Heck no, full steam ahead!!!!

Why are basic services being cut and not all the fluff like streetcars, trams, light rail, condos? This is just stupid and crazy!

Why are basic services being cut and not all the fluff like streetcars, trams, light rail, condos?

Because basic services aren't big campaign doers.

Thanks
JK

Jack, you just don't understand.

Police and fire ... well, that's just spending.

Stadiums, streetcars, and massive hotels: Now that's stimulus we can believe in!

Maybe we could include a replacement fire station on the ground floor of the new Convention Center Hotel?

Bonus: they could order room service, and avoid all those expensive (on-the-clock) visits to the grocery store.

Wait a second, last year we were broke. You remember when it would cost $450M to fix potholes and we had to raise a new tax.

This year is different, Sam said we have $900M in a reserve account to use for stimulus.

Sam - any response?

Maybe 30 years ago the City had 26 fire stations. Then they cut down to 25. With the deconstruction of City streets by Katz and Adams, it now takes longer for emergency vehicles to get there. You can't drive a 60,000# fire engine over speed bumps at 45 miles per hour (I've driven fire engines, ambulances.) So now we likely need more fire stations to meet National Fire Protection Association response time standards. Can we trade in the street cars for more fire engines, ambulances and the expensive personnel that come with them? If we can't do that expect loud complaints--and maybe torts--against the City for delayed emergency response.

(Insurance rating agencies look as stuff like this. If they don't like what they see, they lower a city's rating. That means higher fire insurance premiums. The City That Works!)

C'mon people, the fix for this mess is so obvious. Add a tank, pump and hose to every new street car that's built and VOILA! New fire engines, that are constantly patroling the city. Add a stretcher and POOF! New ambulance. How about some bars on windows? SHAZAM! New police cruiser. The answer, obviously, is MORE STREET CARS.

Portland could keep the stations all open by reducing the crews from 4 to 3. Many other cities operate with 3, and some with only 2 per crew. This is just a scare tactic to get the citizens softened up to shell out more money. Don't buy it for a minute.

3 or 2 on a fire truck isn't very effective when it comes to fire response where seconds do count. There is national rules for fire fighter safety that state 2 FF in, 2 FF out. It has to do with safety and rescue in case of something bad happening to the FF's if in the structure. You can't enter a burning building without those numbers.

Portland needs to wake up and realize the city will crumble without taking care of the BASIC services such as fire, police, and streets FIRST!

Thanks for the insight from the westside. Everybody on the eastside is smart enough to know that whenever there's a fire a whole fleet - not just one - of fire trucks show up. Thus said fire has a ratio of something like 6/2 or 10/2. Please pedal your union b.s. somewhere else.