Re: Intriguing New Book Promoting Portland's Ongoing Ego Problem

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> Title: GREATER PORTLAND
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> > Just picked up THE MOST interesting looking supposedly ethnological tome on Portland's "transformation from a provincial Western city into an exemplary American metropolis". The Rose City apparently did this by "years of cooperative urban planning between developers and those interested in ecology and habitability".
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> > While I, and most other Couverites, are painfully aware of many Portlanders' constant need to point out how progressive, liveable, sustainable, and harmonious their city is - and their associated promotion of The Couv as their AntiChrist and sole source of many woes (like traffic, and our overuse of their tax free shops, cheap ciggies, video poker, nightlife, fashionable culture, etc) - we must consider that The Rose City has now upped their ego disorder to new heights. No longer are Portlanders content to "compete" with Seattle (a contest Seattleites arent usually aware of and could care less, given their much larger and wealthier status). Nope, PDX, using their PR academes at Portland State U (itself built on 1950s slum clearance and eviction of poor folk, so "habitability" minded PDX movers n shakers are), is now promoting its city as THE "Shining City On The Hill" (West Hills?), the globalized discontented's answer to a vast array of urban nightmares.
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> > While Im sure any PDX charity socialite worth her salt would easily solve world hunger in the same breath as pruning rosebush deadheads, I just dont see (and nor do you, my fellow Couvers) this going on...although we, a modest folk unobsessed with a need for the world stage, usually let Portland dress up for the public and put us in ashy sackcloth, rather than pipe up and poke our tax free goody bag where it hurts. Again, I could go on and contradict said book thesis by all sorts of examples, but I think a trip to Jantzen Beach, followed by a jaunt along Columbia Blvd (either way), ending with a home tour of either Parkrose or St Johns public housing, makes the same points by big pictures. After all, Portlanders made their big sustainable cozy Snuggie by driving all the po' folks out of the city core and into Felony Flats, Gresham, N Clackamas, and the Couv, thus cleansing W of 82nd for upper middle and artsy avant garde hoo-ha.
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> > Im delighted to know that we too can follow their example and gain our place among the stars. I was worried for the Couv that we might just be too independent of PDX's sound leadership. Wait, whats that you say? Vancouver isnt part of Trimet PDX's unelected govt board and their corset like urban growth policies? We actually have our own separate laws, govts, and officials? We didnt vote on fierce fluoride, and our water ISNT delish "Bull Run" fluids?
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> > Im flabbergasted...or I would be if I as a Vancouverite actually cared about what Portland leaders say and do. Im glad to be able to read "GREATER PORTLAND" (Auth Carl Abbott) as a lark, rather than swallowing PDX-gospel laced Koolaid.