Troy debates sending back $8.5 million in U.S. aid for transit center

[ColonelMack]

"teahadist"

Really? Really? You are fine with tying a political group that happens to be of a different view than you to a term for religious/violent warfare.

That is a shame you sink to that level. I expect more from this group.

[bailey]

"teahadist"

Really? Really? You are fine with tying a political group that happens to be of a different view than you to a term for religious/violent warfare.

That is a shame you sink to that level. I expect more from this group.

Yes I absolutely am when on a national level they continually say things like :

Clearly a perfectly non religous, no violent response to Barney Frank's retirement. Right?

[j to the jeremy]

Yes I absolutely am when on a national level they continually say things like :

Clearly a perfectly non religous, no violent response to Barney Frank's retirement. Right?

well played, good sir

[MSUguy]

Or how about this gem

This morning, Tea Party Nation sent out an email to its members with the headline “Destroy the Family, You Destroy the Country!” from an article by Dr. Rich Swier, a contributing editor to the anti-Muslim group Family Security Matters. Writing for Tea Part Nation, Swier says that “The title of this column is a direct quote from Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the first leader of the former Soviet Union. Lenin's vision was for the state [[Communism) to replace the family as the provider of all things necessary for life and happiness. What Lenin did not foresee was his political policies leading to the eventual extinction of Russian civilization.” Swier goes on to lament the falling birthrate of native-born Americans compared to immigrants, and warns that “American culture” will soon perish since the “White Anglo-Saxon Protestant [[WASP) population is headed for extinction”:

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/conten...nction-america

[Novine]

"Since then, however, they have been fighting the intermodal center, both through the courts and through the court of public opinion."

Grand Sakwa agreed to the center's location to get the zoning change that they wanted. I don't have any sympathy for them. As to the center's location, it's appropriate for its proximity to population centers and existing bus lines and major roads.

[JBMcB]

Clearly a perfectly non religous, no violent response to Barney Frank's retirement. Right?

Holy cow, is that *THE* TNTeaParty? That's like, the OFFICIAL twitter account for the tea party, isn't it?

Seriously, the tea party is about as official as the occupy wall street "party." Anyone can say they belong to the tea party and spout wackiness.

Crap, here's an occupy LA protester saying the Jews need to be run out of the country:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMjm4LxFa1c

OH NO the occupy wall street movement is anti-Semitic!!!

[MSUguy]

Holy cow, is that *THE* TNTeaParty? That's like, the OFFICIAL twitter account for the tea party, isn't it?

Seriously, the tea party is about as official as the occupy wall street "party." Anyone can say they belong to the tea party and spout wackiness.

Crap, here's an occupy LA protester saying the Jews need to be run out of the country:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMjm4LxFa1c

OH NO the occupy wall street movement is anti-Semitic!!!

Anyone, just doesn't have access to that twitter account.

[lgc22]

Troy City Council votes on this tomorrow. Governor Snyder has written a letter to the mayor and city council in support of the Troy Transit Center: http://troy.patch.com/articles/gov-s...transit-center

[Hermod]

These guys are being ridiculous. It's like their strategy is, "The answer to crazy fringe lunatics is to bring on even more crazy, even more fringe lunatics." There is a big accounting difference between entitlement spending vs. capital spending. Transit is an INVESTMENT, not some "government program" that takes money from one person and gives it to another.

The problem is that too many federal politicians consider any spending to be "a wise investment in the future" even if it is pounding dollars down a rat hole.

The people are beginning to catch on.

[Wesley Mouch]

Nice to see a rational act taking place -- thinking about spending money based on need rather than availability. Incomprehensible to the left who thinks that federal government intervention is helpful. Am OK with federal money for international bridges, for example, but for a local transit center? Just get away.

[Bham1982]

Am OK with federal money for international bridges, for example, but for a local transit center? Just get away.

I don't think many people are saying that local transit centers are poor investments. I think they're saying that Troy, MI is a poor location for such an investment.

At a minimum, a transit center should be in an area with some sort of potential walkability and transit demand. This location has neither.

[Dexlin]

A four-four votes means that the motion fails, right? I love how Snyder is cheerfully supporting this project a few days after meddling in Detroit to kill their own project for some non-existent fancy bus replacement. Loser. The tea party has got your number, buddy.

[Novine]

"At a minimum, a transit center should be in an area with some sort of potential walkability and transit demand. This location has neither."

