^47% of "us people" voted for someone who supported the 3-C project.

At Ken's urging, I sent a letter to Kasich, through his website,  advocating for the 3-C, and outlining its economic benefits. I'm doing the same to Marcia Fudge, Brown and Portman. I don't hold out much hope it will change anything, but as the saying goes "It couldn't hoit..."

 

I sent the letter a few days ago to Kasich, and as of today, other than an automated response that they received it, I haven't heard anything back.

The irony of this is that Ohio will probably have to ask for $Billions from the feds when the state becomes insolvent due to PSE union pensions. 

How timely this article is! Last month, my 80-year-old mother who lives in a SW Cleveland suburb could not attend the funeral of her brother in Cincinnati because Ohio does not have trains. She couldn't drive as the last time she drove long-distance she fell asleep at the wheel and hit a guardrail. So the only option for her was to get to downtown Cleveland to catch the 4:30 a.m. Greyound to Cincy, which wasn't an option. Had there been a train that left SW Cleveland at 7 a.m. and got to Cincinnati by noon, as proposed, she could have attended her brother's funeral...

_________________

 

Nov. 9, 2010

As boomers age, 1 in 5 drivers will be oldsters

By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Joan Lowy, Associated Press

 

WASHINGTON – Remember "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"? Baby boomers who first danced to that 1964 pop hit about a granny burning up the road in her hot rod will begin turning 65 in January. Experts say keeping those drivers safe and mobile is a challenge with profound implications.

 

..."For many, our homes will not be just a place to age, it will also be house arrest," said Coughlin.

 

A 40-year-old needs 20 times more light to see at night to see than a 20-year-old, Coughlin said. Older drivers generally are less able to judge speed and distances, their reflexes are slower, they may be more easily confused and they're less flexible, which affects their ability to turn so that they can look to the side or behind them.

 

"As people get older and lose the ability to drive, they narrow and narrow their circle of friends and their circle of activities until it gets to the point where they are housebound and they don't move at all," Rosenbloom said.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101109/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_aging_drivers

 

Regarding Kasichs letters. The 400 million can not be re-purposed to other highway projects. It will go back into the pot and go to the next runner up for their rail project. He should know that.

 

Just what have you pople in Ohio done???

 

To add on to that, if I understand correctly, it can't even be repurposed for another rail project.  Its 3C or nothing.

^47% of "us people" voted for someone who supported the 3-C project.

 

Amen.

Open Letter to Ohio’s Governor-Elect John Kasich

5 November 2010 15 Comments

Dear Governor-Elect Kasich,

 

Congrats on your victory in the Ohio governor’s race this week. You’ve got a tough job on your hands and I don’t envy you, taking the reigns in a state with an $8 billion budget deficit and a 10 percent unemployment rate. I didn’t vote for you, but I considered it. Even so, I think I join the vast majority of Ohio residents when I wish you the best of success.

 

Even though you only won election a few days ago, I hope you don’t mind, I have a little bone to pick with you. I was more than a little dismayed to hear that in your post-election victory speech, you said Ohio’s plan to connect Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati via passenger rail was “dead,” and that “passenger rail is not in Ohio’s future.”

 

Forgive my confusion, but I fail to see how returning $400 million in federal money is the right decision for a state with our record on unemployment. According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, that infusion of cash would have immediately created 255 jobs. The US Department of Commerce even suggested it would result in a total of 8,000 spin-off jobs.

 

Full letter can be read on: http://rustwire.com/2010/11/05/open-letter-to-ohios-governor-elect-john-kasich/

 

They had a story on WHIO (CBS Dayton) last night about Riverside being hurt heavily by the prospect of 3C being turned down.  It would've given them millions of dollars of developments for the Air Force Museum ala new hotels, restaurants, etc next to the station.  Even the rendering of the station looked nice!  The end line of the (I believe) city manager was classic: "Until the next governor, we'll just keep the site open for rail opportunity."

Is there a link to the renderings?

^47% of "us people" voted for someone who supported the 3-C project.

 

And 49% of the 48% of registered voters who bothered to perform their civic duty, voted for a guy who thinks he has the unilateral, unchecked power to decide what's best for our state.

Is there a link to the renderings?

 

I don't know.  Go to WHIO or Riverside's website or something.

Gov. Ted Strickland refuses to halt passenger rail project, despite request from successor, John Kasich

 

Governor-elect John Kasich is calling on the governor he vanquished last week to derail Ohio's $400-million passenger train project.

 

But outgoing Gov. Ted Strickland says it will keep rolling during his watch.

