June 28, 201212 yr WOW, Mark Miller just used the shooting of a 13 year old in Price Hill tonight to attack the Streetcar: COAST @GOCOAST @yvette4council ...but you can't part with your bloody boondoggles, so you make citizens suffer. Higher taxes & 13 yr old drive-by victims. What a desperate, classless assclown Mark and the rest of his COASTer ilk are.
June 28, 201212 yr 8th & State, you may have presented the worst idea ever. I'm gonna buy property in Texas. Should I now be able to vote for governor of Texas? Because I own an apartment complex in Indianapolis do I get to vote for both their council & Cincinnati's? What about the Abu Dhabi Investment Council who owns the Chrysler building? Should they get to vote for Mayor of New York? No one gets to vote everywhere they own property. That would be a horrible idea.
June 28, 201212 yr COAST and Smitherman are planning something though...They just don't give up Maybe they will try to lie down in front of the first streetcar? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 201212 yr Eighth and State, you are missing what "directly proportional" means. It just means there is a constant rate of increase for more money invested. It doesn't mean owning 10% of property in the city will give you 10% of all political capital. I didn't say suburbanites "want the city to fail", I said they would stifle progress. Just the fact of them living in the suburbs says that most of them are willing to sacrifice community good for personal gain, which I already made an argument for. Breaking out of abstraction, and back on topic, it is clear that suburbanites would kill the streetcar, were they given the chance. IMO this would be stifling progress, which was my claim. I am skeptical that people who live in a suburban environment, on the whole, understand how to improve an urban environment. Many probably think suburbification would be an improvement. e.g. More surface parking, less streetcar. Even with good intentions, it's backward thinking. A city with aging infrastructure can't compete with suburban aspirations.
June 28, 201212 yr In my humble opinion, this is taxation without representation" Seriously? Is this really your opinion? You think people who own property should get to vote in every jurisdiction they own property in? :wtf: :drunk:
June 28, 201212 yr Besides, they can vote for state and federal officials who promise to harass cities. Which they have done for the past 50 years.
June 28, 201212 yr http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2012/06/28/u-s-house-bars-federal-money-for-streetcar/ US House Bars Federal Money For Streetcar ...does this have to do with the money that was ALREADY GRANTED and a part of the budget for the streetcar? Because if so, Chabot is never getting my vote again. Wow.
June 28, 201212 yr Chabot Amendment Prohibiting Federal Funds for Cincinnati Streetcar Passes Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) authored an amendment to prohibit any federal transportation dollars from being used for the Cincinnati streetcar project. The amendment was offered Wednesday night during debate on the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2013, and was passed by a voice vote. "My amendment is about priorities," Rep. Chabot said. "The total cost of the streetcar is expected to be well over $120 million for a four mile loop connecting only two Cincinnati neighborhoods with little to no positive impact on traffic congestion, freight, or our aging infrastructure. This project is far from a necessity while projects of high priority like the Brent Spence Bridge and I-71 MLK interchange are left on hold." The amendment itself is only 25 words and would stop in its tracks the federal grant money sought by the city of Cincinnati for the streetcar project. The primary funding for this project came in the form of an Urban Circulator Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for $25 million. Then, earlier this year, city of Cincinnati officials were on Capitol Hill seeking even more federal assistance. "This nation cannot continue to spend money it doesn't have," Rep. Chabot said. "Now, more than ever, we need to be pragmatic in our approach to transportation, ensuring that every dollar spent represents a long-term investment that will improve the flow of commerce and create American jobs." "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 28, 201212 yr Interesting... Congress would still need to pass the Transpo bill.... which has been an ongoing impasse...
June 28, 201212 yr What? A bill can't be retroactive right? That's what I'm thinking. It says it will "ban federal funding SOUGHT" which makes me believe the money already accepted is fine Still, its annoying that after 2 direct votes, 3 indirect votes, and countless other votes that one crony politician can end a project years in the making at a moments whim KJP is right. Its never over with these morons
June 28, 201212 yr Chabot lost my vote for ANYTHING. Now other area's of the country will get funds and this area will further fall behind.
June 28, 201212 yr Key Line: "None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to design, construct, or operate a fixed guideway project located in Cincinnati, Ohio." His amendment applies only to this Transpo bill, not other appropriations or prior grants or awards.
June 28, 201212 yr Bill still has to pass the Senate. Just wrote them regarding the amendment asking that the language be removed in the final bill. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
June 28, 201212 yr Most likely just symbolic pandering by Chabot. The bill still has to be reconciled with the Senate version and signed by the President. (Did anybody else take a civics class in high school?) Even if Chabot's amendment passes, it likely won't affect the downtown-OTR loop that has already been funded. But forget about streetcar expansion or light rail anytime soon.
