Just the Prozac talking
As a followup to our poll of the other day, here is the photographic evidence from the other day's groundbreaking for the jackup of the Moody Avenue streetcar line. From the looks of things, the most medicated politician appears to be Congressman Wu, but actually, Mr. Blumenauer's looking a little spacey there too, isn't he?
Meanwhile, the righties are howling that all the "employment and innovation" talk from the event was simply hot air. The Moody Avenue project, they say, is really all about (a) diverting money to the mystery train to Milwaukie, and (b) raising the grade of the street so that OHSU won't have to excavate so deeply into the toxic muck that sits under the surface of some of its planned development sites.
If we had to bet, we'd say the critics give the far more plausible account of the motivation here. And as for results, we've all heard lots of talk about jobs in SoWhat, for a decade now. So far it's been a load of outrageously expensive bunk.
| Posted at 11:46 AM | Permalink |
|
Comments (22)
I think they all look delusional. That same grin that comes from blowing other people's money on their wet dreams.
Earl just looks constipated most of the time. God forbid he had a real job with any stress.
The scarier thing is that SW Moody started out as $27M, then I thought $31M, then in the O yesterday it was $51M and now this says $66.5M - Even after we just built it 3-4 years ago. I guess I should've learned from the Tram budgeting better.
There must be some kind of manliness contest among our reps to see who can glom on to the biggest money blow amongst themselves.
Posted by Steve | March 24, 2011 12:01 PM
From the pictures you linked to and the picture in the Oregonian, Blumenauer looks like he is going mad.
Posted by Garage Wine | March 24, 2011 12:01 PM
Totally mad
Posted by Garage Wine | March 24, 2011 12:03 PM
Just to let you know Randy and PWB are spending your money wisely:
"The project budget is funded with a mix of TIGER ARRA Funds, Federal High Priority Earmark, Federal TCSP Funds, Water Bureau Funds, OTIA Funds, System Development Charges and City General Fund."
http://www.swmoodyproject.com/index.html
I predict water will pass the price of gold in 2027.
Posted by Steve | March 24, 2011 12:13 PM
The surrounded by a desert of unemployment part of Earl's "oasis" metaphor would be correct.
Posted by dg | March 24, 2011 12:13 PM
We can't afford to replace 21 year old buses (with federal grants that even dead people can qualify for and would pay 90% of the cost of the bus), but we can spend $40 million to rebuild a pratically brand new stretch of streetcar line that has no development, no stations, and costs more to operate than a bus - in part because the streetcar track was flawed (with a 5 MPH S-curve underneath a support pier for the Marquam Bridge).
It's nice to know that we can't fix what's broke, but we have plenty of money to fix what's unnecessary.
Posted by Erik H. | March 24, 2011 12:26 PM
A few years ago, they said the land level in the so what had to be raised so that the grade to the toy train bridge would not be too steep.
At the time they envisioned two levels - a top level for toy trains, bikes & peds. And a lower level to hide the cars in.
Of course the whole thing is just delusions of adequacy from deluded planners.
thanks
JK
Posted by jimkarlock | March 24, 2011 12:50 PM
This actually made me sick to read.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | March 24, 2011 12:52 PM
"we can spend $40 million to rebuild"
$66.5M now. That's a lot to pay for (whoever said it) digging holes to fill them.
Posted by Steve | March 24, 2011 1:06 PM
I like the way our next mayor, Earl the Pearl Blue Manure is standing on the opposite end from our current mayor, Sam the Tram Scam.
Posted by Robert Collins | March 24, 2011 1:06 PM
It's called the Tiger Project? This would have been perfect for David Wu's tiger costume.
So in addition to everything else, he has no fashion sense.
Posted by Bill McDonald | March 24, 2011 1:14 PM
Don't get too sick Mr. Grumpy, we need your comments and to carry on. Watchdogs are needed.
I got that sinking feeling myself though when I saw once again the ubiquitous photo of elected officials standing by their "pork projects." Are we supposed to cheer? rah rah rah!!
