DEVELOPERS, DOOLITTLE, and DEMOCRATS- DO THEY SPELL DISASTER  FOR DONNER SUMMIT?

D's, D's, D's- I'm so sick of D's!  Sorry to be channeling Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady",  but, she was sick of words, and I'm sick of D's-  the Developers who bought a sparkling, crystalline, jewel box of a cross country ski resort, only to plan on Dressing it up as  a Depressing 1000 plus units mega Development.  And Doolittle, the Developer's friend (see Donations),  how can I express my Desire to see his Draconian influence on Republican party politics in this District Dispelled? No moderate, thinking Republican has been safe from his Dictatorial Demands (and he likes Dams, too).  The Democrats?  Well, you may recall that erstwhile Donner Summit Developers, Kirk Syme, Todd Foster, and investors, collectively known as Royal Gorge LLC,  recently hired Darius Anderson (another D!), and his Platinum Advisors lobbying group, to help them Detour around the many Daunting roadblocks to Development at Donner Summit- no water, no sewer, one exit road for an entire community, complete with an "Avalanche warning" sign. Distressing--but, dutifully, I'll now  deliberately defer capitalizing  all those d's- no doubt you have caught on that I'm determined to make a definite point. 

Darius Anderson, as it turns out, is a Democrat's democrat- at least if you're into the very, very connected lobbying game.  And, disclosing that I'm a Democrat, who spends at least some time in the San Francisco Bay Area, it would be an understatement to say his connections run deep, and wide, like a slow moving river that  eventually pulls any floating slow moving object under.  Any  Democratic candidate aspiring to higher office, be it a mayor hoping to one day to become Senator, Governor, or higher, or a congressional member hoping to have a secure post, is probably deeply indebted at one point or another in his or her career, to the redoubtable Darius Anderson. Dozens of people are, after all.  Multiple baker's dozens, in fact.

Debts are really funny things. Most people feel, somehow, obliged to pay them back. Even Doolittle, beleaguered as he is, still extracts respect, if not obedience, from those he helped into their positions.  I'm not sure, though,  when all is said and done, if there is a degree of difference between what Doolittle expects from those he's helped, and from what Darius expects from those he's helped.  That's what has me so disturbed- most of the people who owe Darius are Democrats, and they're the very people who (we thought), should be concerned with averting environmental disaster at Donner Summit. 

Protecting our environment, and the heritage we leave to those who come after us, should be a non-partisan issue. These past few years have been a little hard on the environment, however, with the current administration making appointments and embracing positions that have had even true "small government" Republicans dismayed. Philosophically speaking, Republicans are generally conservative, and being conservative should mean you want to save that which is worth conserving, i.e., our environment. Recent years have proved this otherwise, and thus, it is doubly dismaying that Royal Gorge LLC secured the services of a top Democrat lobbyist to ease their way in developing the iconic, fragile Donner Summit.  In these dark years, we always thought the Democratic party was on our side- protecting the environment, fighting global warming, and caring about the survival of the many, many species who depend on Donner Summit for their very existence. 

Dismayed would be a good word to describe my feelings, upon hearing that a noted Democrat lobbyist,  well aligned with Gavin Newsome,  the Boxer family, the Pelosi family, and generally, having the ear of many well connected Democrats in Sacramento,  seemingly agreed to push through damming Van Norden Meadow, a wildlife corridor for endangered species,  consented to be complicit in damaging over three watersheds, two of which feed major rivers,  the siphoning of water from Serene Lakes,  the blasting of at least two new artificial lakes in Palisades Lake and the North Fork of the American River watershed, and the cutting down of uncountable numbers of trees to make boring, insipid, beginner slopes.  Whew, and that's not just for that long sentence  I just flung out, but, also, for, does it really matter whether someone is a Republican, or a Democrat, when it comes to making obscene amounts of money?  Sadly, no. When it comes to money and influence, it apparently doesn't matter what party you're in- if the person you owe debts to calls them in, well, you'll pay.

Sadly, we all pay. And Eliza Doolittle, not related to Congressman Doolittle?  She, disgusted with words, summed it up pretty well, " Sing me no song!  Read me no rhyme!  Don't waste my time, Show me!"

If the Democratic party actually cares about our environment, and about the iconic Donner Summit, which should be the "poster child" for protecting the Sierra, well, they'd better show us now.  Otherwise, Developers, Doolittle, and Democrats-- we'll know they're dastards all. And that's a bad D word. Show us you care, or reap the consequences of an electorate waking up to the fact that the tune is always called by those who have the money, and not those who care about the legacy we leave to generations who follow.