June 28, 201212 yr Key Line: "None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to design, construct, or operate a fixed guideway project located in Cincinnati, Ohio." His amendment applies only to this Transpo bill, not other appropriations or prior grants or awards. So they just used the Houston strategy on the Cincy streetcar. But in the end, it didn't work there either. And when did anyone think Chabot supported rail transit? Keep fighting. Land use reform that promotes compact, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods can reduce driving, pollution, and poverty. And only fixed guideway transit can influence land use, placemaking decisions. This is why the streetcar project is the subject of such venom. It changes the status quo in which so many are deeply invested. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 201212 yr Most likely just symbolic pandering by Chabot. The bill still has to be reconciled with the Senate version and signed by the President. (Did anybody else take a civics class in high school?) Even if Chabot's amendment passes, it likely won't affect the downtown-OTR loop that has already been funded. But forget about streetcar expansion or light rail anytime soon. Well, what Congress giveth, Congress taketh away (or rather what Congress taketh away by legislation, Congress can giveth back via legislation). It's not like this is a constitutional amendment. From what the user above quoted, it looks like it applies to this transportation bill, and ties the DOT's hands as to this one. But these are periodic bills, are they not?
June 28, 201212 yr ^I've heard it's a 2 year bill. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
June 28, 201212 yr ^I've heard it's a 2 year bill. How long was the Ohio bill that Shannon Jones banned funds from Ohio contributing toward the project?
June 28, 201212 yr >Besides, they can vote for state and federal officials who promise to harass cities. Which they have done for the past 50 years. I apparently jinxed the streetcar with that post.
June 28, 201212 yr Chabot will be on Cunningham at 2:06 "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 28, 201212 yr ^I've heard it's a 2 year bill. It is, and it still has to pass conference committee with the senate before it becomes law. Contact Senator Brown and ask him to fight to kill this amendment. http://www.brown.senate.gov/contact/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 201212 yr Meanwhile, I believe that the city has been spending federal money on the design of the streetcar, which presents the frightening worst-case scenario of having to pay it back. So I bet the property tax hike was a hedge against this eventuality, since no doubt people in the city were tipped off to the possibility of Chabot doing what he has done. And incredibly the only reason Chabot got back into office was because Driehaus voted for Obamacare, so the Obama administration giveth but unintentionally taketh away.
June 28, 201212 yr Chabot's amendment would NOT affect monies that have already been awarded/spent. This applies ONLY to the current transportation appropriations bill that Congress has been working toward for 2 (3?) years.
June 28, 201212 yr Chabot's amendment would NOT affect monies that have already been awarded/spent. This applies ONLY to the current transportation appropriations bill that Congress has been working toward for 2 (3?) years. Correct. This will not stop the Cincy Streetcar project, nor divert any existing streetcar funds to other road/bridge projects that Chabot cites. Its just Chabot playing to his spiteful, hypocritical political base in an election year. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 201212 yr My letter to Sherrod Brown Sen. Sherrod Brown: I'm writing you to express my concern over Steve Chabot's recent amendment to a House transportation bill where he added the following amendment: ”None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to design, construct, or operate a fixed guideway project located in Cincinnati, Ohio.” The Cincinnati Streetcar has been studied extensively confirming its value to our region, has survived two anti-rail charter amendments, and has been awarded money that is currently being spent. To explicitly ban this project for federal funding (sending the funds elsewhere) would have tremendous negative consequences. I'm respectfully asking you to have this amendment removed from the Senate version of the bill to restore integrity to the transportation funding process. Thank you for your consideration. Ben Wissel "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
June 28, 201212 yr Are the TIGER Grants part of the Transportation Bill, or is that something different? It seems as though we would still be able to get other federal grants, just no money from the Transportation Appropriations Bill could be used. Is that correct, or is TIGER a part of this bill?
June 28, 201212 yr I believe TIGER is part of this bill. But it's still just a bill. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 201212 yr My letter to Sherrod Brown Sen. Sherrod Brown: I'm writing you to express my concern over Steve Chabot's recent amendment to a House transportation bill where he added the following amendment: ”None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to design, construct, or operate a fixed guideway project located in Cincinnati, Ohio.” . . . Ben Wissel Beat me to it, but I plan a letter too. Iconic, us Cincy folks will have to write to the Senator from Cleveland, knowing full well the Senator(and possible VP) from Cincy would be of no help.
June 28, 201212 yr CHabot frequently is listed as ® Westwood. Is it common for a US Congressman to list his neighborhood instead of his city? Anyway this is clearly vindictive political BS. Why JUST this light rail project. What I heard earlier, however seemed to indicate everything but roads for cars was eliminated. This includes bike lanes & sidewalks as well. Seems the only jobs these guys want to create are short term construction jobs & NOT the long term goals of the streetcar.
