Chicken Little Progressers Promise Doomsday If We Vote
Scaring voters shitless is a classic political tradition...“Vote for me or die” is the underlying message of these sorts of campaigns...If you think this way, if you value hope over fear and progress over the status quo, you’ll join us in rejecting political candidates and organizations that prey on our fears.
...Issue 9 is intended to slow down Cincinnati’s city planners and transportation experts who have embraced passenger rail, from streetcars to light rail to high-speed trains, as a viable option in the future. It’s intended to keep Cincinnati shackled to a car-first, highway-construction-forever mentality that will cripple this community...
If the groups behind Issue 9 really wanted the public to have a voice in making transportation spending decisions, they’d demand a vote for every highway, street and bridge construction project in the city. If we were allowed to vote on whether to go ahead with the $3 billion Brent Spence Bridge replacement — significantly more money than the proposed streetcar line — we’d support a vote on rail projects as well.
The amendment...could paralyze our city. We already know that, in addition to streetcars, this amendment would prevent the city from taking part in inter-city passenger rail. Guess the new trains would stop at Sharonville. But it's even worse.
A court might determine that the "last antecedent rule" applies to the amendment. If so, every acquisition of land - for widening a street, building a bridge - would be subject to a popular vote! At the very least, there would be expensive and time-consuming lawsuits. Not to mention making us a laughingstock.
Yes, if Issue 9 passes, the streetcar will stop in its tracks (sorry for the pun). But, if Issue 9 passes, it will effectively kill the possibility of passenger rail in this city for the foreseeable future.
If we pass Issue 9 - Cincinnati will become a dying island.
Obama later told reporters that if Issue 9 passes, the plans for a national high-speed rail network will have to go on hold "until Cincinnati voters have approved of our national project".
Depending on who's doing the talking, the proposed amendment has also been referred to as the "Streetcar Initiative," the "Anti-Progress Initiative" and the "Anti-Rail Initiative." Eschewing such slogan-ready options, I will simply refer to it as the "Initiative-Which-If-Passed-Will-Effectively-Doom-Cincinnati's-Immense-Potential-As-An-Up-And-Coming-Progressive-City-Of-The-21st-Century."
The only thing that actually happens if Issue 9 passes, is that Cincinnatians will finally have an opportunity to vote on their passenger rail transportation.
Let citizens' voices be heard, Vote YES ON ISSUE 9.
I enjoyed posting here for a bit, but now I've grown weary of pretty much this whole issue. I've resigned myself to Issue 9 passing, because I know most people just do not like the streetcar.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure if this passes Cincinnati will never have rail transportation. I hope I'm wrong (since I'm pretty sure it will pass), but I'm feeling pretty confident that COAST hopes that is the result. It might not mean the sky is going to fall, but it does mean Cincinnati will be left out of the regional rail network. It means Cincinnati will sprawl ever farther outward due to the lack of the density rail helps create. It means the Beck's Hardwares and Queen City Comics of the city will be eaten alive by the giant suburban lots of Home Depot and Barnes and Noble, created by a roads-only transportation policy.
I applaud COAST's political skill. If a rail transit proposal is small, they mock the smallness. If it is big, they say it is too big to succeed, and too expensive. If rail moves quickly, COAST wants to slow things down. If it moves slowly, they mock the slowness. If we build some infrastructure in preparation for rail, and COAST stops it from being used for rail, then it was a waste of money. We get it: you hate trains and love roads. Obviously a train killed your dog or you were assaulted by a fellow preschooler with a Thomas the Tank Engine toy, whatever. Like I said, I hate the results, but I can't help but admire the skill with which you stop every possible alternative to more roads and more sprawl.
I hope you understand the consequences of these actions, in the long-term. Big communities based on big lots and more sprawl eventually require more government, not less. Roads beget more roads, as we've seen along I-75. If you care about the city of Cincinnati, how can you want more sprawl, more roads, more eminent domain takings, more farms being swallowed up for more Wal-marts, and so on? Those aren't examples of the sky falling, since whole areas of the country have that complete and utter lack of localness, but why would you want that here? I just don't understand.
Vote No on 9 if you care about something other than stopping the streetcar. To me, that's what it boils down to. If stopping the streetcar is all that matters to you, come hell or high water, vote yes. Otherwise, Voting No on 9 is the only way to prevent Cincinnati from becoming one big suburb like so many other places.
By the way, you quoted a joke paper as one of your examples.
ReplyDelete'Obama later told reporters that if Issue 9 passes, the plans for a national high-speed rail network will have to go on hold "until Cincinnati voters have approved of our national project".' ~The Cincinnati Dealer
If it wasn't on purpose, then it reminds me of when the Chinese paper thought an Onion article was real. Maybe I just missed the joke, but it seems like you're actually quoting it for real.
The possibility that Issue 9 might pass in the face of opposition by *every* person and organization of any credibility in this city shows just how dangerous government by referendum is.
ReplyDelete"The only thing that actually happens if Issue 9 passes, is that Cincinnatians will finally have an opportunity to vote on their passenger rail transportation."
ReplyDeleteAnd every single right-of-way acquisition whether it's rail or not: http://caast-usa.blogspot.com/2009/10/poorly-written-issue-9-affects-roads.html
Chris, I'm not certain why you feel so sure that Issue 9 will pass. In my limited work to defeat it, I have heard from people throughout this city. The vast majority are opposed to it. Take the time today to make some phone calls or send some emails. If you can work in some time tomorrow, volunteer to work at a polling place.
ReplyDeleteCOAST wants this to fail because they're incapable of thinking large. They want self fulfilling prophecies of ruin. Heaven knows why, because what happens to the core city, drags down the region. But they zealously work to pull Cincinnati down. I for one will work tirelessly to see they fail.
Thomas Friedman, in his NY Times column yesterday, quoted Harvard professor Michael Sandel, wrote that last year's election, "marked a shift — from a politics that celebrated privatized concerns to a politics that recognized the need for effective government and larger public purposes." Effective government for larger public purposes is what COAST and their ilk fear.
So try to find some time to contact some more folks yet today.
"The possibility that Issue 9 might pass in the face of opposition by *every* person and organization of any credibility in this city shows just how dangerous government by referendum is."
ReplyDeleteIn other words, we must be ruled by elitism. Only a small number of people should really decide what's going on around here.
Joe contributes to the sky is falling mentality with his propesies of "ruin". Thanks for proving the point Joe. Duck and cover.
ReplyDeleteBris, should we never tell the truth about what you and COAST stand for? I've never once heard anyone associated with COAST say one good thing about our city.
ReplyDeleteIt baffles me why your group has such disdain for our fine city, but you do and you hate folks telling the truth about what you're up to.
Characterize my remarks however you want, but the truth remains, you're no fans of the city.
Joe -
ReplyDeleteI live in this City and love it. Don't think for a second that tax and spenders have an exclusive monopoly on hometown pride. The idea that if you don't support high taxes, or if you don't support the streetcar then you must hate the City is stupid.
I love how COAST has a quote by The Cincinnati Dealer right there in the list along with the quotes from the Cincinnati Enquirer and CityBeat.
ReplyDeleteWay to do your homework, COAST. The Cincinnati Dealer is supposed to be satirical.
The article was written as a joke. But, I guess, COAST is a joke too, so that doesn't really matter.
We must pass Issue 9! Us "choice riders" deserve something for ourselves. No more buses for us, we deserve more.
ReplyDeleteHow can you expect us to ride a putrid bus, with poor people and minorities? We need a $200 million streetcar because we are tired of parking our SUV's downtown.
UP YOUR'S FINNEY!! YOU LOST BIGTIME!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete