Disillusioned Oregon Voters Reject Further Light Rail Expansion for Portland, Nation's Metro-Rail "Poster Child" Community...
Meanwhile, Tampa Cruises Blithely Into Olympic and MetroRail Inspired Financial Disaster
Date: Nov. 19, 1997
(update: 1.7.98)
(update: 7.6.98)
Sponsored by: Tamarind Associates, Inc.In a public referendum held during the November 5, 1996 Oregon General Election, the "Light Rail" issue failed by a 53% to 47% margin. Ironically, this was the same margin by which the infamous silliness of "Joe Chillura's Stadium" tax passed in Tampa, Florida.
Oregon's Governor, John Kitzhaber, is quoted in the November 9th Oregonian newspaper as follows: "We have to step back... a little bit and ask whether light rail, and light rail in that form, is the right commitment."
Knock, knock! Wake up Tampa! Don't allow yourselves to be further victimized by Commi$$ioner Eddie (Choo-Choo) Turanchik's expanding and constantly "mutating" personal political agenda, or that of his unsavoury "cadre" of $elf-$erving, exploitive commercial interests, political opportunists and rail fetishists (a/k/a Railheads).
Surprise! Why, even those "enlightened" folk in the fabled, Statist, centrally planned "Camelot" of Portland are disillusioned with commuter rail's peformance and economics.
Hey Commi$$ioner Eddie, knock knock, the people who actually have rail mass transit it are "bailing" big-time! Get it? It's simple -- THE PEOPLE SIMPLY DON'T WANT M-A-A-A-A-A-A$$ TRAN$IT. Rail is far too inconvenient and inflexible to satisfy the complex and highly mobile lifestyle of the American public. Why? Again, simple. No one can predict the future and neither life nor the workday is linear.
The demands placed on the average citizens day are non-linear; wholly dependent upon unanticipated external influences, while all government controlled rail and bus transport is linear and inflexible. In short, public transport is incompatible with the average citizens' contemporary lifestyle. Flexible, on-demand personal transportation universally provides great psychic gratification and utility to individual consumers. When given a choice, not only Americans but citizens of every nation on the planet overwhelmingly choose the flexibility of the private automobile transportation option.
Why, even those "trend setting" folks in Portland, the ones that you and your Railhead cabal "junketed" out to visit at public expense, are disenchanted with the mass transit idea! Even government, Eddie, can't indefinitely cram ma$$-transit down the people's throats. What government can do though is $addle Tampa area Taxpayers and their children, with crippling, Taxpayer financed debt for an inefficient, anachronistic, warmed-over 19th century transportation paradigm that they will neither use nor need.
Do you really think, Commi$$ioner Eddie that, based on the historic, financially disastrous market experience of 100% of the light rail, mass transit systems in this country, any private sector, for-profit organization in the world would go into product development offering non-government subsidized light rail service? More to the point, Commi$$ioner; would you write a personal check from your family's retirement savings, with the anticipation of "return", to "privately" invest in the economic viability of Commi$$ioner Eddie Turanchik's Choo-Choo train -- or HARTline?
No? We didn't think so. Why then Eddie, would you misuse the awesome and predatory power of government, and the "trust" and influence of your elected office, to deliberately obfuscate the truth and extort funds from Tampa/Hillsborough and the nation's Taxpayers to do precisely that -- invest in Commi$$ioner Eddie Turanchik'$ defunct Choo-Choo train -- subsidize Commissioner Eddie's HARTline? Forget it Eddie. We both know that was a rhetorical question. The HARTRail thing, like your de$alination plant$, Ice Palace and Olympic$, are all MEGABUCK$ corporate- welfare attracting politically connected and extremely "well heeled" constituencies, that, when invited to "binge" at government'$ big ticket, Taxpayer financed trough, will pay for their seat with lavish "contribution$" to Commi$$ioner Eddie'$ personal
Here's a suggestion, Commi$$ioner. Why don't you go after something even more inane (in$ane even), like say, the Olympic$ for Tampa, Florida? Yeah, that's the ticket; the Olympic$ for Tampa, Florida -- makes lot$ of $en$e; just like your light-commuter-rail -- only more so! Forget that Orlando turned down financing the Olympic$ as being too, well, costly! But what the heck, after all, this is Hillsborough county/Tampa, the "Black Hole" of Taxpayer financed public debt! Hey, and we can hear it now; Commi$$ioner Eddie blathering inanely, "....to be seriously considered for the 2012 Olympic$ we have to move ahead quickly on our [hi$] light commuter rail ma$$-transit system-- or we'll [he'll] lose the deal?" Oh yeah, that's the ticket; the good old "$teamroller" tactic, "one hand wa$hes the other...", right Commi$$ioner?
