Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Barbara Boxer Thanks The Dept Of Transportation

I originally planned to entitle this post "Hey, Nancy, can I borrow some of your botox?" But I thought better of it. Instead, I decided I should stick to the subject instead of taking the obvious cheap shot. Senator Boxer still hasn't gotten the word that I left the Democratic Party in 1994, and left San Francisco in June of this year, so she keeps sending me her "accomplishments" updates.

The language of her latest missive uses the language becoming so common for justifying more government spending: "Last week the U. S. Department of Transportation announced new investments in California mass transit that will create jobs, reduce commute times, and improve air quality." Well, it will create a few more public employee/union jobs. Which of course will mean fare increases, and likely no improvement in service.

"DOT will provide nearly $19 million for four California regional bus services, including more than $6.8 million for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Phelan Loop Bus Facility Project." Another greenie-weenie boondoggle. My first question is "where did DOT get the $19 million it is so generously providing the agencies?" The taxpayers, perhaps? And those of you who have read my San Francisco Diary for any length of time know my opinion (and the facts) of the horrendous failure that is MUNI.

"Building the Phelan Loop Bus Facility paves the way for a landscaped open space, new retail space, and new affordable housing--all next to public transportation and within walking distance of both a major transit hub and San Francisco City College." Oh, brother (or sister, as the case may be)! "Paves the way" is another way of saying the City will need more money for a landscaping project which probably will never occur and which is not funded by the "gift" from DOT. San Francisco keeps raising taxes, adding city "inspectors" and increasing payroll taxes doing every possible hostile act toward businesses. Who, exactly, is going to fill this new retail space? Small businesses are beating a hasty retreat to points north, south and east. They'd head west, too, except they'd end up in the ocean.

Ah, and "affordable housing." That's liberal-speak for crappy ticky-tacky housing which will be occupied by people who can't afford the affordable, and so will be getting subsidies from the taxpayers either in the form of direct assistance or higher property taxes on "unaffordable housing" from those rotten rich folks. But at least it will be close to San Francisco City College. That's the junior college for illiterates too dull to get into the big leftist schools like San Francisco State or Berkeley. Their most popular course is "Marx for Dummies."

"The upgraded transit infrastructure will be a key component of a MUNI transit system that is expected to grow from today's 700,000 weekday boardings to more than a million weekday boardings by 2030." Two independent studies have shown that those ridership figures are pure hokum. And like so many Democrat schemes, the plan counts the same riders twice. First, they're counted as future riders on the new system. Then they're counted by routes which are already covered by other transportation lines. Think of it this way. I used to take the 19 bus or the 27 bus to get to work, depending on which one showed up first. I was still only one rider who used two lines. But MUNI and Boxer would count me as two riders if the 19 were a new line while the 27 was the old line.

"I am so pleased that the Department of Transportation has funded this vital project." No, Babs, they took the taxpayers' money in order to mis-spend it again. The DOT has absolutely no "funds" that they didn't first take from us. And now, back to the Democrat spin on another spending (stimulus?) project. "This investment will create jobs in construction, transit, and nearby retail; reduce commute times for both buses and private automobiles; and improve air quality by helping get more people out of their cars and onto an improved transit system."

I plan to keep Boxer in the dark, since she has so far missed my defection from the ranks of the liberal underclass. It will act as a regular reminder of why I finally gave up and left the city that I had loved for so many years. San Franciscans have been hearing this "mass transit/public transportation" garbage for so many years that nobody even listens anymore. First: The new system. Second: The breakdown of the new system. Third: The shocking cost overruns in building then fixing the new system. Fourth: The news that new ridership was only a small proportion of the number predicted. Fifth: The buses start running later and later by the day. Sixth: The buses become filthy, ridership is comprised largely of homeless people, fare-jumpers and the occasional violent thugs. Seventh: MUNI decides the buses can be cleaned up, the dangerous and dirty conditions corrected, and the coaches made to run on time if only the citizens will just vote for another fare increase. Repeat until done.

26 comments:

Notawonk said...

"Instead, I decided I should stick to the subject instead of taking the obvious cheap shot."

this is still america, you can do both!

as far as the theft of tax-payer funds to fuel this monster, it's just more of the same. sickening squared. blech.

Joel Farnham said...

LawHawk,

Where do the Republicans fit into this? Isn't it their fault that the ridership is down, or there are cost over-runs, or their racist bigoted rhetoric causes the misunderstood victims of class warfare to attack riders on the democrat driven buses?

StanH said...

Babs, if she’s anything, she’s predictable. I can’t wait to see the Fiorina/Boxer debates, it should be entertaining.

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk, With representatives like these, who need riots and war to ruin a state?

Also, I think you should have made the botox joke. But you showed admirable restraint! LOL!

AndrewPrice said...

By the way, according to SurveyUSA, Fiorina leads Boxer for the first time! Click Me

Ha ha!

LL said...

I think that union members should be forced to ride the bus. That way the numbers would justify something. AND it would take the pressure off the freeways.

That is a change that would make me happy.