June 28, 201212 yr CHabot frequently is listed as ® Westwood. Is it common for a US Congressman to list his neighborhood instead of his city? I've never thought about it before, but that is interesting. Maybe it's just the Enquirer that does this to distinguish. I bet in national coverage it says ® OH or ® Cincinnati, but I don't know.
June 28, 201212 yr Well... I imagine since Cincinnati is split between 2 districts, it was meant to differentiate between OH-1 & OH-2? just guessing though.
June 28, 201212 yr Westwood is still holding onto that dream they will one day secede from the city! “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
June 28, 201212 yr This is getting so tiresome. It's one gut punch after another to this project. Is there any hope for the Duke deal to get hammered out anytime soon? Is construction still taking place?
June 28, 201212 yr Amazing to see an elected representative deliberately working to sabotage the economic viability of his own district just to score rhetorical points with right-wing extremists.
June 28, 201212 yr From the Congressional Record of the 112th Congress (2011-2012) ( via http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r112:1:./temp/~r112axDfK0:e107449: ) TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2013 -- (House of Representatives - June 27, 2012) Ohio is recognized for 5 minutes. [Page: H4147] GPO's PDF Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chairman, this Nation cannot continue spending money it doesn't have. It is imperative that Congress end the borrow-and-spend mentality that created our staggering national debt and that we put our Nation on a sustainable path to a balanced budget. Now, more than ever, we need to be pragmatic in our approach to transportation, ensuring that every dollar spent represents a long-term investment that will improve the flow of commerce and create American jobs. My amendment this evening is about priorities. The city of Cincinnati has been in the planning process of constructing a streetcar for years now. The primary funding for this project came in the form of an urban circulator grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in the amount of $25 million. Earlier this year, city of Cincinnati officials came to my office looking for even more funds for the Cincinnati streetcar project. The total cost is expected to be well over $120 million for a 4-mile loop connecting only two Cincinnati neighborhoods with little-to-no positive impact on traffic congestion, freight, or our aging infrastructure. Far from a necessity, the Cincinnati streetcar is a luxury project that our Nation and our region simply cannot afford. Imprudent and irresponsible spending of taxpayer dollars on discretionary projects like this must stop. For too long, taxpayers have been footing the bill for frivolous projects that reap little to no benefit. Much like the ``bridge to nowhere,'' this ``streetcar to nowhere'' is yet another instance of wasteful government spending. My amendment simply says, no more--no more funding for this streetcar in my own district. Unlike the Cincinnati streetcar, however, there are a number of other infrastructure projects that are of high priority and far more worthy of Federal infrastructure investment. In particular, there are two ready-to-begin projects that would have a direct impact on Cincinnati's economy and create permanent jobs, and those are replacing the Brent Spence Bridge and completing the I-71 Martin Luther King interchange. The Brent Spence Bridge carries two major interstate highways that connect Ohio and Kentucky and serves as a major thoroughfare not just for Cincinnatians, but for the entire Midwest region, and in fact the Nation at large. Furthermore, this bridge rests on one of the busiest freight routes in North America and is estimated to carry 4 percent of the Nation's gross domestic product annually. The Federal Highway Administration has declared the Brent Spence Bridge functionally obsolete, indicating that the current state of the bridge does not meet today's standards. Currently, this bridge carries 170,000 vehicles on average per day, which is more than double the 80,000 it was designed to carry. Replacing the bridge would save an estimated $748 million in congestion costs annually, savings that would grow in real dollars to $1.3 billion annually by 2030. The other worthy project I mentioned, the Martin Luther King interchange plan, has long been on the minds of businesses and citizens in our region, so much so that stakeholders have their own money in this plan. Unlike the streetcar to nowhere, the completion of this much-needed project would have a direct impact on one of Cincinnati's most important economic hubs. The Martin Luther King interchange would free up traffic congestion around the University of Cincinnati, Children's Hospital, and the uptown region of Cincinnati. [Time: 22:10] This proposed interchange would directly impact 60,000 people who work in the area and allow far greater highway access, generating an additional 2,000-plus permanent jobs. We need to focus our limited resources on projects that are practical, impactful, and that will deliver results. Those of us in Congress must make responsible choices and invest in projects on their merits and nothing else. We owe it to the American people to invest only in those projects that will produce real results, keep us competitive, and, most importantly, create American jobs. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. Does any Member rise in opposition to the amendment? The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot). The amendment was agreed to. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 28, 201212 yr The use of buzzwords and catch-phrases like "streetcar to nowhere" belong on bumper stickers, and not in the mouths of elected leaders during Congressional proceedings. I'm just glad that this is prospective only.
