trader Joe’s in this area are both overpriced. (However TJ’s fresh foods quality is above average here, it should be said, just not to the same degree as their prices.)

Since these are the two main functions of parties - ideology & winning - in tension - dint we need both? But let each know & be clear which function they are writing about and acknowledge it’s half the cup.