An open letter to publicly debate SMART to help improve public bus service

March 7, 2014


To: John C. Hertel, General Manager,
Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation - SMART
Buhl Building
535 Griswold Street Suite 600,
Detroit, MI 48226

The December 7, 2006 conclusion by the Federal Transit Administration ~ FTA of complaint #DOT 2006-0238 against the November 8, 2005 city of Livonia, MI bus service reductions was a request your organization conduct a more detailed demographic analysis of the population that would be impacted, both positively and negatively, by the changes in question under Chapter III of Circular 4702. This was entirely ignored.

This complaint is an opposition to the funding shift away from an existing need to pay for new freeway expansions, in regard to the basic human rights of everyone. These statistics and conditions are presented in an investigative report called, The abolition of state revenue sharing for mass transit in Michigan. Also, the known detrimental effects of the natural environment are disregarded with poor planning by our regional and local leaders, despite your resources to take many corrective actions.

Consequently, the August 2014 SMART property tax renewal should be defeated by a majority vote of NO or capped at this time.

The problems are described at
save the fuel tax org state.html

The proven solutions to make your taxes work are at
save the fuel tax org altern.html

Please see how to make your property tax work and coordinate all transportation systems together for everyone as outlined in
save the fuel tax org textb.html

I challenge you to a public debate, along with the Transportation Riders United and others.

I wish the person well. I felt that SMART should had not discontinued going beyond its suburban city limits into Detroit
after 6pm. There are suburban communities who feel that the ri
ff raff, troublemakers, and the undesirables come into their communities on SMART. This is probably whats holding up any regional transportation plans to be implemented.

Whoever wrote this letter to SMART headquarters is crazy like a fox.

Transit Riders United needs to stop with the anti-regional transit drama. People in the Tri-County Area will vote yes, yes, yes on 2014 SMART bus Millage even though will a small tax increase. Without it our regional bus service will disappear by next year. This would impact over 3 million riders in the Tri-County Area that depend on the SMART buses to get their destination. Thousands of regional jobs will be long gone.

By the way for the SMART bus opt out vote. It was a plot from some bigoted Livonia resident over the Wal-Mart Supercenter proposal. It's his or her way to prevent African American influence to either buy or rent any home, condo or apt. in Livonia neighborhoods so they can close to work.

TRU can vote no, but they can't convince that SMART bus millage is false or misleading.

I support transit, and I am willing to both use it and pay for it. However, to frame the issue as a "basic human right" is just so stupid, for among other things it sets an extremely low bar for what is a human right. Public transit could not possibly be universal, so it would never be "fair" if framed as a civil rights question. It also sets up any person unhappy with transit options to think that they are a victim of gross violation of their rights, as opposed to just not having the bus stop where they want. Transit issues are policy questions. Policies have costs and benefits, and we should make our decisions about what our transit systems should be. how they should be operated, and how to fund it by analyzing what the costs and benefits of our various choices are, and what we can afford.

Transit questions should instead be thought of in practical terms:
How do we build a system that provides the most possible transit options for the most people who would use it, with the resources we have to invest?

Title VI - Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs

Civil Rights Act of 1964
42 USC 2000[[d)-2000[[d) [[1)

General
This title declares it to be the policy of the United States that discrimination on the ground of race, color, or national origin shall not occur in connection with programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance and authorizes and directs the appropriate Federal departments and agencies to take action to carry out this policy. This title is not intended to apply to foreign assistance programs.
Section 601 -- This section states the general principle that no person in the United States shall be excluded from participation in or otherwise discriminated against on the ground of race, color, or national origin under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

~ discriminationState funds that were once used for the Livonia public buses are now planned to match federal grants to expand freeways. This resulted in the permanent closing of handicapped facilities, thus is against race, color and national origin

~ discriminationState funds that were once used for the Livonia public buses are now planned to match federal grants to expand freeways. This resulted in the permanent closing of handicapped facilities, thus is against race, color and national origin

TGG, how on Earth do you surmise that the closure of handicapped accessible facilities "thus is against race, color and national origin"? If it is a violation of federal law at all [[and that would be debatable), it would fall under the ADA. I would also doubt sincerely that the federal government could force Michigan transportation authorities to run routes they had decided rightly or wrongly to spend elsewhere; at most they could cut off relevant federal money.

What is the origin of your desire to fund transit programs through perceived rights violation claims, as opposed to just proposing and campaigning for the programs you favor [[or against the cuts you oppose)?

