According to Stimulus Watch these are some of the transportation elements in the Federal Stimulus Package in Miami Dade County. I especially hate the $150,000,000 expense for a Metromover stop to the Mariins Stadium and the $280,000,000 for the Miami streetcar. Should we add $150,000,000 to the Marlin's package deal?
Federal boondoggles in the making? You decide. (Hit on image to enlarge it.)
17 comments:
If I read this correctly, these are not items that are "done deals", but only the recommendations from the US Conference of Mayors report. Does anyone know for sure?
Correct.
As far as these projects. We might as well ask for everything. The Federal Government is going to spend this money somewhere, and south floridians are going to pay for it through taxes anyway. So would you rather they spend it on a streetcar project in Wyoming or ask for a wish list here?
m
Or maybe everyone shouldn't be greedy and throw in the kitchen sink.
The Marlins Bailout should get stopped immediately. The private owner is putting up almost no money down and he demands the taxpayers pay over $2 billion over 35 years?
The cost overruns and change orders on the parking garage and stadium could require the County and the City to defund many worthy programs.
Commissioner Carlos Gimenez states the documents state the County is putting its General Fund at risk.
I am so disgusted with our crooked politicians that I cannot even make a intelligent comment
Oy, does anyone see any proposed improvements in there that would actually help transportation or traffic flow in South Florida?
That money marked for a new metromover stop at the new (!!)Marlins - we need effective rail transit along the NW 7th Avenue corridor --why isn't that first on the friggin list??
Don't get me wrong. I am philosophically opposed to the bailouts that are comming out. What's in it for people like me who played by the rules and didn't buy what I couldn't afford, or let some snake oil salesman sell me a mortgage.
But as far as the Federal Stimulus Package: It's a free for all and you won't get anything if you don't ask for it.
m
The metromover is a mistake, but the streetcar is exactly the type of project we need to advocate. Rather than plan and execute one long and costly heavy rail, we can plan for several smaller modes (like the streetcar) that are less expensive per linear mile and more effective at moving people around.
PS. The list on stimulus.org is not the definitive list. The city of Miami has a list of capital improvement projects that are ready to go which include some of the items on the Mayor's list (like the streetcar) in addition to other great projects for rubber tire trolley/circulators. We should be applauding the City of Miami for pushing these transportation initiatives - especially considering the lack of leadership on the Miami Dade side...stay tuned....
If we're asking bankers to be prudent with bailout money, ie. cap on salaries, no bonus and so on. Then the same should apply to Sports owners, if they can afford millions and millions in salaries then they can build their own stadium. Otherwise start cutting salaries.
i just looked up the word: boondoggle
using google to make sure I spelled it right.
all i needed to do was check eyeonmiami!
Miami Today and the Miami Herald predict a $2 billion or more Bailout of the privately owned Marlins baseball team. Who benefits? One private business owner and baseball players. The median pay for a MLB baseball player is $3 million per year.
Where is the benefit to the actual taxpayers?
Baseball is a sport on its way out. The baseball owners years ago made a big mistake in not getting kids interested in the sport. Now, hardly any of them want to play, and wouldn't bother to go to a game. When Alvarez and his peers die, they will be the last generation who will be interested in it as sport. We will then be left with all our money invested in baseball infrastructure. Mean while, our people will hardly have transportation to work with no transit system in place.
You really need to go to the site and read the list for all the cities and the county...
Anyone paying any attention to the money for the OTHER Train? They asked for money for a train and we don't where or why? What if that is the train that gets funded and it goes to Krome and takes care of the traffic concurrency issue...at least on paper... We know that it will not cure the actual drive time and sprawl issue.
Man we have one slick government.
Baseball is dying. TV audiences are down. Ballpark attendence is down. Anyone know who won the last World Series?
Carlos Alvarez is just trying to give the privately owned Marlins a massive payday using the sweat and hard work of the Miami-Dade County taxpayers. The Marlins Bailout is just taking money from local taxpayers and giving it to a man who lives in NYC on Fifth Avenue.
Baseball and other sports are dying because they've killed the golden goose. The new generation doesnt know or care as much about Major League teams because we cant afford to take them to the games. When I was growing up I paid a dollar to sit in the end zone and watch the Dolphins play and I went to every game. Now I cant afford to go much less take my kids.
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