Archive for July, 2009

The July 18^th edition of Trenton’s Urban Studies group had Alan Mallach as its guest speaker. Mr. Mallach has been studying cities for 40 years and works today as a consultant and author on the subject. He was formerly Trenton’s Economic Development director back in the 90s.

The upshot of Mr Mallach’s comments was that a small city like like Trenton, should have as its objective, to increase the numbers of higher income residents. Increasing downtown residency is an important part of this prescription. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Mr. Jefferson,

It appears as though your successor, Mr. Obama, has reinterpreted your most excellent essay on the natural role of government.  Therefore, if you would be so kind, please update your declaration as edited below.

Changes are to the 1st sentence of the 2nd paragraph.

…..

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and, the pursuit of Happiness., public Healthcare, freedom from Mortgage foreclosure, a guaranteed Union auto job and Broadband access.

…..

I understand, that it will be most difficult to obtain signatures from all the founding fathers on this amended version.  However, I’m sure Mr. Obama will be most appreciative of your assistance as he endeavors to re-shape the country you and your friends set forth.

Sincere regards,

Dan Dodson

Trenton, NJ

Crossroads of the Revolution

Councilman Coston referenced in his blog, an email discussion he and I had about the impact of income distribution on Trenton. Mr. Coston’s blog can be found at, SouthTrenton.com.

I’ve taken the opportunity to restate the debate here.  It’s a useful discussion for policymakers and I thank Jim Coston for being the kind of Councilman that is open to challenging his own assumptions. Read the rest of this entry »