On March 13, our local government propaganda site, ftlauderdale.gov, bragged that President Obama's budget included funding for The Wave, the disastrous Streetcar proposal that will suck funds form our coffers and rip up our streets for slow streecars that nobody will ride. The Wave is a classic government crony project; the only people who want it are people who are going to profit from it; engineering firms, developers and those who get contributions from developers.
Today, President Obama's budget was voted down in the House of Representatives 413-2, with 17 too timid to even cast a vote. So it's not worth the paper it's written on. Even Democrats can't vote for it.
When I heard about the vote, I got an idea. Protesting to the Commission or the Mayor is a waste of time; anyone who saw the public hearing will realize what a ruse the hearing are. People stand up and make incredibly valid points, like we could all ride in limos for free for 20 years for what The Wave will cost, and then the commissioners mumble for a few minutes; they don't have one idea between them, and vote unanimously to rip up the street and put in a 1940s transportation system.
The idea is why not lobby congress to cut The Wave out of the budget. Republicans have control of the purse strings. What a great way to save the country $50M? Without federal funding, The Wave is dead.
Some perspective on The Wave is that even if you think it's a good idea, most of us will be dead or too old to enjoy it by the time it's finished. The is a 20 year project. 20 years of ripped up roads. Are you a 55yo who moved here to enjoy the rest of your life? Are you really willing to wait until you're in your 70s
We could have busses in a couple of years. The Wave stops us from doing practically things; things that we can enjoy now. Things that will accelerate the growth of Fort Lauderdale. Things that we should have done 5 years go.