Please Vote NO next August to defeat the SMART TAX INCREASE

That Great Guy · May-22-14, 05:00 AM

If you don't want your rent or cost of housing to be raised then you will have to support a well organized and funded effort to defeat the SMART Tax Increase next August.

The public generally believes a NO vote means mass transit shuts down, thus many vote YES thinking more local tax money is essential to keep existing community transit. It is NOT

A vote of NO means only the tax increase is defeated. ALL money, ALL bus service and ALL union bus driver jobs are fully and completely protected by existing federal laws.

The SMART Property Tax is a TAX SHIFT, thus is illegal without a majority vote for permanent funding for same purpose facilities under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ADA law. This is why for example if you live in Dearborn, your local taxes will not be lowered and must go to SMART or another provider. That is why Livonia did not get a tax break but actually got their taxes increased. This is also why the Michigan Department of Transportation is not allowed to cut essential funds without your consent at the voting booth.

Cost shifting from state to local government for both SMART and DDOT is outright illegal and our law makers know this. Why to you think the RTA has such strong support? It is because they want your money and they don't care how you pay as long as you pay more even if you don't have access to or use mass transit.

Look at your ballot next August. Does it say federal and state funds in writing? If not, then it is a tax shift without any concessions from government or industry.

The voters are very uneducated in the funding of mass transit and the meaning of Fare Box Recovery Ratio which is why Mr. John Hertel of SMART will not go on television and debate people like me voluntarily. Until of course after he gets his tax increase passed.

Notice the quiet say nothing of those who want the SMART tax? It is only weeks away and my opponents know better then to get my website well known. They want you to be STUPID and pay more taxes. Instead of being SMART and voting NO to protect federal and state money for public bus service - IN WRITING

If interested in not paying more to SMART, then please get in touch with me by going to my website or indicating on this forum

Google save the fuel tax org

Go to the Link for Detroit Public Transit.

**Danny** · May-22-14, 05:55 AM

Stop it Trainman! There's no way that people will the the SMART Bus Millage will be defeated. SMART needs those extra dollars to their buses going. Those monies going to assist freeway expansions is a ridiculous hoax! The Tri-County Area need the SMART buses to patrons to work, shop, business, emergencies and visiting their friends and relatives. Disable folks need SMART buses to handle all the above activities. That includes lots of Park 'n Riders,too. Without the SMART buses regional jobs will be gone, people will be stuck their areas. They will have to rely on relatives and other alternative transportation. Most Metro-Detroiters don't care about your rant. Put this argument to rest.

I'm going to vote YES, YES, YES for the SMART Bus Millage. My mind is made up, and so will the rest of Metro-Detroiters.

**Wesley Mouch** · May-22-14, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by That Great Guy

...snip...A vote of NO means only the tax increase is defeated. ALL money, ALL bus service and ALL union bus driver jobs are fully and completely protected by existing federal laws.
...snip...

Your kidding. We have a government agency that is 100% protected? Please tell me how we can change this! No government spending should ever be 'fully and completely' protected.

**compn** · May-22-14, 02:28 PM

your plan is to stop the freeway expansion by getting people to ride the bus?

have you asked anyone if they would ride the bus? my friend rides the bus and everyone he talks to about riding the bus gasps in horror, as they think the SMART bus has the same overcrowding/violence/problems that the DDOT buses have.

i think most people feel riding 'the bus' is for 'the poor'.

i agree with you, theres some parts of freeway expansion that wont help any and more people need to ride the bus. but the bus drivers are talking about cancelling my friends route. which probably will happen if the tax doesnt work.

you talk about federal civil rights and mass transit? i dont remember any civil rights lawsuit in fed court over the smart system when livonia pulled out.

sorry, i am pretty confused about the whole issue.

**scooter** · May-22-14, 02:44 PM

Hey Compn tell your friend hes a liar, been riding SMART buses to work downtown evryday for 20 yrs
bus is crowded to the max, we are certainly not poor, we work at law firms, IRS etc.. there is hardly no where to park since Quicken Loans moved down here, yes once in a while SMART might have an incident but not like DDOT.