"FAST EDDIE'$" ICE PALACE MELTDOWN?
Oh yes, nearly forgot; what about your downtown Ice Palace hockey arena? We can't forget that, but I'll bet that you would like to, right?
Your great pal and Kokusai Green front man, David Lefevre is history, toast, nada -- presently one of the Holland & Knight lawfirm's best cutomers! Left you with those gentle folk from Kokusai Green, didn't he? Worse yet, he also left you with the very clear public record that you, yes you commi$$ioner, are the Patria-Political that Taxpayers can "thank" for the "Eddie Turanchik Ice Palace," right? Remember? After all, you were the self-proclaimed "champion" of the "Palace" when it was wrested from Tampa Coliseum Inc. (TCI), and delivered to your pal Lefevre and his ex-bosses, the current Japanese owners. And you were -- or at least you have publicly stated that you were -- the chief architect of the "Palace'$" relocation to downtown Tampa from the more economic and less Taxpayer subsidized location on Dale Mabry highway, right? Ah well, that's history -- public history -- and we're certain that events will run their course -- events have a way of doing that, don't you agree, Commi$$ioner?
Hey, here's a great idea for you. Why don't you ask your pal, "front man" Lefevre, to $hill for your "Group'$"Olympic$/HARTrail $cam - that's an idea, right? Let David run with it! A little problem, though. Forbes Magazine has just given your Ice Palace'$ Lightning (Bolts) the dubious distinction of being the most financially "upside down" team in professional sports - virtually bankrupt according to Forbes. Tick-Tock... Commi$$ioner, the clock is tick, tick, ticking and the ice at "Fa$t Eddie'$" Ice Palace is melting!
WHERE'$ THE TAMPA TRIBUNE?
And another curious thing, we wonder why the Tampa Tribune isn't more on-top of, pumped on the rumoured, Turanchik'$ Ice Palace disaster? After all, this is really juicy public interest stuff! Why Ms. Mortham gets a $350, Uh, "consideration" for her sons marriage in Tallahassee and the Tribune erupts! Meanwhile Turanchik and Lefevre have perhaps helped the Japanese load more than $150MM of unanticipated debt on the backs of local Taxpayers for an ill-conceived, special function downtown arena? Go figure? Right! Guess who the Tribune chooses to crucify? Right again! It certainly wasn't good old Commi$$ioner Choo-Chooo!
The first official hint of pending financial trouble leaked when the Trib wrote of mayor Greco's concerns that City Parking revenues for public events at Eddie'$ "Palace" were light. According to the Trib, the mayor was concerned that the City might have to dig into its General Parking Revenue fund to meet the unconscionable, City guaranteed $1 million dollar, annual minimum parking "tribute" payment to the Japanese. Next hint of trouble; the Tribune reported that an audit of the 75 cents per ticket surcharge at Eddie'$ Palace was underway. It seems that surcharge revenues had fallen short of the $975,000 that the Palace'$ announced 1.3 million spectators should have generated? Comp$? You bet; just like the infamous Florida State Fair's non-existent phantom hordes! What? $ilence? And precious little follow-up on these tasty little stories from the Trib? Very curious... you know the old adage, "....where there's $moke there's fire...?"
Come now; what do you think, Commi$$ioner Eddie? Is it true that there's an Ice Palace financial catastrophe brewing? How about you, Tampa Tribune? Is it true? What gives? Are you guys following this or not? Do you care?
$ilence?
Hey, and if any of you readers out there hear anything interesting, message us by simply clicking on the blue email button below. Nothing could be more simple! We'll be glad to hear from you and pleased to do a little community-spirited legwork.