No transit demand? Why do all the SMART routes run through the area? As I noted earlier, it's one of the densest areas of Oakland County by population. If it's not walkable, that's because the local officials have decided to make it not walkable. I don't believe for a second that there's not a demand among residents to be able to get around that area without having to rely on a car.

[rjlj]

Making any mention about the city of Troy makes me sick but the inevitable demise of this city and who is responsible for it should be documented for historians & scholars.

http://www.freep.com/article/2011121...text|FRONTPAGE

[BrushStart]

Making any mention about the city of Troy makes me sick but the inevitable demise of this city and who is responsible for it should be documented for historians & scholars.

http://www.freep.com/article/20111219/NEWS03/111219077/Proposed-transit-center-voted-down-by-Troy-City-Council?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Epic......

I mean, we're basically in free-fall.

[Hypestyles]

well, the vote's over, and looks like the transit center got voted down.. ah, well.. other transit efforts elsewhere will probably face similar fates..

[wolverine]

Can't stand the Tea Party, but I have no problem with this.

There's no sound economic, transit, or planning rationale to the proposed intermodal center. From Day 1, the project was basically an allocation looking for a purpose.

An intermodal center in an city with no intermodal demand, no walkability, and no traffic problem, and all shoehorned behind a strip mall.

Obviously I would prefer the money stay in the region for a more worthwhile project. I'd love to see it used for D-DOT service improvements, or much-needed expansion of I-75 or I-94. If that isn't possible, might as well do some good somewhere else.

Why would you want to expand the freeways? That doesn't relieve congestion, it just changes driver behavior and adds more cars to the roads. At its worse, it effects metro growth spatially by pushing existing and new residents to the fringe furthering strain on municipal resources and services across the region. If you were to allocate it toward roads at least repair the broken ones you already have.

Anyway the money other states have turned away have gone to states with existing rail. It will be well used. Thanks Troy, you had your chance.

[detroitbob]

Snyder is playing good cop bad cop on all of these issues and this is a foretaste of what is to come on a national level if this crowd gets; control of Washington. The right wingers have had their way... the tea party doesn't exist. It is simply a rebranding of the far Republican right. You best believe his sources knew this wasn't going to pass hence the endorsement. Same technique for the EFM and Detroit...feigning cooperation on Flashpoint this past Sunday while fully knowing he is going to release the EFM...same on the bridge...wait and see if the bus deal ever happens.

[stasu1213]

I am sure that the Big 3 and the auto insurance companies are in glee over the mothballing of any regional transit plans. That means more cars stay on the roads with continuing insurance coverage.

[detroitsgwenivere]

I've been reading the comment sections and troy blogs about last night's vote, since I've made no opinion about this and don't live there. As of this morning, I'll say about 90% of Troy based commentors are pissed off about the outcome of this.

Looks like there was more support for this project than we thought.

[MikeM]

I am sure that the Big 3 and the auto insurance companies are in glee over the mothballing of any regional transit plans. That means more cars stay on the roads with continuing insurance coverage.

I constantly hear this and I don't get it. How many people riding transit would get rid of their cars? A lot of the people who do - or would - use mass transit either don't have cars now or are driving rust buckets, and would never be purchasing a new car anyway. The Big 3 in glee? Somehow I think they could give a flying-f***.

[wolverine]

I am sure that the Big 3 and the auto insurance companies are in glee over the mothballing of any regional transit plans. That means more cars stay on the roads with continuing insurance coverage.

They don't even care. With the exception of NYC, plenty of people OWN cars in mass-transit heavy cities. Maybe they don't drive as frequently, but an intermodal station is seriously not going to make a dent in car ownership.

[Danny]

That was an excellent decision for Troy City Council. The city is tighting their budget and saving for the next fiscal year. It seems to me that once the Gov't gives Troy 8.5 Million for mass transit. They would have to chip in some of their own city tax dollars to build the transit center.

Nice try Snyder you Nerd! Now concentrate on one big thing, JOBS, JOBS JOBS!

[noise]

That was an excellent decision for Troy City Council. The city is tighting their budget and saving for the next fiscal year. It seems to me that once the Gov't gives Troy 8.5 Million for mass transit. They would have to chip in some of their own city tax dollars to build the transit center.

Nice try Snyder you Nerd! Now concentrate on one big thing, JOBS, JOBS JOBS!

Just not the jobs that would be required to build & maintain this transit center...

[Danny]

Jobs first, transit later!