October 24, 200915 yr >f the citizens wants it. It will pass. If they don't it won't pass. The Metro Moves vote went down primarily because of Mike Brown, the selfish, unappreciative owner of the Cincinnati Bengals. For the 18 or so years since he took over the team from his father he's run one of the worst five professional sports franchises in the four big professional sports. And his arrogance and social awkwardness is the primary reason why we don't have streetcars and light rail in this city right now. I always figured NE Ohio would find a way to keep Cincinnati down - now I know what their secret weapon was . . . the Brown family. They didn't like our weather, they couldn't handle the beautiful hills, so they stick us with the Brown family and see what they hath wraught.
October 24, 200915 yr Yeah except Art Modell did pick up and move The Browns to Baltimore back in 1995. That move is what gave Mike Brown and other small market owners in all sports the weight behind their demands for new stadiums. If you remember, there were some calls for new stadiums in the early 90's, but then everything started coming together after The Browns moved. The other unfortunate problem born out of the evolution of pro sports is the term "small market", which makes people think Cincinnati is a small city, which it isn't if it's big enough to have two pro sports teams.
October 24, 200915 yr After a great deal of consultation with the good people of COAST, I've developed a transit plan for Cincinnati that they approve of. Here it is. (Click on the image below for a full-size version. Bloggers, feel free to use this for any anti-Issue 9 propaganda you deem appropriate.) EDIT: Fixed a typo and improved the graphics.
October 26, 200915 yr The stop at the Creation Museum is missing. No need to go to the Creation Museum. The museum and its patrons will have been raptured by the time they build a transit line to it.
October 27, 200915 yr Author CAAST-Smitherman Says Own Amendment Deceiving http://caast-usa.blogspot.com/2009/10/smitherman-says-own-amendment-deceiving.html The Phony Coney-Chris Smitherman now says Issue 9 ballot language written by NAACP lawyer Chris Finney is "an attempt to trick voters"! http://thephonyconey.blogspot.com/2009/10/chris-smitherman-now-says-issue-9.html Cincystreetcar Blog-Smitherman- Language of Issue 9 is Madness http://cincystreetcar.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/smitherman-language-of-issue-9-is-madness/
October 27, 200915 yr Huh? So Smitherman is now against issue 9? "The Cincinnati NAACP remains concerned that a Yes vote on Issues 8 & 9 mean No and a No vote on Issues 8 & 9 means Yes. "This is nothing short of madness and political corruption," Smitherman says." Smitherman helped Finney write the damn amendment, and now says it is nothing more than a ploy?
October 27, 200915 yr Have there been any mainstream media spots against the anti-rail initiative? My wife and I rarely watch traditional TV and never buy The Enquirer, so I wasn't sure if there were any "No on 9" messages. "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
October 27, 200915 yr Author ^The Vote on red light cameras worked in exactly the same way, 'Yes' to Issue 7 was a 'No' to Red Light Cameras, so he has to be familiar with the concept
October 27, 200915 yr Wasn't he the one who was so concerned a few months back, that City Council would alter the wording of the amendment to make it deliberately misleading? So they leave it as is, and it's STILL a problem? LMAO.
October 27, 200915 yr Chris "Mallory wants to put syphilis in the drinking water" Smitherman is completely delusional. I'm amazed that anybody still takes him seriously.
October 27, 200915 yr Chris "Mallory wants to put syphilis in the drinking water" Smitherman is completely delusional. I'm amazed that anybody still takes him seriously. I am still amazed that COAST and Smitherman have become BFFs. I have to laugh when Smitherman stresses how important it is that the people vote. Yes, Chris, voting is important. That's why the citizens voted years ago to remove you off council. I wish COAST remembered that.
October 27, 200915 yr Author If you couldn't make the Grammer's Party or wanted to hear the audio of the video that was show there, here is a link: NEIN ON NINE!
October 27, 200915 yr I emailed Barry Horstman at the Enquirer about the NAACP media release, and he replied that he was just as surprised by the release as I was. The politics team at the Enquirer is planning on running a story on it in the near future.
