My response to: The Daily Cougar interview with Don Cook Nora, my responses to your questions are italicized below each question. Sorry I got carried away. - Don Cook 713-705-5594 FB: Don Cook for mayor of Houston DonCookforMayor.webs Follow my tweets as DonGreenManCook ______________________________________________ Hi, Mr. Cook, I am pleasantly surprised as to how quickly you respond to my text messages. I do apologize for sending my text so late; I had not realized that it was already past 9 p.m.! Nonetheless, thank you for taking the time to consider my inquiries. --What are the most important issues facing Houston that you would address as mayor? Whew! Economy, pollution, sprawl, security, police accountability, transportation, . . . See list of issues I have appended Usual suspect talking points. --What is your stance on the state of infrastructure and surrounding legislation, especially in relation to the roads surrounding the University of Houston (e.g. Cullen Boulevard)? (I know Mayor Parker has gotten a lot of heat about this, so I was wondering what you had to say.) The purpose of government is to serve the people. In Houston, as in most cities, this includes street repair and maintenance. Efficient management should insure that resources are allocated rapidly, consistently, systematically and fairly to all areas of the city. Its difficult to determine from what is usually anecdotal evidence how the overall system is working, and instances of complaint naturally stand out more than those of satisfactory performance. Horror stories abound. Complaints about streets should be monitored along with department reports of maintenance progress, but it is almost impossible without a considerable investment of time and energy for a civilian to obtain meaningful statistics and records from the city. There was some reduction of resources in all areas of city maintenance during the period of economic austerity the city imposed in the recent recession. This should not have happened, because a policy of economic generosity rather than austerity is necessary in an economic slump. I intend to implement economic generosity in Houston until prosperity is fully restored, and this means, among other things, maintaining, if not expanding, investment in all infrastructure including streets. But your readers should feel free to call me at 713-705-5594 about outstanding problems on Cullen or any other street. I will spare you a discussion about the future of the automobile and the need for free public transportation in Houston. --What will you do for higher education in Houston? Is there any legislation that you have your sights set on to better foster this and further support the UH community? Although the city of Houston can not directly deal with higher education, I am very concerned about the cost of a university education in this country at this time. As Mayor I would speak out from the bully soapbox of the Mayors office for free education for all, I would promote such a resolution by city council, and I would use the citys resources to lobby for free education. --On your Facebook page you stated that youve not seen any other candidate in the mayoral race who expresses the progressive, practical, serious, committed vision that you do. Can you tell me a little more about what you mean by this? While the Mayor might be considered a liberal/progressive/radical by some, I have observed an authoritarian lack of appreciation for democracy in her policies and plans, for example, the red-light camera debacle, her behavior toward Houston Occupy, her ordinance restricting the charitable feeding of the homeless, her legalistic machinations to prevent future, embarrassing city charter changes from happening on her watch, and the Sierra Club and Responsible Urban Development for Houston are two organizations in the community which, among others, have criticized her for rushing things through city council without proper review by citizens Ben Hall has done terrific pro bono work on civil rights in the area of racism, but I have heard him speak emphatically against a GLBT civil rights ordinance. And Keryl Douglas is on record in her campaign for office in the Harris County Democratic Party as attacking her opponent for being gay. This certainly tarnishes the progressive image of these two candidates for me. Michael Fitzsimmons, a member of the Socialist Workers Party, might personally find progressive too mild a description of himself, but passing over that, he is certainly sincere, he does have a committed vision, and he is serious in his views, but his seriousness and practicality as a candidate I have to rate as lower than my own. ;) Eric Dick and Victoria Lane are not at all progressive. Derek Jenkins has not been there at all as a candidate, and Charyl Drab only a little more so, although she does seem sincere. I append at the bottom a list of campaign relevant issues and talking points to establish my progressive credentials. I claim seriousness on the basis of the extent and comprehensiveness of this plan rather than millions in my campaign war chest. My views are not in the interest of the corporations, so I have not been able to raise millions. And I assert that I am, additionally, the candidate most accurately described as progressive, practical, and with a committed vision. --What does it mean for you, personally, to be a member of the Green Party? 18 years ago I decided that if I was going to continue my life I would have to devote it to trying to build a better world with committed, progressive, practical vision. The Four Pillars of the Green Party, ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, and non-violence have been a guiding outline for that struggle. If I were to try to summarize the aim of the GP in one sentence, I would say it is to preserve the existence of humans. That is why I refer to An unending future in my campaign literature, and I hope a better future would be understood by all to include a future with our species in it. --What can this do for Houston, especially since it is one of the energy capitals of the world, and potential STEM research at UH? I encourage your readers to internet search Lunar Solar Power, a clean, safe, functionally limitless energy source for the planet proposed by a UH Physics professor, and consider the obvious relation of this proposal to science, technology, engineering, and math. --What are your plans to touch the lives of the 40,000+ students that attend UH? See question above regarding Houston and higher education. --Why should UH students vote for you? If my stated policies and proposals make sense to you, you should vote for me. No one should vote for the lesser evil, and we come close enough to real democracy in Houston that you dont have to. Everyone should vote their hopes not their fears. Your fears or your hopes have to get over 50% of the vote in Houston city elections for either to win. If everyone votes their hopes, your hopes might get over 50% of the vote and win. If your fears should get over 50% of the vote, they would have won even if you had voted for the lesser evil. If no one gets over 50% of the vote in the general election, a distinct possibility in this 9-candidate mayoral race, there will be a runoff. If your hopes make the runoff, vote your hopes again. If your hopes dont make the runoff, then vote your fears. ;) Thank you kindly for your time and consideration. If there is anything I didnt ask that you would like to add, dont hesitate to share. I add this as an APPENDIX - Usual Suspect Talking Points (ranked more or less): 1. No-New-Taxes Pledge - When the Sequestration Recession hits, if any one but me is Mayor you can look forward to higher Taxes, cuts in city services, and lay offs of city employees; local austerity feeding into federal austerity, further injuring the local economy. 2. Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline - In the face of Global Warming/Climate Change, this issue is a symbol of whether we will go throttle fully open into oblivion, or not. We just rose to 400 parts carbon dioxide per million when we needed to get down to 350 parts per million! Some have hoped to not raise the mean temperature of the earth more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) before the end of this century, but we are on a 5.4 degree C. pace (9.54 degree F.). I am prepared to support the passage of a local ordinance challenging the refining of oil from Canadian Tar Sands. 3. Establish a Civilian Review Board for HPD with subpoena powers - Because every one needs accountability. 4. Work for the easing of Immigration laws, and insure that city resources are not appropriated by ICE. 5. After school programs for all children. 6. Establish urban farms and farmers markets in food desert areas of Houston. 7. Build public restrooms, showers for homeless, plus dining areas for charitable feeding of homeless in public places. Sure, they need to be integrated into various social services, but lets show the world a loving Houston where no one has to get arrested for eating out of the garbage. 8. Establish 100% recycling for the City of Houston with sound, efficient programs. 9. Fight Sprawl, promote walkability, bicycling, light rail, and comprehensive mass transit. 10. Build Green Spaces within the city, expand parks and redevelop wetlands. 11. Citation, not incarceration for possess of two grams or less of Marijuana. 12. Maintain pensions for HPD and HFD for present; bring other municipal employees up as circumstances permit. 13. Living wages paid to employees of all who contract with city. 14. Continue to expand use of renewable energy by City of Houston, and Promote further expansion of renewable energy use by citizenry. 15. Rescind corporate welfare previously extended (as for example to Wal-Mart), and collect back taxes for establishment of Peoples Municipal Bank of Houston. 16. Issue Municipal Coupons w/ expiration date via the Peoples Municipal Bank of Houston. 17. Promote Micro-lending via Peoples Municipal Bank of Houston? 18. Facilitate the creation, development, and prosperity of the State of Palestine and all its neighbors. 19. Promote clean-energy and space program. [We were once known as the Space City as well as an energy center. As the world begins to decrease carbon based energy and substitute renewable energy, we can promote the idea and development of Lunar Solar Power [lunarsolarpowersystem.blogspot] to be both the Space City and the Energy City. 20. Promote reduction of carbon energy consumption for carbon for present and future conservation. We will, ironically, need carbon based energy to get into space and develop LSP. 21. Create Municipal Bank with back taxes received from those previously receiving corporate welfare, and other sources, and maintain with low level interest on micro-lending and other loans, while issuing and redeeming in U.S. Dollars, time dated coupons which can substitute locally for currency in the event that a local infusion of cash is needed to counter the coming Sequestration Recession. 22. Promote reduction of carbon energy consumption for carbon for present and future conservation. in Houston. I. ECONOMY AND SEQUESTRATION RECESSION ACTIONS A. No new taxes, even in the advent of the Sequestration Recession. B. Collect Taxes from corporations that got corporate welfare breaks. C. Use this money to establish a Peoples Municipal Bank of Houston. i. This bank can also take care of the payday loan sharking problem by specializing in micro-lending. D. Ease the currency with local coupons with an expiration date issued by the PMBH. This coupon currency can be redeemed with actual currency and used, locally as currency, until it expires. E. Maintain HFD and HPD pensions, raise pensions for all city employees as economy recovers from Sequestration Recession. *F. As recovery from Sequestration Recession occurs, establish living wage for all city employees[?] and require that all who contract with the City of Houston. II. GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE CHANG[?]E A. Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline by passing a local ordinance prohibiting the refining of Canadian Tar Sand Oil in Houston. B. Implement the Three step action plan for issues beyond the citys boundaries: 1. speak out, 2. pass a city resolution, 3. Lobby state and federal legislatures III. SOCIAL JUSTICE A. A citizen Review Board for HPD with subpoena powers. B. Ease Immigration laws. We have created a world were goods and services can cross borders more easily than human beings can. i. Protect day laborers without contacting ICE ii. Not run routine checks without reason, or irrelevant checks with a citation offense, looking for undocumented immigrants. iii. Implement the standard three step plan for C. After school programs. D. Homelessness i. Public restrooms, showers, and dining places for the homeless in public places ii. Allow the charitable feeding of the poor in public places. iii. Continue to develop nonprofit and governmental resources for the employment, feeding, housing, and medical care of, as well as general assistance to, the homeless E. Health care F. HPD instructed to issue citations for charges only of possession of two grams or less of marijuana. G. Facilitate the creation, de89velopment, and prosperity of the State of Palestine and all its neighbors IV ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT A. Promote urban farming and Farmers Markets to counter food deserts [see also social justice] B. 100% Recycling. C. Fight sprawl; promote walkability, bicycling, light rail, and efficient and adequate transportation. D. Green spaces: Build more parks, develop more wetlands. V. ENERGY A. Continue to expand use of renewable energy by City of Houston, and Promote further expansion of renewable energy use by citizenry. B. Promote reduction of carbon energy consumption for carbon for present and future conservation. C. Promote clean-energy and space program. [lunarsolarpowersystem.blogspot] I hope to hear from you soon. With regards, Nora Olabi Assistant News Editor The Daily Cougar Newsroom - UC Satellite
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 16:07:18 +0000
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