| Oregon Magazine |
| E-RFD: Highway Robbery Continues (continued)
Subject: Editorial on O Metro front page
Anyone who has and is following the transportation arena in Oregon knows this story to be the insult that it is. From the transportation committees, to the planners, to politicians and on to the "journalists" (such as James Mayer below) the totalitarian dictates of our transportation policies could not be in more direct opposition to the public will, public votes and all hopes of effective spending of billions of tax dollars. Flying in the face of public votes to stop the billions from being wasted current efforts are ramping up the waste even as evidence of massive prior waste stacks up. Additional light rail lines (while avoiding public votes), find all the $billions they need from the very road dollars this story reports are in short supply. For our own good we are told, huge planning bureaucracies, bike lanes, traffic calming, bubble curbs, streetscapes, sidewalks, trails, wetlands, habitat, light rail, commuter rail, streetcars and Trams ALL line up ahead of traditional, legitimate and desperately needed road, highway and freeway projects. Any and all efforts to give planners and officials the middle finger (figuratively speaking of course) are met with a collective and condescending dismissal by those self anointed smart people in charge. With regular doses of from the O & Mayer, et al., the public is given the middle finger at every read, and every dollar wasted. Always present at every step is the 1000 friends of Oregon. Here in this story Mayer includes 1000 friends' Gail Achterman who just happened to be appointed Transportation Commissioner and who serves as chairwoman of the plan's steering committee. If you read real close you can see her middle finger proudly waving at you. Steve Schopp Road
needs exceed resources
© 2005 Oregon Magazine for Steve Schopp |