This Blog Is Full Of Crap

(Via BlogHouston)

Once again, Houston's movers and shakers are expressing their frustration over not being a World Class City and being seen as just another dumping ground for the refugees of other flooded-out cities.

While they hope that people will say "What will Houston do?" people are asking "Will there be Mardi Gras in New Orleans?"

Welcome to Envy City.

The plan this year is a gigantic star rising to ring in the New Year:

New York is famed worldwide for the ball dropping at Times Square. Sydney is renowned for a fireworks display on Harbour Bridge.

In downtown Houston tonight, a 9-foot star will be hoisted atop a building at the stroke of midnight, an event that ambitious organizers hope will become the city's annual, signature celebration on New Year's Eve.

Here's what I find surprising about the event:

Are event organizers a bit starry-eyed about the star's prospects?

They clearly don't think so. This year's event will be small compared with what they envision next year. Then the event may be held on Market Square, with bands playing on outdoor stages and beer sold at stands.

And the star — or perhaps a bigger, more dramatic one — may be raised atop a taller building than the Binz, perhaps one of downtown's tallest buildings, Zotos said.

If establishing a New Year's event is so important, why didn't they just go to Mayor White and ask him to threaten the owners of one of those "taller buildings" like he did with the abandoned mall he ordered turned into a FEMA outpost? He's been willing to trample on citizens rights for dubious results with SafeClear and Red Light Cameras, so why not continue to establish his legacy by ordering that one of these 'taller buildings" help establish an annual tradition to give the city a boost on the way to becoming World Class?

Let's see... they want something visible from Market Square... why, just a few blocks away is the tallest building in the city.

I'm going to make the asumption that Zotos is refering to Chase, the tallest building Downtown that's just a bum's rush and a Chronicle Building away from Market Square.

What are the owners of Chase Tower paying in property taxes? What should they be paying in property taxes?

I'm sure the difference in the two figures is much, much larger than what it would cost to light up each floor in sequence and then set off fireworks or a light show on top of the building. Maybe even strobe lights on each floor to sparkle and twinkle.

The Chronicle could begin a campaign its readers to convince the owners of Chase to light up for the New Year. Or they could walk next door and just say "Please? We'll go halfises."