Assuming for a moment there is a rational thought behind your posts on this topic, you are not connecting any of the dots.

SEC. 226. NEW FACILITIES.

For purposes of section 202 of this Act and section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [[29 U.S.C. 794), it shall be considered
discrimination for a public entity to construct a new facility to be used in
the provision of designated public transportation services unless such
facility is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with
disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs

State funds were shifted from the SMART 285 bus line to match federal grants for expanding the I-75 and I-94 freeways. This has directly resulted in the permanent closings of primary same purpose downtown and airport handicapped facilities, thus the "new facilities" are not readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs.

SEC. 227. ALTERATIONS OF EXISTING FACILITIES.


[[a) General Rule.--With respect to alterations of an existing facility or
part thereof used in the provision of designated public transportation
services that affect or could affect the usability of the facility or part
thereof, it shall be considered discrimination, for purposes of section 202
of this Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [[29 U.S.C.
794), for a public entity to fail to make such alterations [[or to ensure that the alterations are made) in such a manner that, to the maximum extent
feasible, the altered portions of the facility are readily accessible to and
usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use
wheelchairs, upon the completion of such alterations.

The design of the I-75 and I-94 freeway expansions when correctly defined as a facility for the same purpose of moving people to downtown Detroit and metropolitan airport does not meet the requirements for federal grants because altered portions of the facility are no longer accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, as approved and completed with the elimination of wheelchair epuipped public buses to the airport and downtown Detroit.

TGG, thank you for that last post, it is coherent and supports most of your previous posts [[although race still does not seem to be a factor, a potentially bigoted Livonian citizen notwithstanding). I will reread and digest your post and respond tomorrow night. Thank you and good night.

MDOT funds have a different stream than transit funds. [[Act 51 of 1951)

It is not possible for MDOT to steal these moneys from CTF and place them into their portion of the MTF. These dollars are set in the budget process.

The real reason why 285 was discontinued was because Livonia opted out. SMART wanted to keep the route, but they could not. This has been replaced by 2 routes the 280 and the 330.

Even IF this was the case, Disabled people use freeways too. There are no signs on the freeway forbiding vehicles operated by or containing the disabled.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

TGG, thank you for that last post, it is coherent and supports most of your previous posts [[although race still does not seem to be a factor, a potentially bigoted Livonian citizen notwithstanding). I will reread and digest your post and respond tomorrow night. Thank you and good night.

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Please Google save the fuel tax org

I want to defeat the SMART tax with a majority vote of NO, to force the issues of restoring all federal and state money for community transit AND defeat the freeway expansions, until MDOT, SEMCOG and the TRU listens to the public to redesign them to conform to putting safety first and protect the environment and make users pay for them.

Furthermore, a vote of NO only defeats the increase. And Mr. John Hertel of SMART knows this. And this is proven to the public by using many facts in my WebPages.

I challenge Mr. Hertel and Megan Owens of the TRU to publicly debate me on television.

I also show how to make the SMART tax work and improve public bus service. In June 2003, I helped show SMART employees how to fill up buses which worked to fill up buses on 4 DDOT and SMART bus routes and coordinated them.

I want to help Mr. Hertel and will support his taxes, if he listens to the public and me and takes actions to protect and improve public bus service for everyone.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by That Great Guy

Furthermore, a vote of NO only defeats the increase. And Mr. John Hertel of SMART knows this. And this is proven to the public by using many facts in my WebPages.

I challenge Mr. Hertel and Megan Owens of the TRU to publicly debate me on television.

I also show how to make the SMART tax work and improve public bus service. In June 2003, I helped show SMART employees how to fill up buses which worked to fill up buses on 4 DDOT and SMART bus routes and coordinated them.

I want to help Mr. Hertel and will support his taxes, if he listens to the public and me and takes actions to protect and improve public bus service for everyone.

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TGG, your first claim is blatantly false. The property tax millage in each of the three counties is very short term... 4 years each time [[Ann Arbor, on the other hand, has a perpetual millage and are going for an increase on top of that this spring). This means that EVERY time SMART's millage comes up for a vote, at any amount, a NO vote means SMART will benefit from 0.0 Mill from each county that votes NO until the issue can be placed on the ballot again. You're entitled to your opinion, but please no lies.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cramerro

TGG, your first claim is blatantly false. The property tax millage in each of the three counties is very short term... 4 years each time [[Ann Arbor, on the other hand, has a perpetual millage and are going for an increase on top of that this spring). This means that EVERY time SMART's millage comes up for a vote, at any amount, a NO vote means SMART will benefit from 0.0 Mill from each county that votes NO until the issue can be placed on the ballot again. You're entitled to your opinion, but please no lies.

