TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! KANSAS CITY INSIDER ON FIGHTING THE FUTURE: STILL TWO CHANCES TO STOP THE TOY TRAIN STREETCAR!!!
The Kansas City Toy Train streetcar has made it this far by subverting Democracy and keeping citywide voters far away from the process.
Tragically, this mission has been accomplished by disguising Staubio and his hipster friends as activists instead of yuppies desperately searching for graphic design and marketing contracts.
However, there is a bit of good news . . .
A KICK-ASS KANSAS CITY INSIDER ADVISES US THAT THERE'S STILL A CHANCE TO STOP THE EXPANSION OF THE PRICEY TOY TRAIN STREETCAR!!!
Check the deets:
"Remember their are two chances to stop the streetcar expansion. The first should be in August when their is a vote to establish the TDD. The second would be November when the sales and special property tax assessment would be voted on. One question is will these be forever taxes?"
Sadly, part deux of this project is treated as an inevitability without giving much consideration to a public vote.
Check The Toy Train Map for yourself.
And here's the word from more PR hacks paid to advocate . . .
"With the start of the construction phase comes the relaunch of the Downtown KC Streetcar website, www.kcstreetcar.org. This website is extremely user friendly with an updated construction schedule; an interactive streetcar map with detailed construction information and traffic updates for each of the 12, 3-block segments; links to the latest project news and updates; and project photos and milestones."
A link on another upcoming propaganda session: Open house offers information on KC streetcar project
Developing . . .
Slimming something down to 500 votes or less among supporters is the new way to win any election in KCMO.
ReplyDeleteYes, and after a slim majority of the little 500-person group approves the idea, EVERYONE gets to pick up the tab for a 20-year $200 million bond.
ReplyDeleteAnd the hipster downtown renters head for Johnson County in search of safe neighborhoods, good schools, and a yard for the kids to play in.
All aboard!
Well fuck, we've already wasted so much money on this boondoogle, why not go ahead and waste it all? It's only taxpayer money, so who gives a fuck??
ReplyDelete*there
ReplyDeleteThe "wheels" are in motion. I have been in contact with people who live in Brookside, Armour Hills, Waldo neighborhoods who report there is overwhelming resistance to this expansion. People in these key neighborhoods would bear the property tax burden and are paying attention, and these people will vote against anything to do with this waste of money. We don't need or want a streetcar in south KC.
ReplyDeleteAs usual the neighborhoods eat of Oak Street are clueless, don't pay attention and probably won't bother to vote. Hopefully there are enough of us west of Oak to derail this expansion.
I can't afford to live in Kansas City now, which means that I am dipping into savings every month. If my property taxes go up I will then be at the mercy of the real estate sharks who will sweep in once the tax passes as they all know that there are a lot of people in the same boat as I am. Is it possible that this rail plan was put together by the big real estate companies?
ReplyDeleteWhat might be more likely to get the attention of Streetcar supporters, who inflict all manner of social, economic and political abuse on taxpayers, but will rise up with righteous fury when you disturb their little fantasy world of something for nothing?
ReplyDeleteThe threat of putting this up to a REAL CITYWIDE VOTE.
Why the rush for expansion? Let's wait until the starter line is running and potential benefits can be evaluated.
ReplyDeleteThey want the vote on the expansion held before construction even starts on the downtown line so that the voters will not have a chance to see the clusterf*@k the project causes during construction. Supporters don't want voters to know the truth. They want to hoodwink low info voters into approving taxes for a project that is doomed to fail because it's all about the construction contracts and real estate deals being made.
ReplyDeleteBoing!!!! Doesn't get any more clear than that.
ReplyDeleteThey want the vote on the expansion held before construction even starts on the downtown line so that the voters will not have a chance to see the clusterf*@k the project causes during construction. Supporters don't want voters to know the truth. They want to hoodwink low info voters into approving taxes for a project that is doomed to fail because it's all about the construction contracts and real estate deals being made.
Not only do these Richard Florida groupies and ass kissers think voters here are dumb asses they also know people are to freaking busy trying to keep their heads above water to comprehend the mess we're in.
ReplyDeleteWhy the rush for expansion?
ReplyDeleteBecause if they can cram at least a few million into their consulting buddies pockets without the voters and taxpayers noticing it they can then use the excuse "oh we are to far into it now to look back".
You tonys readers are wising up. Remember David Johnson, Staubio and their ilk won their election with a few meeting and twitter talk. It's not hard to win a low turnout election when you are ORGANIZED.
ReplyDeleteThe republicans get you by screaming work ethic until u spend 40-60 hrs/wk of ur life doing some boring shit that doesn't make u or society better and enriches a tiny upper slice of Americans. The democrats then swoop in and get you to vote in favor of taxes you don't really understand, hoping that your Protestant work ethic has worn you down so you just trust what they say is good for you. Two party system.
ReplyDeleteAgain, the comments on TKC have gotten so much smarter surrounding this issue, and I believe the fact that the TDD was expanded as far south as 85th street provides hope with stopping it in August.
ReplyDeleteDave Johnson was REALLY pushing for 63rd street to be the southern boundary.