Joel Farnham said...

Andrew,

I saw that about Fiorina!!

It could just be that California might finally wake up from it's hangover.

Joel Farnham said...

LL,

Now that is a change I would get behind too. Put slave collars around their necks while you are at it along with an Obama brand or tatoo.

Unknown said...

Patti: Occasionally, I am able to overcome my baser instincts--but not often. I guess this was just one of those times.

You know, the liberals always point out how stupid the Germans were who defended Hitler (as the Italians defended Mussolini) by saying that at least he made the trains run on time. Fair criticism, but the Democrats, greenie weenies, and ecofreaks can't even say that.

Unknown said...

Joel: Unfortunately as it relates to San Francisco, the Republican opposition has been reduced by one-third with my exit. On the other hand, that's one less oppressor to force the populace into violence against their will. The only reason these plans fail, you know, is that they were excellent ideas that we just haven't yet thrown enough taxpayer money at.

Unknown said...

Stan: I'm looking forward to the Fiorina/Boxer debates as well (if they ever even occur). But I do so with equal portions of hope and trepidation. I called Fiorina "Boxer-Lite" during the primaries, and worried that she spent more time ridiculing her conservative opponents than attacking the leftist incumbent. Only time will tell if I was wrong in my concerns. Nevertheless, in keeping with what I've said before, unless she goes completely over the cliff and shows herself to be a complete RINO, I will support the election of a candidate who puts another "R" on the Congressional caucus rolls.

Unknown said...

Andrew: I think that San Francisco should pass an ordinance which requires that all voters go to the polls either on foot or on a MUNI bus. The Republicans could actually win, since having to exert any effort to get to the polls is contrary to Democrat thinking, and taking MUNI would get them all to the polls too late to vote.

I think I got a hernia showing that "admirable restraint."

Unknown said...

Andrew: I just saw that poll myself. Very good news. For a Republican to be ahead of the Democrat incumbent in California in a statewide election, by however slim a margin, is a very good sign that voter disaffection is going to work for the more moderate to conservative challengers (and in California, that's almost always a Republican). Let's hope it works against Jerry Brown as well.

Unknown said...

LL: We once proposed that all elected officials in San Francisco be required to get to work on MUNI. We almost pulled it off. Unfortunately, then-mayor Willie Brown actually did it, found out that it was every bit as bad as we fare-paying riders had said it was, and immediately threw the power of his office into squelching the proposal. But it was a noble effort.

Unknown said...

Joel: I'm delighted to see any poll that shows a Republican ahead of a Democrat. But I really want to re-emphasize caution in becoming overly optimistic. At one point, the polls showed one conservative Republican ahead of Fiorina, with the other in serious competition. It didn't turn out that way at all. One of the greatest dangers we face in November is overconfidence, reliance on momentum, and Democrat lethargy. These are our elections to lose, not theirs to win.

HamiltonsGhost said...

Lawhawk--Why doesn't she just propose "free" Segues for everyone who can prove he or she isn't a taxpayer?

Unknown said...

HamiltonsGhost: Well, it would certainly cut down on the number of deadly accidents, and Segues take up a lot less room on the narrow streets than a MUNI missile. But please don't give her any ideas. We don't need another expenditure to accelerate our jump over the financial cliff.

Tennessee Jed said...

I do not like thee Barbara B., I see thee and I need to pee." Oh, and btw, that is MISTER Tennessee Jed to her. I am quite certain I have EARNED that title.

Unknown said...

Tennessee: Ah,yes, I can see that Tennessee is ready to instruct California on the proper honorifics, sir, uh, your celestial majesty.

Allow me to finish:
I know not why the need to pee,
Except, of course, when I see thee.

I assume we were bringing Dr. Fell into the present. LOL

Tennessee Jed said...

By jove that's it Hawk! :-))!!

Unknown said...

Tennessee: I won't guarantee that I'll catch too many deep poetic references, but I'm good at jingles, limericks, and other doggerel.

Unknown said...

Should I mention that I also receive regular e-mail updates from Charlie Crist? I didn't like him as a Republican, and I sure don't like him as an Independent spoiler. Furthermore, I've never even been to Florida. What's with these people?

Joel Farnham said...

LawHawk,

I wouldn't feel so bad about that. The Democrats don't purge the dead from the voter rolls either. :-)

Unknown said...

Joel: You may have come up with the answer (at least as far as Democrats go). I'm no longer around, and I was born in Chicago. The natural assumption is I'm dead, and therefore an active Democratic voter. Guess I fooled them.

Crist probably just assumes that all Californians love an Obama-hugger. Surprise, there's a whole Central Valley that wants to send him into early retirement.

Unknown said...

LawHawk. At least they didn't spend the money this time on that high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles that will never happen. Better a little disappointment than a big one.

Unknown said...

CalFed: You're right on that one. They're continuing to use the original funds that were to be set aside solely for the proposed new trains and routes for the mundane purpose of track-repair on lines that people already don't use. But don't forget, the only reason people don't use the trains is that we haven't spent enough money on them yet.

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