 

 

Strickland rebuffed Kasich's call Monday to "immediately cancel" the Cleveland-to-Cincinnati passenger rail, which has already incurred $1 million-plus in costs for engineering and environmental studies.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/11/gov_ted_strickland_refuses_to.html

 

They had a story on WHIO (CBS Dayton) last night about Riverside being hurt heavily by the prospect of 3C being turned down.  It would've given them millions of dollars of developments for the Air Force Museum ala new hotels, restaurants, etc next to the station.  Even the rendering of the station looked nice!  The end line of the (I believe) city manager was classic: "Until the next governor, we'll just keep the site open for rail opportunity."

 

Cities curb rail projects after Kasich promises to kill 3C train planBy Cornelius Frolik, Staff Writer

Updated 8:44 AM Monday, November 8, 2010

 

After Ohio was awarded $400 million in federal stimulus money to develop a commuter rail system connecting Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland, officials in Dayton and Riverside began plans for rail stations and developments they hoped would revitalize whole neighborhoods.

 

But now that Gov.-elect John Kasich has promised to kill the rail plan, it’s back to the drawing board.

 

Read more at: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/cities-curb-rail-projects-after-kasich-promises-to-kill-3c-train-plan-997571.html

Gov. Ted Strickland refuses to halt passenger rail project, despite request from successor, John Kasich

 

Governor-elect John Kasich is calling on the governor he vanquished last week to derail Ohio's $400-million passenger train project.

 

But outgoing Gov. Ted Strickland says it will keep rolling during his watch.

 

 

Strickland rebuffed Kasich's call Monday to "immediately cancel" the Cleveland-to-Cincinnati passenger rail, which has already incurred $1 million-plus in costs for engineering and environmental studies.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/11/gov_ted_strickland_refuses_to.html

 

 

'Kasich also appealed to President Barack Obama by letter Monday, requesting that the president "make provisions" for the federal-stimulus money to be used on other infrastructure projects in Ohio.

 

If that can't be done, Kasich asked that the money be used to reduce the federal government's $1.4 trillion deficit.'

 

His first call of order is to deny Ohio progress in an area it has lagged so far behind. He was salivating at the opportunity to do this like Mike Singletary anticipating a quarterback sack. The industry and jobs that can stem from it are ignored. The fact that there are thousands upon thousands in the state who would actually like a choice/alternative in this supposed wonderful land of choice, is ignored. Got car, got parking lot...  Good to go and we should all be happy with that, says he. On a side note...ODOT cannot even adequately maintain the current road infrastructure it has and yet guys like this would rather to steer any transportation monies towards roads...what a joke. I can even begin to imagine how a lot of the CDC forumers are probably praising Kasich for his call to hault this. God its embarrassing to be in Ohio regarding this particular issue. I honestly do not know what he is thinking. Good agenda Johnny boy... Let China reap all the benefits.

^God help the next generation.  Ohio already lags 10-15 years behind the more progressive states in the nation and this fool hearty decision is just going to add to our backwardness for generations to come as other states proceed with modern rail systems.

^ Agreed. Its so frustrating. What kind of counter attack can be presented to those who don't get it...to get them to see the light? There has to be a way to speak their "lingo" but I do not know. We cannot pass this opportunity up. The arrogance in the opposition is exceeded only by their egos. But what next? In a way, I feel like it is a sort of imprisonment to not have the options we need for alternative travel modes. In many places in Ohio there is not even a bus option. Warren, a town/area that large does not even have a Greyhound anymore! Unless you have a car or get someone to drive, you're screwed. You'd think that the embarrassing scenario factor like this would be motive enough to climb aboard. Is there any positive light to shed in this cloud?

As mentioned before, a good rebuttal is to mention how single highway interchange projects are going to cost more than the whole of 3-C.  Also, for Kasich to say in the same sentence that he wants to create jobs while at the same time killing this project is a complete wall-banger.  Ray LaHood's letter to Wisconsin stating that if the money is not used for passenger rail then it gets returned to the Feds is also good ammo.  Since this money is already earmarked for trains, it's not going to be used to reduce the deficit either.  Finally, Kasich even admits that freight rail *IS* one of Ohio's "transportation priorities" and this money will be a big boon for that too.  He needs to wake up. 

^I suspect that, even when boxed into a corner, he will return the money out of pure spite.  But better that he affirmatively kill it than have someone else kill it for him.