**compn** · May-22-14, 03:02 PM

i think you've misunderstood my post. i dont think riding the bus is for the poor, neither does my friend. nor did i say the buses were empty, when i drop my friend off and pick him up at the smart bus stop, the buses are full of people.

i'm just saying i think people have a prejudice about riding the bus.
i'm interested in getting more opinions about the bus from people who drive downtown.

**SDCC** · May-22-14, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by That Great Guy

If you don't want your rent or cost of housing to be raised then you will have to support a well organized and funded effort to defeat the SMART Tax Increase next August.

The public generally believes a NO vote means mass transit shuts down, thus many vote YES thinking more local tax money is essential to keep existing community transit. It is NOT

A vote of NO means only the tax increase is defeated. ALL money, ALL bus service and ALL union bus driver jobs are fully and completely protected by existing federal laws.

The SMART Property Tax is a TAX SHIFT, thus is illegal without a majority vote for permanent funding for same purpose facilities under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ADA law. This is why for example if you live in Dearborn, your local taxes will not be lowered and must go to SMART or another provider. That is why Livonia did not get a tax break but actually got their taxes increased. This is also why the Michigan Department of Transportation is not allowed to cut essential funds without your consent at the voting booth.

Cost shifting from state to local government for both SMART and DDOT is outright illegal and our law makers know this. Why to you think the RTA has such strong support? It is because they want your money and they don't care how you pay as long as you pay more even if you don't have access to or use mass transit.

Look at your ballot next August. Does it say federal and state funds in writing? If not, then it is a tax shift without any concessions from government or industry.

The voters are very uneducated in the funding of mass transit and the meaning of Fare Box Recovery Ratio which is why Mr. John Hertel of SMART will not go on television and debate people like me voluntarily. Until of course after he gets his tax increase passed.

Notice the quiet say nothing of those who want the SMART tax? It is only weeks away and my opponents know better then to get my website well known. They want you to be STUPID and pay more taxes. Instead of being SMART and voting NO to protect federal and state money for public bus service - IN WRITING

If interested in not paying more to SMART, then please get in touch with me by going to my website or indicating on this forum

Google save the fuel tax org

Go to the Link for Detroit Public Transit.

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You’re asserting that this comes under Title VI protection?

42 U.S. Code § 2000d - Prohibition against exclusion from participation in, denial of benefits of, and discrimination under federally assisted programs on ground of race, color, or national origin...

**scooter** · May-22-14, 03:24 PM

ok sorry about being mean, but hey the SMART buses are all we have, a few years ago the plan was for all three counties to get what was called speedlink going up graitot, van dyke, michigan ave and woodward, [[SPeedlink is what what Eugene Oregon has) but the threcounty aea couldnt agree, now that money millions went to Grand Rapid who now is building a light transit line, im just sick
of other people on this post saying buses are empty sure in most cities buses are all most empty until rush hour I been on them in Chicago,San Diego etc.. and another thing lots of cities do have multicity lines, gee when i was in LA i saw five different systems now thats a waste of money

**ferndalien** · May-22-14, 06:44 PM

Do we really need 2 threads on this? Especially a second that amounts to a political ad?

**Danny** · May-22-14, 08:47 PM

The Great Guy A.K.A Trainman, has rallying folks all over Tri-County Area to get rid of the SMART bus system. Not going to happen. He even tried to challege Mr Hertel, President of SMART. for a debate. Not going to happen. Keep fighting, Trainman you will see that public transit works with millage dollars along with federal dollars.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · May-22-14, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

Your kidding. We have a government agency that is 100% protected? Please tell me how we can change this! No government spending should ever be 'fully and completely' protected.

This is kind of an unintelligible non-point that he keeps making. I have stopped attempting to follow it. Not trying to pick on That Great Guy, but I can't detect what specifically he is trying to say, other than he believes changes to transportation systems are discriminatory and therefore can't happen.

As for supporting/not supporting the proposal: I oppose any public spending until someone convinces me it is a good idea. I have not been convinced yet. The supporters have until August to tell me exactly what a yes vote will accomplish, how that will benefit the region's transit system, and the total cost to both individual taxpayers and the region's economy. Please convince me! I want to support it if it's a good idea.