Some Remarks for Third Way Kos
I've mentioned before how it really bugs me that Kos (of Daily Kos) is a rightwing New Dem/Third Way in local politics but makes his living off of crowdsourcing progressive opinions. Today his comments were popping up on the pro side of the Air BNB debate, so the spirit moved me to go back and get some screenshots of some of his greatest Third Way remarks.
There was one remark I felt compelled to respond to - not because it was Third Way, but because I felt it showed how Kos had participated in driving the forces of gentrification in the area (besides promoting Big Development, trying to sweep away the homeless people, and not getting it about AirBNB...)
Markos: One of the problems I have in attracting talent to the home office in Berkeley is lack of affordable living space, and I actually pay employees really well. I finally threw in the towel, and most of my new hiring is remote.
My Reply on Why Kos is Part of the Problem
This comment reveals how you are part of the problem in Berkeley. There are lots of highly skilled unemployed people in Berkeley. Yet you feel compelled to look for talent elsewhere. Originally you were bringing in talent to displace the current residents of Berkeley. Now you are hiring remotely, sending capital resources outside of the city.
This is why South Berkeley - where many residents have been forced back on public assistance and supportive housing - has particular cause to complain. If Berkeley has been wooing all these tech start-ups and incubators, where are the *entry level* jobs for them? The soft jobs seem to be passed out to friends of friends, often invited in from the outside. The advertised jobs request skills of superhuman capacity - and they are often only contract jobs to boot!
Someone finally came up with a fabulous resource: localwisejobs.com. At last local jobs are supposed to be consolidated in one place and not hidden hither and thither. But if you look on the tech jobs page, where the GOOD jobs should be: all they ask for is FREE interns. There is no evidence of the jobs that the "gentry" got - the jobs you say you pay well for - that are rapidly displacing the people of South Berkeley from their houses.
Given your persistent New Democrat stance, I doubt you will understand the problem with bringing in your "new blood" and sweeping out the poor people in your way. But they are only poor because they couldn't get good jobs. Please think about that.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Or at least city council! (Unless you're in Kriss Worthington's district. He's one of the good guys. 
)
First, he's the only political figure to sign the petition in my sig.
Second, soon after I started becoming a bit more vocal about my situation he came up to me and gave me his card, and said I could write his office for help. My problems are pretty mammoth, I let the poor guy off the hook, lol. 
Actually he gets a third point for actively table campaigning when I was a grad student. He got my vote during his first run for office because of that.
Ps. I think City Council is not pleased with my existence.
btw, I'm in Max Anderson's district. He's retiring, but I think the replacement has already been groomed. That's how politics gets done around here. There are caps on donations, so newcomers can't gain real visibility to get the votes without being ushered into office somehow.