Good points.. Another thing I just thought of..... In his campaign ads he was spewing about how much he wants to keep people here in Ohio to achieve their dreams and not in some other state, yadda.. yadda...yadda... Hmmmm...well, many of the bright people we want to keep in our cities in the state, I would imagine, would like rail transportation options as are in the cities to which many seem to re-locate. Well, in a way, I can see by denying Ohio rail development, it makes it less appealing to live here in that regard so we lose these people to other cities/states. Does that make sense?

I would have to think that returning 400 million dollars in Federal Money would be political suicide.

I would have to think that returning 400 million dollars in Federal Money would be political suicide.

 

Unless your supporters believe it will save the state money. They are trying to convince Ohioans that it will.

 

Here is why it won't:

 

++ The earliest that 3C will start running is three years from now. Thus it will not start incurring operating costs until then.

 

++ The $8 billion budget deficit is projected for the biennial (2-year) general fund budget that starts July 1.

 

++ Furthermore, 3C will be funded out of ODOT's budget which is completely separate legally and financially from the deficit-ridden general fund.

 

Stopping 3C will have ZERO EFFECT on Ohio's budget deficit.

November 2, 2010

Rail Advocates Urge Obama to 'Be Like Ike'

By JASON PLAUTZ of Greenwire

for The New York Times

 

Announcing the latest round of high-speed rail grants last week, Federal Railroad Administration chief Joe Szabo compared the effort to the 1950s push to lace the country with interstate highways.

 

"In the 20th century, our vision led to the Interstate Highway System," Szabo said. "In the 21st century, our vision will give us a world-class network of high-speed passenger rail corridors."

 

President Eisenhower is credited with creating the highway system that now stretches nearly 47,000 miles and is the country's largest public works project. Faced with a patchwork system of roads, Eisenhower rallied Congress and state leaders to work together in the "vital interests of every citizen in a safe and adequate highway system."

 

The same kind of leadership is needed now from President Obama on high-speed rail, advocates of that system say.

 

Full story at: http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/11/02/02greenwire-rail-advocates-urge-obama-to-be-like-ike-52774.html?pagewanted=1

If the main issue is the $17 Million Operating Subsidy, some ideas on where to find it, based on the Executive budget for FY 10 and FY 11 http://obm.ohio.gov/document.aspx?ID=c07f6e0d-5a41-4775-8410-9549ba4ab45e

 

(In Millions)

State Fair/Exposition: $14.7

Ohio Ethics Commission $3.2 (Duplicated by Joint Legislative Ethics Committee?)

Duplication: Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and Department of Mental Health $Unk

State Racing Commission: $22

 

 

^ If you read all the bozo comments on Cleve.bomb, all the Kasich supporters are arguing that the money be used for other infrastructure projects and/or and a 'East-West' rail with Chicago. Once they find out that the money can be spent on 3-C and ONLY 3-C, they'll have to come to grips with the fact the money would have to be returned. I doubt that will sit well with many of his supporters. 

^I'm afraid it is "dirty money" to many of them.  Anything that you can add the term "stimulus" to gets branded as that.

Its dirty money until someone wants to give it you. I suspect many of the Kasich supporters are not fans of President Obama, I can't see them wanting the money back in his hands either.

 

Side Note: This money has been apportioned for rail only correct? Giving it back isn't going to anything to reduce the National deficit is it?

^47% of "us people" voted for someone who supported the 3-C project.

^ Agreed. Its so frustrating. What kind of counter attack can be presented to those who don't get it...to get them to see the light? There has to be a way to speak their "lingo" but I do not know. We cannot pass this opportunity up. The arrogance in the opposition is exceeded only by their egos. But what next? In a way, I feel like it is a sort of imprisonment to not have the options we need for alternative travel modes. In many places in Ohio there is not even a bus option. Warren, a town/area that large does not even have a Greyhound anymore! Unless you have a car or get someone to drive, you're screwed. You'd think that the embarrassing scenario factor like this would be motive enough to climb aboard. Is there any positive light to shed in this cloud?

 

Yeah, but was there a counter attack done before the election?  I mean its no surprise that he is doing this.....  There was that opposition last year. 

 

How is it that so many peoples understanding of the facts are still so far off on this...  I know therre were the negative articles, but was there a truth campaigne out there?  (Im just curious how this happened :wtf:)

 

And again, no people Ohio will not get to keep the 400 million to use for something else!

