Kansas City transit activist Clay Chastain recently penned an answer to Mayor Sly James regarding all of the latest budget talk.
Take a look:
Rebuttal to Mayor James address
Mayor James is right to focus on investing in Kansas City's crumbling infrastructure, but wrong in the approach he is advocating.
When you have a limited amount of financial resources...which Kansas City does...you want to invest it in an infrastructure improvement project that will create a spin-off of additional benefits.
For instance, if you had a struggling business you would not spend your last available capital on improving the building's bathroom, parking lot, sidewalks, cafeteria, landscaping, etc. Rather, you would be much better off to invest your limited capital in modernizing the companies out-dated machinery that could then help the company better compete and make more money. Consequently, not only does the company become stronger financially...and more likely to stay in business...but also has new revenues to address its secondary infrastructure needs.
Similarly, if Kansas City invests one billion dollars in providing the people a world class public transit system to replace its pathetic one, then not only do the people benefit from that public transportation infrastructure improvement, but the city's revenue stream also soars from all the new economic development, businesses, tourism, and conventions the clean modern transit system generates.
Now our more attractive, liveable city not only has a brand new progressive transit system to benefit the people and attract back to Kansas City a new influx of residents, businesses, and visitors, but also a new mechanism to stimulate the economy and provide the city new revenues with which to address its other infrastructure needs.
Mayor James, let the voters decide on their valid light rail initiative you and the city council are blocking a vote on.
Activist Clay Chastain
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Clay and Byron both need to stay out of Kansas City's business. Worry about the city you actually live in.
ReplyDeleteYeah Clay, that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteForce the city that you don't reside in to build a transit system that nobody will use, while the water, sewer and road systems crumble.
Real logical Clay.
You guys are all wrong about mass transit like light rail. The facts and facts and figures backs up Clay's arguements. Cities like Minneapolis, Seattle because of their light rail system. It has not only boosted their income for the cities but it has been proven that re-development has boosted the economy on the viability of these cities. So, I think you need to look at the facts and figures before you make any comments about Clay's plans. Let's talk about the plan, not about Clay. It is about the future of Kansas City, not Clay.
ReplyDeleteBut you miss the point that cities like Seattle and Minneapolis are run by competent serious people who understand public policy and set some strategy and priorities to reach those objectives.
ReplyDeleteUnlike KCMO which has no vision and is run on behalf of insiders, consultants, grifters, contractors, and assorted hangers-on, and by the time the electeds even get to considering public projects, all the money is long gone.
Look at the latest contracting fiasco with the school district!
And the names and modus operandi never change. Public transit may be a good idea under certain circumstances, but KCMO will never be able to pull it off.
7:11, educate yourself. The rail system in Minneapolis is a money pit cosing the tax payers millions of dollars per year:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/138524389.html?source=error
"But you missed the point...". Hit it on the head. The jackasses downtown couldn't develope a plan to replace a roll of toiletpaper... Let alone a lightrail system. Hopefully the land grabs and the out-of-control spending will bankrupt the city... We can dissolve the City and be acquired by neighboring Cities where local government actually provides services to it's residents! Let the fat, Black guy run this City in the ground.
ReplyDeleteWho gives a flying fuck about ANYTHING this moron comes up with? Clay Shitstain is just that...
ReplyDeleteClay is Kansas City's psychotic stalker. We need a restraining order, garlic and a wooden stake.
ReplyDelete"activist" who lives where?
ReplyDelete"activist" who lives where?
ReplyDeleteClay's plan is unworkable (kinda like Clay), too expensive and not backed up by facts. Clay is a schizo in a tin-foil hat who dodges black helicopters.
ReplyDeleteIssued from Clay's command bunker somewhere deep in the East Coast; "I'm watching everything!"
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying Clay Chastain isn't a little off center but he makes some good points. He was able to get his initiative passed and then the City looked the other way. Jeez! Be nice to the guy... he actually does make sense when he's calm. @Clay is Kansas City's stalker... that's funny! LOL We all need stalkers to keep us on our toes... don't know it until you've tried it. LMAO
ReplyDeleteClay is not just a little off center, he's full on bat shit crazy. Getting the idiots in this town to pass an unworkable plan isn't rocket science. The City didn't look the other way; Clay's fairy tale plan was unworkable and thus illegal. The City did the right thing by overturning Clay's pixie dust plan.
ReplyDeleteClap your heels three times Clay, you crazy coot, and wish yourself back to where you belong. It isn't in KC.