June 28, 201212 yr Imbedded links are in the source article at: http://allaboardohio.org/2012/06/28/cincy-streetcar-attacks-persist-so-does-construction/ Cincy streetcar attacks persist; so does construction June 28, 2012 Contact: Ken Prendergast, All Aboard Ohio, 216-288-4883 Jack Shaner, Ohio Environmental Council, 614-466-1693 A Cincinnati congressman today hailed an over-reach of the federal government’s power as he attempts to snuff out federal funding for the Cincinnati Streetcar project. U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-1, Cincinnati) and many of his House of Representatives colleagues flexed their federal muscle to bully the locally-driven, urban economic development project. By voice vote, the House voted June 27 to adopt Rep. Chabot’s measure to prohibit the use of any federal surface transportation funds for a Cincinnati streetcar, busway or other fixed-guideway transportation project. The amendment to the two-year surface transportation funding reauthorization says: “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to design, construct, or operate a fixed guideway project located in Cincinnati, Ohio.” The amendment is now part of the House version of the two-year surface transportation funding reauthorization bill. The House and Senate will need to resolve the Chabot amendment and other differences between the two chambers’ versions of the bill. Rep. Chabot wants to stymie the $95 million streetcar project, even though construction is underway and even though Cincinnati voters have twice given it their approval to proceed. Cincinnati voters in 2009 and 2011 voted to reject a pair of ballot issues that threatened to mico-manage the actions of local elected officials and effectively kill the streetcar. Local officials also competed for and won a federal urban circulator grant in competition with other cities through a fair and professional administrative-level evaluation and exercise of due process. That grant will not be affected by the Chabot amendment. Streetcar advocates are urging Cincinnati’s citizens and others to contact U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and urge them to work to reject the amendment. Citizens also are encouraged to contact Rep. Chabot to ask why he, an alleged proponent of reducing the influence of government in people’s lives, would take such a contradictory action. “The Chabot amendment will not stop the streetcar,” said Ken Prendergast, executive director of All Aboard Ohio. “It’s an election-year move to score rhetorical points with the far-right while undermining his district’s economic competitiveness. The amendment would relinquish federal funds to other cities and states that do not have such burdensome federal governmental restrictions. This does not free up federal funds for worthwhile yet heavily subsidized highway projects in the region which are not eligible for the same pots of federal money as the Cincinnati Streetcar.” “This streetcar is a magnet that will bring people, investment and improved transportation infrastructure back to Cincinnati’s urban core—all while growing jobs, saving energy and cutting pollution,” said Jack Shaner, deputy director for the Ohio Environmental Council. “At the same moment that Cincinnati’s leadership wants to move the city forward, its congressman wants to hold it back. It’s a real shame that some of our nation’s leaders want to reach out and derail progress in Cincinnati, Ohio.” A similar over-reach of the federal government’s power was attempted in Houston in the 1990s by then-U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). (DeLay later was imprisoned for offenses unrelated to transportation issues.) At the urging of wealthy interests, DeLay twice blocked federal funds from being spent on that city’s planned light-rail system. Relying on local funding, the City of Houston eventually persevered, building the first 7.5-mile leg of a successful rail system which today carries nearly 40,000 riders per weekday—far above projections. Today, 15 miles of additional rail lines are under construction and another 16 miles are in advanced planning using federal funds (SOURCE). All Aboard Ohio and the Ohio Environmental Council encourage Cincinnati’s courageous Mayor Mark Mallory, supporters on the Cincinnati City Council, and Cincinnati’s thousands of streetcar supporters to keep fighting. Compact, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods improve access to jobs, shopping, education and health care and reduce driving, pollution and poverty. And fixed-guideway transit like the Cincinnati Streetcar can influence land use density and placemaking decisions by providing real estate developers with the confidence of where to invest for the long term. This may explain why the streetcar project has been the subject of venomous opposition, as the project promises to help rejuvenate Cincinnati’s urban core while eroding the anti-urban, exclusionary status quo in which regressive voices are so deeply invested. END "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 201212 yr Amazing to see an elected representative deliberately working to sabotage the economic viability of his own district just to score rhetorical points with right-wing extremists. Sorry, I had to steal your wonderful summation for our PR.:) "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 201212 yr He was elected to bring more funds to the area not ban them. Might as well ban all funding fro mthe federal governmental if he feels the Cincinati street car caused the whole USA to become in debt. He talks about irresponsibility, yet that I-75 and Brent Spence bridge destroyed a whole neighborhood, which was a national treasure.
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