Quote:
Originally Posted by Via Chicago
Where exactly is this spillover coming from? Nothing is ever apples-to-apples, but presidential libraries have been shown time and again to overstate economic benefits and tend to be heavily under-utilized after the initial sheen wears off.
Honestly, I wish this whole silly notion of presidential libraries (read: egotistical monuments) would just go away. The national archives can quite readily handle the duty of preserving presidential papers and documents without the need for pseudo palaces to store them. I'd be more impressed with all that fundraising power going to a more worthy cause than construction contracts.
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As I said, 'NOT apples to apples', point being I was trying to imply that each library location has different physical and societal/cultural characteristics (among other things) that create different criteria for development - these structures don't exist in a vacuum, and I think it's incredibly stupid to assume that it will exist solely as a monument or an archive, and not attempt to engage the surrounding the community, given the fact that the legacy it's promoting has been one of community activism and engagement AND also the fact that the general location on the City's south side was specifically chosen in order to continually promote that same activism and engagement for the future.
Also, your argument is weird considering NARA will still be the overarching authority for this Presidential center (like it is for all other Presidential libraries). Would you prefer that all of the hundreds of thousands of documents, files, emails, letters, laws, proposals, photographs for each and ever President past be located in one giant building...oh wait, the Old Post Office building downtown!!
kidding aside, not really sure what your beef is against such a structure, considering that most government buildings, regardless of usage are ego-palaces of excess...should they all just be located in DC, is that what you'd prefer?
Edit: paytonc's link about how the Clinton Library helped foster local redevelopment is pretty good, I suggest you read it.
http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/ten...nt?oid=3541156