I saw this story this weekend:
Loop trolley gets $25M in federal funding
I'm all for the continued growth of the Loop area. Although I personally miss the days before it was a family friendly tourist destination, but that is another story.
It is what it is now.
But what I ask why about is, should this be a time that the federal government is handing out 25 million for a 2 mile long project that benefits few?
We are fighting two wars.
We have tapped the taxpayers for a couple bailouts.
The banks are still failing.
Foreclosures are still rampant.
Unemployment is still very high. And peoples benefits are running out.
So is now really the right time to spend 44 million dollars on this?
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2 comments:
Even as a U City resident, I agree. Definitely not.
J- I agree with you on this one. Doesn't seem like we're in a position to fund projects like this right now.
10 hours ago · Like ·
C-This money is part of a sum of money that was allocated only for transportation and from a federal Urban Circulator Program. From my understanding, it means that this money can only be spent on very specific "circulator" types of transportation like trolleys, a few types of bus systems, etc. So it can't even be spent on bridges, highways, or other transportation issues. If missouri hadn't been awarded this money it would have gone to another state and spent on something similar if not an actual trolley system. The $25M would not have gone to education or housing or anything else if it wasn't being spent on this trolley which it seems a lot of people don't understand. So yeah, if this money could be spent on anything else there are obviously a few more pressing issues that could use monetary help but since the money can't be spent on anything else but "circulator transportation" because of how our government allocated money in the budget it seems like its better for us folks in st. louis to have a trolley in st. louis and not in cleveland for example. I have no idea "why" or how congress chooses how much money gets put into something like The Urban Circulator Program but this trolley doesn't seem to directly have anything to do with the wars or the housing crisis or bank bailouts from what I can gather but I could be wrong cause I often am.
8 hours ago · Like ·
JB- Just a thought: Why not sit on the money and wait for something worth spending it on?
8 hours ago · Like ·
JR-
C,
I am sure you are quite correct.
I don't fault those here who are taking the money to do something with it.
It seems the problem is in the federal government and how and why and when they spend money.
And I would be sure that there are thousands of other projects all over the country that would bewilder taxpayers as to why they are going on.
If the government won't sacrifice during hard times, it easily explains why most normal citizens feel no need to sacrifice any part of their lives if they fall on hard times.
8 hours ago · Like ·
C- Well put JR! I couldn't agree more. Thinking about how and why the government allocates money to certain projects makes my head spin with confusion to be honest. I probably shouldn't have even posted anything but for some reason it irks me when people think this money could have gone to something more useful or urgent if it weren't for Joe Edwards and the Loop Trolley Commission.....when really this money was already essentially "spent" when it was set aside in the national budget for very specific types of transportation. (not that you thought this but your post made me think of similar complaints that ive heard lately and in a fit of latenight facebooking after a couple of beers I got a little defensive--sorry!)
6 hours ago · Like ·
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