Signing the plan

http://www.mtdemocrat.com/letters/signing-the-plan/

Signing the plan

By Letters to the Editor, Mountain Democrat, March 20, 2013

EDITOR:

On March 12, I was shocked to watch the Board of Supervisors sign off on regionalizing our economy to an unelected group of “volunteers” — mostly from Sacramento — promoting what they call the “Next Economy.”

Previously I had attended one of the Next Economy sessions in which they broke us into predetermined “cluster sectors.” Each sector discussed re-branding Sacramento. I participated in the Ag Sector. They were not too happy when I suggested they were better off financially when they were a “cow town.” Generally speaking it was a very uncomfortable meeting. There were people there who have lost their economy and do not seem to understand or accept an economy that is not subsidized by the government.

Next Economy came to my attention again when the City of Placerville signed a resolution to implement the “plan.” Later I asked the city manager, “Why would the city sign this resolution when the plan was ‘yet to be determined?’ He stated, “It is not an action plan, just collaboration for support.” This was the Placerville resolution: “BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Placerville endorses the Next Economy Regional Prosperity Plan and authorizes the City Manager to actively engage in shaping and implementing the plan and to integrate it, as appropriate, into the City’s economic development activities.” The resolution is almost identical to the one the county just passed, a boiler plate resolution which came directly from the Next Economy.

Besides the “Call To Action” statement at the top of the plan, the plan is full of action words; it asks for “champions” to be coordinating, building, leveraging, fostering, encouraging, pursuing, mobilizing, establishing, priority, educating, aligning, obtaining, enacting, tracking and examining implementation measures in the plan.

Verbiage from the “plan:” “This Prosperity Plan sets the stage to transform the Region’s economy by mobilizing leaders around a common playbook for action.” Basically it appears that this private-public partnership will be the collective power to determine the winners and losers. This plan is to regionalize our economy. Regionalization takes responsibility and accountability away from local governance and gives it to an unelected special interest group which the public cannot hold accountable. One of this plan’s objectives removes local regulations and adopts State and Federal regulations in order to streamline an, as yet, unidentified agenda.

If our government agents want to hang out with these people — just to be inclusive or whatever — then go ahead, but I asked them please not to sign onto a plan that had not even been revealed.

I would like to live in a county where I feel safe to do business and make investments in my community and not be classified by an unaccountable force to make sure I fit into a pre-determined “cluster.” Such “clusters” cut the heart out of individualism, turning us into an elitist-ruled collective.

SUE TAYLOR

Camino

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