The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

According to Governor Rendell, the North Shore Connector is a "tragic mistake." (Thanks to Bram at The Pittsburgh Comet for bringing this gem to my attention.)

To that I say, "shut up." You may believe that this T extension is the biggest boondoggle this side of the Big Dig, but to go on record and say it as governor of this state? To lambast this project that will employ 4,000 of your voters for the next few years? That's just irresponsible and disrespectful. Governor Rendell, you need to support your troops. And your troops are the citizens of Pennsylvania. You may not agree with this "war" but do not shit on them.

Also, Governor Rendell, you may want to look up the definition of tragic. War is tragic. The Titanic went on a tragic journey. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story. The North Shore Connector was probably not the best use of money, but this construction project is NOT tragic. Let's stop the gratuitous hyperbole and keep Pennsylvanians working. Or perhaps you'd like to fund some more amphitheatres?

Why Can't We Be Friends?

The latest in Pittsburgh politics rivals the plot of Gossip Girl. Mayor Ravenstahl and Councilman Peduto are both requesting bids on revamping our street lights in Pittsburgh. Both are noble causes (because they're the same.) I've previously stated that I think revamping the streetlights is a great idea. But how much effort is being wasted in this duplicity? Yes, Peduto was stepping on the toes of the Mayor's new sustainability coordinator, but Peduto did act on the idea first. Council and the Mayor's office need to compromise on a plan going forward and stop wasting our time and money.

These antics tell me that neither the existing Mayor or anyone on the existing Council deserves my vote come next election. I wish someone would rise above acting like a high school girl and actually lead this city. Carmen? I don't know anything about her and she already sounds better than the ninnies currently pretending to govern our city.

New Rules

In recent economic times, there is a simple rule of thumb. Don't fly on private jets, give extravagant bonuses, or plan "lavish parties" while begging for money from the government. This is a lesson learned the hard way by automakers and financial whizzes alike. The auto executives learned to carpool. However, North Shore Constructors are a little slow on the uptake. Luckily(*), we have an executive-leaning Onorato to slap them around. Angry Onorato canceled their upcoming shindig to celebrate completion of the tunnels.

Port Authority's take? The party had nothing to do with them. They weren't even invited (which is pretty mean, don't you think?) In truth, Port Authority also doesn't have the clout to make a phone call to stop the party. However, the American public won't care about little details like that when judging us on the front page of USA Today. They'll care that this is just one more instance of wasteful spending during a recession when companies should be saving for the next rainy day instead of holding their hands out for yet another bailout. Thankfully, Dan Onorato decided to take up the mantle of leadership and rain on their party.

No party until AFTER we get the money. Cool? Thanks! In the meantime, how about a potluck?

(*) Yes, I never thought I'd say much positive about Onorato either. I'm glad he's proved me wrong.

21st Century Here We Come

Better late than never, the Post-Gazette appears to be embracing modern technology.

As a geek, it's reason enough to smile - every slaying in Allegheny County harnessed and displayed by Google maps. You can even zoom in for the satellite-view of areas you wouldn't dream of driving by. Next, can Google incorporate these dangerous areas (as input from city police department data through a slick API) into their driving directions to reduce the risk of stumbling upon an untoward neighborhood?

As a concerned citizen, it paints another picture of course, forcing us to realize that most of us live in an entirely different world than those folks in Homewood and the Hill District. There was a shooting up the street from me last year, but my experience can't compare with the regular violence and drugs that determines those lives. And for the folks in Shady Side or Mt Lebanon or out in the depths of Allegheny County with their white picket fences? Watching "The Wire" on DVD is as close as they'll get. It's easy to ignore those city problems and focus on why the fire department is taking so long to rescue your cat from its perch in a tree.

All this data in the hands of citizens can only be a good thing. But we need to do something with it. Is that more funding for police in dangerous neighborhoods? Is it more community outreach? More money for inner-city schools? In the least, we can say it's more. Thanks to the Post-Gazette for having the foresight to post this map on their front page and hopefully wake some of us up.