This money is like a tailored suit. It can only be used for a passenger rail project which has gone through a multi-year planning process that conforms to the National Environmental Policy Act. The State of Ohio has no other NEPA-compliant passenger rail projects and thus are not eligible for this funding. Ohio DOT has a signed contract with the Federal Railroad Administration that it will use the awarded funding for the purposes for which it has applied.

forgive me for possibly going against the grain here, but I'm starting to side with Kasich, so long as monies go toward interstate improvements.

 

wouldn't it make more sense to finish I-71 widening in morrow county and south of cbus to cinci before building starting up the 3C rail line?  wouldn't a more efficient use of resources be to connect chicago-cleveland-nyc?

This is such a sick nightmare. Of course our new governor would do this. Just when we thought our new county government would solve our problems, the only man more powerful in the entire state decides to step in.

forgive me for possibly going against the grain here, but I'm starting to side with Kasich, so long as monies go toward interstate improvements.

 

wouldn't it make more sense to finish I-71 widening in morrow county and south of cbus to cinci before building starting up the 3C rail line?  wouldn't a more efficient use of resources be to connect chicago-cleveland-nyc?

 

The fact is that federal grant dollars, such as this, cannot be re-purposed for any other project.  That fact has been re-iterated by USDOT Secretary LaHood and it is a fact that even Mr. Kasich should know from having been a member of Congress. 

 

Side Note: This money has been apportioned for rail only correct? Giving it back isn't going to anything to reduce the National deficit is it?

 

If Ohio does not spend these $$$$, they can and will be awarded to another state for their passenger rail projects.  It was well-reported over the weekend that New York Governor Cuomo has already asked the USDOT for Ohio and Wisconsin's passenger rail funds.  Personally, I think it would be especially fitting if Ohio's dollars went up north to Michigan...which would (BTW) have an impact on the students and faculty at the hated U of M Wolverines as one of Michigan's passenger rail corridors goes right through Ann Arbor.  Go Blue.

wouldn't it make more sense to finish I-71 widening in morrow county and south of cbus to cinci before building starting up the 3C rail line?  wouldn't a more efficient use of resources be to connect chicago-cleveland-nyc?

 

If we can get a decent passenger rail system going, we wouldn't need to widen I-71.  It's unfortunate that the I-75 widening between Cincinnati and Dayton is nearly complete, because this is another corridor that would really benefit from transportation alternatives.  Keep in mind also that expanding rail transit is much less expensive than widening highways anymore.  Building the original rural interstates was a breeze for the most part, but even in rural areas now there's so much infrastructure in place that will need to be demolished and rebuilt that we're seeing severely diminishing returns on highway expansion.  Going from zero to more than zero rail transit on the other hand has so much more bang for the buck.

If the main issue is the $17 Million Operating Subsidy, some ideas on where to find it, based on the Executive budget for FY 10 and FY 11 http://obm.ohio.gov/document.aspx?ID=c07f6e0d-5a41-4775-8410-9549ba4ab45e

 

(In Millions)

State Fair/Exposition: $14.7

Ohio Ethics Commission $3.2 (Duplicated by Joint Legislative Ethics Committee?)

Duplication: Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and Department of Mental Health $Unk

State Racing Commission: $22

 

 

 

3C funding will not come from the general fund. It will come from ODOT which is legally separate. The two budgets aren't even approved at the same time. ODOT's budget must be approved by March 31. The general fund must be approved by June 30.

 

wouldn't it make more sense to finish I-71 widening in morrow county and south of cbus to cinci before building starting up the 3C rail line?  wouldn't a more efficient use of resources be to connect chicago-cleveland-nyc?

 

Kasich is counting on Ohioans not understanding that these funds cannot be legally used for anything other than a passenger rail project that has completed federally compliant planning. 3C is the only project in Ohio that meets these requirements as established by federal law.

forgive me for possibly going against the grain here, but I'm starting to side with Kasich, so long as monies go toward interstate improvements.

 

wouldn't it make more sense to finish I-71 widening in morrow county and south of cbus to cinci before building starting up the 3C rail line? wouldn't a more efficient use of resources be to connect chicago-cleveland-nyc?

 

I assume if you knew that the money can NOT be used for any other purpose in Ohio - not for highways, not for other rail projects more desirable to your personal preferences (which do indeed mirror mine), you would not side with Kasich?

Clevelanders seem to think they should get better connections to Chicago and NYC, which they already have better connections to than any other city in the state. (Well, I guess Toledo is similar or the same(?).) In fact, Columbusites and Daytonians currently have zero rail connections to anywhere.

 

3C is rightfully a higher priority than any project which only serves the north coast.