Steve:The scarier thing is that SW Moody started out as $27M, then I thought $31M, then in the O yesterday it was $51M and now this says $66.5M - Even after we just built it 3-4 years ago. I guess I should've learned from the Tram budgeting better.
Is even one of the officials in that photo going to question the money here?
How can this be, from $27M to $31M, the most questionable how yesterday it was $51M and now it says $66M?? Go by streetcar!
Posted by clinamen | March 24, 2011 1:17 PM
What amazes me is the seemingly unstopability of these unwanted projects.
You'd think our local 'urban-planners' were experienced heading up settlement building in the West Bank or something. After all, demographic and social engineering is really the ultimate result and I have little doubt is the desired result.
Their problem is finding the dollars to keep funding execution of these plans. However, as we keep observing, increasingly creative methods of doing just that keep popping out of the mayor's head, along with a little help from the Congressman.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | March 24, 2011 1:48 PM
SoWhat is going to be the "Innovation Quadrant"
http://www.pdxinnovation.com/iq.html
With innovative 19th century transportation technology like streetcars and light rail.
Posted by Ryan | March 24, 2011 2:34 PM
"The scarier thing is that SW Moody started out as $27M, then I thought $31M, then in the O yesterday it was $51M and now this says $66.5M - Even after we just built it 3-4 years ago. I guess I should've learned from the Tram budgeting better."
We all know the game. The initial budget is just a teaser, then the cost rises as federal participation is found. This is how various pols, Stacey and Whitbeck, SOJ, OHSU, Homer, and others get so fat, dumb and happy. It's called "pork" for a reason.
Posted by PD | March 24, 2011 2:50 PM
"an oasis of employment and innovation"...
Yeah right....like when those bio jobs were all comin' to town!
To paraphrase from "When Harry Met Sally"..."I want what they are smokin'!
Posted by portland native | March 24, 2011 4:11 PM
Steve -
Interesting quote about the various sources of money, including "Water Bureau Funds".
What is the quote from?
I really want to look a little closer into how and what Water Bureau Funds went intio this and why.
Thanks,
Posted by Nonny Mouse | March 24, 2011 4:39 PM
Blumenauer's looking a little spacey
Well of course. His toilet paper tax proposal is back in the news. "Water Protection and Reinvestment Act,” H.R.3202
"The project budget is funded with a mix of TIGER ARRA Funds,
No wonder Davey Wu was on hand.
Posted by Max | March 24, 2011 4:48 PM
So nice the city can come up with the money for this, but they couldnt help keep those schools from closing recently.
Maybe throw some more money at youth outreach to stop all these recent gang shootings?
"For the children." Im sure...
Posted by Jon | March 24, 2011 5:38 PM
Elevating the roadway will allow the city to cap adjacent brownfields, open up large parcels of land for development--including a hospital--and transform this district, as Portland Mayor Sam Adams said, into one of the city's greenest areas.
Mayor Adams turns brown into green. This benefits those who create brownfields as taxpayers pay to clean or work around them.
More debt for our children to pay and more brownfields (safely cleaned now?) for our children to play in.
Posted by watching for our children | March 24, 2011 6:05 PM
open up large parcels of land for development--including a hospital
Do we really need another hospital? I'm sure Portland has plenty of hospitals; and many of those (Good Sam probably being the exception) have plenty of room to grow.
In fact, there's even a couple of closed, or barely open hospitals - the old Eastmoreland Hospital, the old Woodland Park Hospital (now a "speciality hospital" but much of it is unused), the old Adventist Hospital (I believe it's now a retirement home), the old Bess Kaiser Hospital (now the Adidas America headquarters, but they are slowing moving employees to the east coast), and whatever hospital it used to be directly across from the Rose Quarter which is now partially used for the Oregon State Hospital's Portland facility (and otherwise vacant). And most of these AREN'T in floodplains and on unstable fill soil.
Posted by Erik H. | March 24, 2011 8:23 PM
What is the quote from?
http://www.swmoodyproject.com/index.html
CoP Bureau of Transport WEBsite
Posted by Steve | March 24, 2011 8:44 PM