Thanks Senate! (for real this time)

High-speed and inner-city rail: Went from $300 million in House bill to $2.25 billion in Senate to $8 billion in final version. There also is a $6.9 billion provision for public transit.

But where is that money going? California is in line for the lion's share, and I think they deserve it. I'd love to see high-speed rail throughout this country, and California is truly embracing it. They've planned state tax dollars for it, and they have a solid plan to connect San Diego and San Francisco. Second in the running is the Las Vegas to Los Angeles which would dovetail nicely, but thankfully the Federal government likes to distribute its wealth on both sides of the Mississippi.

It turns out there's lots of other cities lining up for that money. Atlanta and Baltimore are also fighting for East Coast Maglev money. But did you know New York wants a high-speed line from Albany to Buffalo? How about Dallas to Houston?

Does Pittsburgh have an edge? Pennsylvania is home to one of the measly 3 Republican Senators that voted for the Stimulus who also happens to be a fan of high-speed rail and came under LOTS of flack for voting against the grain. If Specter can turn around and bring some serious federal dollars here for Maglev, I'm sure he'll be back in good graces with his voters if not his party.

Back in November, some Maglev money was magically discovered for which Pittsburgh was a top contender.

Finally, on the campaign trail, Obama said the following:

"One of the things I have been talking about for awhile is high-speed rail connecting all of these Midwest cities - Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, St. Louis."

Surely, that counts for something. Obama didn't explicitly mention Pittsburgh but as Jim Russel at R2P has mentioned, Pittsburgh is a key connector between the East Coast and the Midwest. The first step to that is Maglev Pittsburgh. The $4 Billion and higher price tag makes $100 Million for the North Shore Connector seem paltry, doesn't it?

But don't hold your breath.

Kudos to Kuhn's!

After a shaky "financing" round, Kuhn's is now ready to move forward with constructions plans for a grocery store in the Hill District.

This is really a win-win situation for Kuhn's. Thanks to the URA, Kuhn's only has to spend 15% of the cost of construction and tada! new grocery store. The catch? They have to stay open for 10 years.

According to Google Maps, it's at least a 35 minute commute to the nearest grocery store (Giant Eagle on the South Side) from a central location in the Hill District. No wonder they're clamoring for a grocery store. Those residents have been missing out on those oft-touted benefits of urban living for the past 3 decades. Now they're on target to have a full-fledged pharmacy-bakery-deli-one-stop-shopping-bonanza by 2010.

The real hat-trick will be if this Kuhn's can help revitalize the Hill District while invigorating downtown living. If folks in the new downtown lofts feel comfortable enough to head into the dreaded Hill to do their grocery shopping, that would even be a win-win situation for taxpayers.

Opposites Attract

In a surprise move, Station Square announced yesterday that they had an investor to re-open the Chevrolet Amphitheater previously closed because of confusion over the new casino. How much is it costing to re-open this venue? $50,000. That's a far cry from the $12 Million entertainment complex being planned on the other side of the city.

The North Side hotel-entertainment-dining fiasco has caused a lot of grief among North Side residents, but Governor Rendell is almost begging to add $4 Million to their pot-of-plenty in spite of this mind-numbing recession. I expect he'll recommend legalizing and taxing prostitutes to pay for this project.

Certainly seems suspicious to me that Rendell is so eager to hop on-board this latest North Side boondoggle. Is it because of pay-to-play politics? Is it because he's distracting us from the truly evil deeds he's playing over in Philly? If anyone knows, I'm sure they've been paid off. But I'd sure feel better about it all if there was some reform in Harrisburg ala the GOP. Maybe then we can have realistic projects like the Chevy Amphitheater that add value to the city while not costing the region an arm and a leg. In the meantime, we'll be subsidizing Toby Keith's new restaurant.

Don't get me wrong. I believe the more venues/hotels/restaurants the better. Let the people decide. But I also believe that if you can't afford it, you shouldn't build it/buy it/rent it - unless of course you're giving major kickbacks to the residents and raising their quality of life. Now is the time for Rendell to listen to the North Side residents and insist on a landmark community benefits package ala the new arena.