MILWAUKEE PUTS RIBBONS OVER BROOMS

[Geee]

New Geography

Due to circumstances entirely within the city of Milwaukee’s control, it can’t afford to fix potholes in city streets and it certainly won’t pay to repair the damage to at least 45 cars caused by those potholes so far this year. The circumstances are that, instead of fixing streets, the city decided to blow $123 million on a 2.1-mile streetcar line. 

Nor will it have money for fixing potholes in the future. That’s because the Democratic National Convention is going to be held in Milwaukee next summer, and the city plans to blow another $28 million building a 0.4-mile extension of the streetcar line beyond the convention center — a convention center, by the way, whose expansion is costing the city $247 million to $277 million.

Defenders of the streetcar protest that it is being paid for out of tax-increment financing (TIF), which Politifact seems to think is free money. In fact, since any new development in a TIF district would have happened without the TIF — all the TIF does is influence the location — TIF does not produce new tax dollars; it just diverts dollars that should have gone to schools, streets, and other city services to subsidize the development. 

Politifact also says a claim that the streetcar is a “1900s-style trolley” is only half true because the streetcars will be “modern.” So they are saying they could put a Lamborghini body on a Model-T Ford and call it “modern.” 

In fact, the Antiplanner would rate calling the streetcar a “1900s-style trolley” a half-truth as well; it’s really an 1880s-style trolley with a 1930s-style streamlined body. Like the 1880s streetcars, its average speed is only about 7.4 miles per hour, as it takes 17 minutes to travel 2.1 miles. That’s hardly “modern.”

[Draggingtree]

3 hours ago, Geee said:

New Geography

Due to circumstances entirely within the city of Milwaukee’s control, it can’t afford to fix potholes in city streets and it certainly won’t pay to repair the damage to at least 45 cars caused by those potholes so far this year. The circumstances are that, instead of fixing streets, the city decided to blow $123 million on a 2.1-mile streetcar line. 

Nor will it have money for fixing potholes in the future. That’s because the Democratic National Convention is going to be held in Milwaukee next summer, and the city plans to blow another $28 million building a 0.4-mile extension of the streetcar line beyond the convention center — a convention center, by the way, whose expansion is costing the city $247 million to $277 million.

Defenders of the streetcar protest that it is being paid for out of tax-increment financing (TIF), which Politifact seems to think is free money. In fact, since any new development in a TIF district would have happened without the TIF — all the TIF does is influence the location — TIF does not produce new tax dollars; it just diverts dollars that should have gone to schools, streets, and other city services to subsidize the development. 

Politifact also says a claim that the streetcar is a “1900s-style trolley” is only half true because the streetcars will be “modern.” So they are saying they could put a Lamborghini body on a Model-T Ford and call it “modern.” 

In fact, the Antiplanner would rate calling the streetcar a “1900s-style trolley” a half-truth as well; it’s really an 1880s-style trolley with a 1930s-style streamlined body. Like the 1880s streetcars, its average speed is only about 7.4 miles per hour, as it takes 17 minutes to travel 2.1 miles. That’s hardly “modern.”

[Valin]

" Nor will it have money for fixing potholes in the future. That’s because the Democratic National Convention is going to be held in Milwaukee next summer, and the city plans to blow another $28 million building a 0.4-mile extension of the streetcar line beyond the convention center — a convention center, by the way, whose expansion is costing the city $247 million to $277 million."

 

And after the DNC leaves, its still gonna be Milwaukee.

[Geee]

6 hours ago, Valin said:

" Nor will it have money for fixing potholes in the future. That’s because the Democratic National Convention is going to be held in Milwaukee next summer, and the city plans to blow another $28 million building a 0.4-mile extension of the streetcar line beyond the convention center — a convention center, by the way, whose expansion is costing the city $247 million to $277 million."

 

And after the DNC leaves, its still gonna be Milwaukee.

The news every morning - Milwaukee is getting to sound more like Chicago.

[Valin]

3 minutes ago, Geee said:

The news every morning - Milwaukee is getting to sound more like Chicago.