October 27, 200915 yr ^Awesome _________ Walked The Banks today and evidently they want you to vote No on 9: "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
October 27, 200915 yr I emailed Barry Horstman at the Enquirer about the NAACP media release, and he replied that he was just as surprised by the release as I was. The politics team at the Enquirer is planning on running a story on it in the near future. I did as well. He said it will be out tomorrow.
October 27, 200915 yr I emailed Barry Horstman at the Enquirer about the NAACP media release, and he replied that he was just as surprised by the release as I was. The politics team at the Enquirer is planning on running a story on it in the near future. I did as well. He said it will be out tomorrow. and online today, apparently... http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091027/NEWS01/910280320/Groups+debate+street+car+measure
October 27, 200915 yr From that article.... Opponents, meanwhile, are airing a 30-second television ad that never mentions streetcars or passenger rail, leaving the skewed impression that Issue 9 is some kind of economic stimulus package. WTF?? Excuse me, but ODOT is seeking federal funding for the 3C Quick Start from the economic stimulus. If the City of Cincinnati is unable to financially participate, Sharonville may end up being the southern terminus from this stimulus project. So what is skewed about that hard truth?? F---ing media.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 27, 200915 yr From that article.... Opponents, meanwhile, are airing a 30-second television ad that never mentions streetcars or passenger rail, leaving the skewed impression that Issue 9 is some kind of economic stimulus package. WTF?? Excuse me, but ODOT is seeking federal funding for the 3C Quick Start from the economic stimulus. If the City of Cincinnati is unable to financially participate, Sharonville may end up being the southern terminus from this stimulus project. So what is skewed about that hard truth?? F---ing media.... In any event, cross-post that sentence to crap journalism du jour. It's not Issue 9 that would be a stimulus package, I can assure you of that.
October 27, 200915 yr I'm a huge transit proponent, and am as fervently against issue 9 as anyone, but I had somewhat the same reaction to the TV ad. This doesn't mention at all what Issue 9 is, nor confronting why its a bad idea. I understand why it can talk about economic stimulus, and many on this board can, but, if I may borrow a slogan here, simply yelling jobs like so many other groups this election cycle without explaining why doesn't help people connect the dots.
October 28, 200915 yr When the streetcar is built I think it being called The 9 Route would be fitting and appropriate
October 28, 200915 yr The "Deepening ballot confusion" story is now the Headline on Cincinnati.com and of course The Enquirer represents it with a picture of a Streetcar, since that's all the ballot issue is about. :roll: "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
October 28, 200915 yr ^ Hey, that's my picture. Good to see the Enquirer is still using it without credit.
October 28, 200915 yr The Enquirer probably doesn't even realize that they are contributing to the confusion themselves...
October 28, 200915 yr "When you're dealing with a charter amendment, you're forced to use this crazy inverted yes-means-no structure," Smitherman said. "We're very frustrated over that and plan to address it on the other side of this campaign. You shouldn't have to write ballot measures this way." What a moron. Doesn't he realize that they're voting YES or NO to AMEND THE CHARTER, not for whatever any given charter amendment allows/forbids? It's scary that this guy holds any sort of position of power.
October 28, 200915 yr ^ At least it beats their using a pic of the Tampa Streetcar. This is true.... but they should give credit where credit is due. Have your lawyer send them a nice letter informing them of their oversight...
October 28, 200915 yr ^ Hey, that's my picture. Good to see the Enquirer is still using it without credit. Haven't people been busting their asses around here lately to METICULOUSLY remove content that isn't ours? Looks like the newspaper is doing the same thing. NOT.
October 28, 200915 yr A new study ranks the Cincy metro area as the 9th safest in the country. Maybe they didn't get the memo about OTR being the most dangerous neighborhood in the country. Interestingly, Cincy's traffic death rate is 20 compared to NYC, which is 2. Think this might have something to do with the cities' public transit systems? http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/26/safest-cities-ten-lifestyle-real-estate-metros-msa_chart.html
October 28, 200915 yr ^Might have something to do with lax red light enforcement, too. More goodness from COA T/NAACP.
