I will surprise all of you today and wholeheartedly yell from the highest ridge top of no more than 18% slope that I support in theory and in many cases in reality the Branson Comprehensive Plan. Yes I love so many of the ideas that I read over the past week.
Why we have a suggestion that the City encourage renovation and replacement of old worn out properties. We have suggestion that we grow our park system by expanding trails and adding small neighborhood parks. One sentence even suggested that the land to do this be bought rather than extorted (yet I digress). It is exciting to think we all got together and want a Library System and will all work to get that accomplished, in fact the work is already underway without the help of this Comprehensive Plan.
I had planned on relating unto you readers at least four or five long paragraphs about the wonderful virtues of the Plan, but I will fall short and cut to the chase. The Comprehensive Plan is very well written, well designed, a bit long winded, and in general balanced. At least that is the plan I read. I read a one and a half inch thick document three times. I tried the first time to just read it and not try to evaluate it and not try to seek out the underlying meaning and hidden agendas. Let's face it, I do tend to do that with this administration. I tried and except for a few very blatant lefty crybaby spotted owl moments, I was successful.
I tried the second time to read it with my less than rose colored glasses on and perhaps some long winters eve I will try to identify the monstrous passages I perceived in the text. Those clauses and paragraphs that I saw as absolute abomination of the Branson Way and of course the American Way. Oh, that is in there and quite prevalent if you read it that way. Idealism and environmentalism is abundant in this novel. Idealism akin to that of a 3 year old. That absolute attitude of "I want more and you can't have any". Yes we have a bit of the old protectionism, a little touch ( or more) of Socialism, and to just tip off the top, a smidgeon of Marxism.
Then I read the document for the third time. This time I made believe we had a totally different group of people in charge of the city. I imagined we had a group of entrepreneur enabling business minds who realized the idea of bigger pie is the way to the future. They all wanted a town to grow and prosper, not just the people they went to grade school with, but all kinds of hard working business minded, pro-growth people who contribute would benefit. This perfect group of leaders wanted to produce a playing field whereby everyone had a chance to succeed and therefore help grow the economy. This wild group of leaders also understood the benefit of failures too. They encouraged new business practices and new venues, even the risky ones. They understood that growth includes setbacks as well as successes. This crazy group actually started encouraging an attitude in City Hall of customer service and aid in development.
I just have to tell you, when read with that attitude, the Comprehensive Plan is pretty palatable. In fact if we actually had that attitude, there would be no need for the plan. See, decades ago and up until recent times, this town had that attitude. Why, once I witnesses competitors welcoming competitors. I even saw companies join forces and voluntarily contribute to joint marketing plans. Motels actively sent overflow to the motels that were in need of more business. Shows and entertainers climbed on the same bus and went to small venues all over the Midwest actively marketing Branson as a summer vacation destination. YES, they did that together. If a park was needed someone donated the land. If trails were wanted, city official asked and offered something in exchange. If community outreach was a need, PEOPLE came together and served the need. Affordable housing was attained by having plenty of businesses here who needed employees, not by searching for ordinances and rules while all the while feeding the problem by slowing and even stopping the addition of those jobs.
So I said I wanted to get to the chase and then rambled for two pages. I simply love the new Comprehensive Plan. I just want a different group of people interpreting what it means.
So, lets ADOPT the plan and DIVORCE the planners.
April 2012 is nearing and we need a group of brave people ready to step up to the plate and change the way this city is being run. We need a group that will honor contracts, stop wasteful spending and rebuild the savings account this administration was given and has quickly disposed of. We need less micromanagement and more professional administrating. It is time for the doors to the community to be re-opened and someone tell the world we want them to consider Branson as their next personal home as well as business home.
Side Note:
Well it has already started. self serving interpretation, selective attention to snippets and quotes, combining just the right points of interest to further an anti-growth campaign. I have knowledge of at least two "Special Interest Group" meetings and the agendas include "USE" of the Comprehensive Plan. USE to further self serving anti competition futures. USE of certain statements that can be interpreted many different ways. More as we hear the details.
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