We can debate the value and function of streetcar all day long, but I think the focus right now should be the point that 10:50 made, which is that any project this large should be a city-wide vote.
Union Station was a $250 Million dollar renovation funded by a 1/8 cent sales tax increase. It was voted on by five counties in a bi-state tax.
Residents of Kansas City were all allowed to vote in the P&L District/Sprint Arena election that increased hotel and rental car taxes to pay back the $300M project.
Residents of Jackson county voted for a 3/8 cent sales tax increase to fund the $425M Truman Sports Complex renovation.
But they're only allowing a portion of Kansas City residents who live in Jackson County to approve a full 1 cent sales tax hike + property tax increase to fund a half billion dollar project??!
Vote "NO" in August and put this nonsense behind us.
As was stated to me by Doug Stone, attorney for the city, the reason why they are choosing not to let the whole city vote on this is because they know it will fail.
ReplyDeleteIt appears Dave Johnson and company are trying again to slip this by all but the most educated and informed citizens of KC.
I'm surprised Johnson is also behind the expansion-he got what he wanted for his own little hipster district where he lives and works, his very own personal transportation system, so why does he care about the rest of KC? I hear he never leaves the Crossroads are for anything cuz you can't get anywhere else without a streetcar. he won't ride the bus cuz it's not cool.
this project is misnamed. it should be the Clay Chastian street car line.
ReplyDeleteThe project HAS to be expanded because there's no way the original little TDD can pay to build, operate, and maintain the original Main Street 2.2 mile route. The money and "reserves" have always been mysterious, but it's pretty clear that it you have to BORROW money for PLANNING and can pay back only INTEREST from the PIAC funds, there;s not a whole lot of scratch around.
ReplyDeleteThis fiasco will become a financial sucking chest would that KCMO taxpayers will be paying for for decades.
And all the "transactional" players will have made their money and moved on.
All aboard!
actually the reason they want to expand quickly is to get a better chance at fed $, since after obamas gone theres no telling what federal money for city transit projects will look like. Instead we ll go back to the days of subsidizing sububanites and the dwindling ranks of rural small gubmint welfare queens.
ReplyDeleteyou pussies are just scared because you know when they build a system and the ridership #s come out and are sky high like everywhere else and the city adds population and business along the line like everywhere else, your "toy train" horseshit talking point will be exposed.
time to join the present crybabies. build transit infrastructure or become the next wichita.
445 is so mad. i would be too if it was increasingly obvious the jig is up before it even began
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous "4:45": Other cities (like Dallas, TX) didn't spend buckets of money on stupid streetcar lines. The existing transit system (DART in Dallas) added light rail systems to their transit arsenal. Light rail trains can be lengthened/shortened based on traffic and additional trains can be added for high traffic events. Your streetcar lines are static and inflexible AND DUPLICATING what already exists in the Main MAX bus line.
ReplyDeleteActually. 4:45 makes sense. Too bad we're building streetcar. That shit sucks.
ReplyDeleteDallas is currently building a streetcar and a person that was personally attacked above rides the bus all the time. Carry on.
ReplyDeleteLol; Dave Johnson defends himself in the third person. I will attest that he not only rides the bus, but walks on Independence Avenue at night in bad weather. It's a testament to his commitment to public transit, but also to his hatred for vehicles and vehicle owners. This skews his ability to have a rational discussion regarding the pros and cons of streetcar and alternatives because anything that involves accommodating cars is like nails on a chalk board to him. He takes it all personally and would love nothing more than everyone with a car to move away from him, but pay huge fees to subsidize his lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of that, you guys realize that a portion of the P&L "profits" come from parking fees, so I suppose if we see that revenue continue to drop, we can tack that on to the total streetcar bill, because that's already $14M down the shitter every year just so that people don't have to go to Westport to drink.
Dallas is only now building a streetcar after 30 years of building an efficient light rail system that will cover 93 miles by 2019. The streetcar in Dallas has never been positioned as anything more than a small addition to the larger and more flexible light rail and bus system. If we're going to list the pieces and parts of Dallas' transit system, don't forget that Dallas also has had a slow, rickety trolley for many, many years, too. Tourists with time on their hands love it.
ReplyDeletenobody I know thanks light rail is a bad idea. You're getting half the story from Colonel Slanders here and his band of elMorons.
ReplyDeleteThe people pushing streetcar have this dream that we're going to build light rail and connect it to streetcar etc.
ReplyDeleteHalf a billion dollars in and you think this city is going to shell out more for light rail? When does it stop? When we empty out the pension fund? Whenthe crime doubles? When we're bankrupt! Streetcar is a way for rail nerds to get something they want now, but it positions us to be financially weaker down the road.
The proponents keep yammering about eco development on the expansions. Take a look at Main Street going south to 85th. Do you see any empty lots or buildings? It's already developed. And they also yammer about people moving into these new expansion areas. Last time I looked, all the houses and apartments are already occupied.
ReplyDeleteThe only place where there is open undeveloped land is the green space along the trolley trail, from UMKC to 63rd, then Meyer to 75th. Are they wanting to put in shopping and apartments there, on Brookside and Wornall?