Okay South Jordan... I told you so! Dave Alvord is not good for South Jordan!

I would like to remind of you a couple of posts from the past:

http://itsacurmudgeonslife.blogspot.com/2013/09/david-alvord-is-bad-for-south-jordan.html

and this one:

http://itsacurmudgeonslife.blogspot.com/2013/10/sexism-just-another-reason-david-alvord.html

A couple of things to note.  

• Neither Federal or State tax dollars are spent on abortive services.  Let's acknowledge this.  
• This letter goes out on the heels of Herbert's ill advised order to defund Planned Parenthood.
• The letter is not good public policy nor does it represent one of the most educated voter bases in the State of Utah.  It is grandstanding.  
• This is a veiled attack on Planned Parenthood.  It is very clear.  Even the comments on the Facebook post make it clear his actions and the actions of the South Jordan City Council are not represented of either fact or the majority of its constituents.
• It is heartening to see the number of citizens who not only oppose this policy but are taking the mayor to task over it.

He also makes the claim that the city should be interested in abortion because it is a matter of public safety.

Really?

The same David Alvord who refused to participate in a public safety program to install An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in his dental office. Even though this public safety program, which he was required to participate in by law, would potentially save a life.  Oh wait... we are only interested in potential life.  He has one in his office now.  Do you know why?  Because it was donated by the Fire Department.

David Alvord, now, wants to stand guard at every woman's vagina to make sure they don't show their own autonomy.  He wants to put money toward something that has been legal since before he was born.  He indicates, later, that he wants to address legal abortion because every has unintended consequences.  That unintended consequence is autonomy.  A woman does not need the approval of a man to enjoy sex and to choose when and if she wants to be a mother.  The unintended consequence of his refusal to put an AED in his office might be... the death of someone he could really have saved

He says he feels this is a way to directly influence something he has little influence on.  This is misguided at best and represents the misogyny so prevalent in South Jordan. If he wants to reduce abortions he should support comprehensive sex education in schools.  He should support ready availability of birth control to all of his citizens. He should support STD testing.  All of those have been shown to reduce abortions. All of those services are 97% of what Planned Parenthood does.  The rest of what they do is paid for by private donations.  They are paid for by those who support a woman's right to choose.  

He doesn't though.  This policy is not about what is effective it is about his next election and imposing his religious world view on everyone he comes into contact with.  The city council is complicit and guilty as well.  They are sending the wrong message.  It is a message that one of the most affluent cities in the state is determined to hold women as property.  If she has sex that is non-procreative she will suffer for it. She should suffer for it!  Why?  Because god said.  

David Alvord has a history of misogyny and sexism.  I have documented that above but let me help you out with this screen shot:

 And then he thought this was funny.  You know in the same way a high school kid quotes lyrics to make is point... out of context.

The City of South Jordan can directly effect good public policy.  As I suggested above that is by petitioning the legislature to approve fact based, science supported, comprehensive sex education.  It can work with Planned Parenthood to reduce the number of abortions through a sex positive information based program.  Instead David Alvord is a the lead of misinformation campaign in the city.  The facts escape him.  In fact he admits he is ignorant to the facts.  Does that stop him?  No! Facts have never swayed him.  I'll say it again!  David Alvord is wrong for South Jordan. 

If you want to make your voice on the matter heard... Planned Parenthood is holding a rally on August 25th!  Here is the link: 

Stand with Planned Parenthood 

Sexism: Just another reason David Alvord is Wrong for South Jordan!

Sexism:

1
:  prejudice or discrimination based on sex; especially :  discrimination against women2
:  behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex

My discussion around David Alvord's candidacy for Mayor of South Jordan has been as much about temperament as anything.  Well David can't help himself.  If you are from Utah and know anything about Mormonism you have probably heard of the Ordain Women movement.  It is a feminist movement that asks the Mormon church to treat members of all sexes equally.  They staged a protest during the last LDS General conference.  They are brave women who know asking for equality means they risk excommunication and ostracism.  However David Alvord, the sexist, thinks it is fair to belittle their request.

   So he was supported by a few folks but largely criticized by others for his flippant insensitivity and sexism.  As a result, David did what he usually does... he deleted the post.  He also did what he usually does... put up another post to make his point.

  I support David's right to "BLURT".  I would just think he would use a filter knowing that he was running for political office and someone like me might write about it.  Why would he do such a thing?  Well, because he was defending the church thats why!

I think, most importantly, he thinks sexism is ordained by god:

It is becoming clearer that David Alvord lacks the temperament to be Mayor.  He has a context in which he looks at the world that makes him a poor candidate to represent the rest of the community.  South Jordan needs a leader that is fair to everyone no matter their sex or religion.

Alvord: Wrong on Housing... Still Wrong for South Jordan

Hot off the presses:

David Alvord, and now his buddy Steve Barnes, are pushing misinformation and fear.  AGAIN!

In the above photo (taken from David's campaign site) he claims there is a link between tax rates and high density housing.  He has also claimed that high density housing overburdens the schools and stress the city's infrastructure.  There are Alvords and Barnes' claims... and then there is reality.

This is one of those topics that has been studied exhaustively.  There is no negative relationship between tax rates and high density.  There is no negative relationship between high density and school size or traffic congestion.  And in communities that had low crime rates before high density there is no change by adding high density housing.

This study discusses the numerous studies on this matter:  http://www.nhc.org/media/documents/Dontputithere.pdf

I know, it is a study, it uses objective facts, it is Alvord proof.

What you might notice that they refer to affordable housing in this study.  That is really what Avlrod and his buddy Barnes are talking about.  They don't want affordable housing in South Jordan.  Affordable Housing units bring in those disgusting poor people who have poor habits.

Lets look at his argument:  "A $500,000 dollar home will pay more taxes than a $300,000 home."  This statement is true when said by itself.  This statement is inaccurate when applied to the high density housing argument.  A home worth $500,000 is not built on .19 acres of land.  It is built on at least a .25 parcel and mostly on a .33 acre parcel.  You can feasibly build two $300,000 dollar homes on the same parcel.  That means now we have $600,000 in taxable property.

Now we really aren't talking about $300,000 homes when we talk about high density.  We are talking town homes, condominiums or apartments.  In each case the density of the units equals higher property values for either the management company or each individual owner aggregated in the same area.  So we now have a $2,000,000 building occupying the same foot print as the half million dollar home.  Alvord's math just doesn't add up.

So what is the issue.  Alvord tells you.  It is about keeping the level of housing (or price) high.  By doing this you keep the "other" out.  What they aren't telling you, is that South Jordan is required to provide a certain number of affordable unit to its citizens.  It isn't allowed to discriminate by class.  The city must serve the interest of the poor with equal fervor it dedicates to the rich.

Alvord also claims that he didn't want to debate this issue with Scott Osborne's son.  He would rather debate the issues with Osborne... except that he wouldn't.  He declined to let Scott make a point in an earlier post.  This is what he said:

...But I'm not going to use my campaign page to let Osborne spread the talking points of the left. 

Because Alvord's arguments are... indefensible.

Again, Alvord is demonstrating that ideology trumps reality.  His brand of politics is just plain bad; not only for South Jordan, but for the human race.