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You're entitled to your opinion too. So, go ahead and believe that your YES vote will improve public bus service.

You might want to read in writing what you are voting on. If federal, state and fare box money is not in writing then it is not there. Also beware of more bus service reductions or more tax increases with less service because those could come also, if not in writing at the voting booth.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by That Great Guy

You're entitled to your opinion too. So, go ahead and believe that your YES vote will improve public bus service.

You might want to read in writing what you are voting on. If federal, state and fare box money is not in writing then it is not there. Also beware of more bus service reductions or more tax increases with less service because those could come also, if not in writing at the voting booth.

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You know exactly what I meant. I didn't give any opinion. Facts only. FACT: a NO vote in any county on this ballot means that county will not have SMART service any more. Period. OPINION: That's a pretty important detail, and what you said would lead people to believe otherwise. If people want to consciously decide to not fund SMART in their county, that is their decision. But we certainly don't need people like you tricking and confusing people into making an uneducated choice. Read in writing what I'm voting on? How about know the facts and don't be bullied into voting NO because some cheap ass who doesn't even use transit wants to save $50 a year in taxes. FACT: Wayne County residents pay a 0.94 millage toward the Wayne County Jail. OPINION: I'm sure you're not stupid enough to live in Wayne County, but if you are, why aren't you complaining about that? You're OK paying more the house criminals than get people to jobs... nice.

right on cramerro, agree with you, i been riding SMARTfor 25 yrs from Warren to Downtown cant drive, my bus is palked with workers that work dowtrown and at night its standing room only, since buses only rundown town to six wish they could go back and forth all day, i rather pay a tax foer buses than a stupid jail, where prisioners have cable ,interent and stuff like that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by That Great Guy

You're entitled to your opinion too. So, go ahead and believe that your YES vote will improve public bus service.

You might want to read in writing what you are voting on. If federal, state and fare box money is not in writing then it is not there. Also beware of more bus service reductions or more tax increases with less service because those could come also, if not in writing at the voting booth.

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How can facts be opinions? TGG, you're not being honest.

Here are some facts:
- The Detroit area is not anywhere near close to per capita spending on public transportation than any comparably sized city.http://www.mlui.org/mlui/news-views/...3#.Uz1hWvldXTo

- You get what you pay for.

- How can we get more money to spend on transit? We need to increase the tax.

- If MDOT was siphoning all of the transit dollars for road projects as you have claimed in several postings, do you really think the roads would be in as bad of shape as they are now? MDOT has a key role to play in providing transit to Michigan's Citizens and works as the intermediate step between local transit providers and the feds. Why would they purposefully be working to kill off a service that is needed to keep the economy rolling?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

How can facts be opinions? TGG, you're not being honest.

Here are some facts:
- The Detroit area is not anywhere near close to per capita spending on public transportation than any comparably sized city.http://www.mlui.org/mlui/news-views/...3#.Uz1hWvldXTo

- You get what you pay for.

- How can we get more money to spend on transit? We need to increase the tax.

- If MDOT was siphoning all of the transit dollars for road projects as you have claimed in several postings, do you really think the roads would be in as bad of shape as they are now? MDOT has a key role to play in providing transit to Michigan's Citizens and works as the intermediate step between local transit providers and the feds. Why would they purposefully be working to kill off a service that is needed to keep the economy rolling?

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The facts show a campaign to defeat the SMART Property Tax renewal is the best solution to improve public bus service for everyone.

Mr. John Hertel, SMART, SEMCOG and the TRU are presently lacking the understanding that industry is not going pay decent wages and benefits out of the kindness of their big hearts. There are facts to back this up. For example, workers who want $15 per hour, which is not a luxury wage for 2014. How are people who make $9.50 per hour going to pay a 1.8 mil SMART tax for others but don't have bus service? You tell me.

Google save the fuel tax org

We need to increase the tax is your opinion and the majority, thus we will all likely pay more. Hopefully, we will get better roads and better public bus service for our limited transportation tax dollars which comes from mostly hard working honest taxpayers.

In my opinion, Detroit deserves safe, honest and fare public bus systems.