For Ohio, of course it is a higher priority.  That doesn't stop us from having personal preferences, which I for one am more than happy to sacrafice for the good of the State as a whole.  But if you were just to ask me cold turkey whether I would rather work towards having a train run through Cleveland that gets me to Cincy in 2.5 hours or one that gets me to Chicago in 2.5 hours, I think you know what the answer would be.  Of course, I would support both and I realize that the federal funds cannot be repurposed for that route, so its kind of pointless to discuss at this point.

 

BTW, the current service through Cleveland sucks.

 

And what the H-E-DoubleHockeySticks is up with the poll in that cleveland.bomb article.  I am not taking any of those options.  The most popular (60%) answer so far is:

 

The money should be used for another job-creating, infrastructure project in Ohio.  :drunk:

BTW, the current service through Cleveland sucks.

 

Yeah, I'm not so sure people realize what time the trains come through Cleveland.  It's awful.  I wouldn't mind staying up til 1 am to catch a train, or getting up at 5 am, but they BOTH come smack dab in the middle of that (too late to stay up, too early to wake up).

^^ I get what you mean, but before I thought you were agreeing with this rhetorical question:

 

wouldn't a more efficient use of resources be to connect chicago-cleveland-nyc?

 

Which I think the answer to is obviously "no", if you look at the situation neutrally.

^  Despite that, ridership on Amtrak is up at virtually every Ohio along the North Coast.

^   Despite that, ridership on Amtrak is up at virtually every Ohio along the North Coast.

 

Just imagine how much it would be up if it came through at a reasonable hour.  I still ride it, but it's awfully hard to talk others into catching a train at 3 am.

And what the H-E-DoubleHockeySticks is up with the poll in that cleveland.bomb article. I am not taking any of those options. The most popular (60%) answer so far is:

 

The money should be used for another job-creating, infrastructure project in Ohio.   :drunk:

 

Because a lot of the same idiots vote on cleveland.com that voted on Nov. 2.

BTW, the current service through Cleveland sucks.

 

Yeah, I'm not so sure people realize what time the trains come through Cleveland. It's awful. I wouldn't mind staying up til 1 am to catch a train, or getting up at 5 am, but they BOTH come smack dab in the middle of that (too late to stay up, too early to wake up).

It could be even worse. The trains could come in the middle of the night, and only thrice weekly.

It could be even worse. The trains could come in the middle of the night, and only thrice weekly.

 

Oh, I know that.  I don't envy Cincinnati's rail service (although 1:10 am is a much better departure time to Chicago, only 3 days a week does suck).  And even Cincinnati shouldn't complain, because they have it better than Columbus. :)

 

But the fact is that the rail service does still suck in Cleveland, even if it sucks a little bit less than Cincinnati's.

 

I wasn't agreeing at all though with the comment about spending the money on the CLE-CHI line, though.  I know it must be spent on the 3C (and I think the 3C is a great thing in its own right).

And what the H-E-DoubleHockeySticks is up with the poll in that cleveland.bomb article. I am not taking any of those options. The most popular (60%) answer so far is:

 

The money should be used for another job-creating, infrastructure project in Ohio.   :drunk:

 

Seeing any option other than "The money should go to a rail project in another state" made me livid.  It's absolutely outrageous for the PD to have the "another job-creating, infrastructure project in Ohio" option.  Completely misleading.  Ridiculous.  Pathetic editorial oversight.

^ The PD has been feeding into 3-C misconception for awhile now. 

This letter dated Nov. 9, 2010 from USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood to Gov.-elect John Kasich....

 

http://freepdfhosting.com/37ba48ffbe.pdf

 

....was accompanied in an e-mail with this information from the USDOT regarding stimulus spending for other transportation projects in Ohio:

 

___________

 

Background: In addition to the $400 million in Recovery Act funds awarded to Ohio for high-speed rail, the Recovery Act has provided Ohio with more than $1.1 billion for road, bridge, transit, and airport projects across the state. These Recovery Act funds have helped fund 492 transportation projects for Ohio, including:

o $919.9 million for 395 road and bridge projects

o $181.7 million for 44 transit projects

o $24.4 million for 5 airport projects

 

Olivia Alair

Press Secretary

U.S. Department of Transportation

The next time Ohio decides to get more federal funds for passenger rail i guarantee we will not be in front because of this decision. This guy is derailing future funding as well.

This cleveland.com poster made me laugh (and yeah I know they get the mileage wrong):

 

Dear Train Supporters:

 

Isn't 39 mph ridiculously slow?

 

Sincerely,

 

The Amish