October 28, 200915 yr Author A new study ranks the Cincy metro area as the 9th safest in the country. Maybe they didn't get the memo about OTR being the most dangerous neighborhood in the country. Interestingly, Cincy's traffic death rate is 20 compared to NYC, which is 2. Think this might have something to do with the cities' public transit systems? http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/26/safest-cities-ten-lifestyle-real-estate-metros-msa_chart.html The OTR study used the total crimes in the neighbhorhood as the numerator and the population of only census tract 17 as the denominator, resulting in crime that appeared 4 times higher than it actually was
October 28, 200915 yr A new study ranks the Cincy metro area as the 9th safest in the country. Maybe they didn't get the memo about OTR being the most dangerous neighborhood in the country. Interestingly, Cincy's traffic death rate is 20 compared to NYC, which is 2. Think this might have something to do with the cities' public transit systems? In my completely subjective opinion, I would say it's the fact that 8mph is about the fastest I've ever been able to drive in New York City, and short of driving off a cliff no wreck is going to be fatal. Aside from that, there seem to be way less morons on the road, which I guess one could attribute to mass transit. People that know they are bad drivers may just stay off the road completely?
October 28, 200915 yr A new study ranks the Cincy metro area as the 9th safest in the country. Maybe they didn't get the memo about OTR being the most dangerous neighborhood in the country. Interestingly, Cincy's traffic death rate is 20 compared to NYC, which is 2. Think this might have something to do with the cities' public transit systems? In my completely subjective opinion, I would say it's the fact that 8mph is about the fastest I've ever been able to drive in New York City, and short of driving off a cliff no wreck is going to be fatal. Aside from that, there seem to be way less morons on the road, which I guess one could attribute to mass transit. People that know they are bad drivers may just stay off the road completely? except for the people from New Jersey. http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
October 28, 200915 yr Being from New Jersey, I already know that I have a lifetime of NJ jokes ahead of me.
October 28, 200915 yr There is a direct correlation between traffic speed and deaths of motorists and pedestrians. The width of streets of course makes things more dangerous for pedestrians. Wide streets were resisted in early American settlement because it placed the task of stump removal and then paving on the city. Detroit's six avenues are all ridiculously wide for a distance of more than 10 miles each. There are often gaps of more than 1/4 between traffic lights and crosswalks, meaning pedestrians are forced to do this:
October 28, 200915 yr "When you're dealing with a charter amendment, you're forced to use this crazy inverted yes-means-no structure," Smitherman said. "We're very frustrated over that and plan to address it on the other side of this campaign. You shouldn't have to write ballot measures this way." Um, this "structure" wasn't created after he finished collecting petition signatures. Shouldn't he have considered this BEFORE he started? What's even more disturbing is that there are zombie hoards following this guy, Luken and other clueless f*cks. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 28, 200915 yr Anyone recall if Smitherman ever commented on the i.e. vs e.g. argument that went around a while back? I'd like to see him walk around the electorate not understanding how an amendment to the city charter works but knowing the difference between i.e. and e.g..
October 28, 200915 yr Latest from COAST... lets blame City Council's lack of a vote on next year's tax rate on the Streetcar! "@GOCOAST: Council delays trolley tax hike until after election, so you can't "vote them out." Preserve your right to vote. Vote YES ON ISSUE 9." "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
October 28, 200915 yr It does extremely upset me that a certain consistent group of 5 City Council Members refused to have a vote on the property tax hike, and Mayor Mallory was more than happy to see that the other 4 members of council had no say in things. Doesn't change my opinion on the streetcar or Issue 9, but it definitely makes me reconsider who I'm voting for (IE I will vote for council members who oppose the streetcar because of the way Mallory and 5 of the current council members have acted the past few months). Calling it a "trolley tax hike" is bologna though.
October 29, 200915 yr Mallory's critics will dig in if large numbers of police officers are laid off or if there is a tax increase to keep (some of) them. So you and COAST are going to keep all these extra police officers at the expense of everything else? Public safety isn't a problem in this city or in most American cities, but people keep beating that drum to cast suspicion on incumbents.
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