Metropolitan Rural

Yes, that’s right.  The end is finally near.  At least, for my express bus.  You can see the complete list of Metro system changes that will be effective March 30, 2009.  It seems they are eliminating every express bus route.  I didn’t look much further than that, because the rest of the schedule has little effect on me.  That means, if I continue to take public transportation, my commute each way to work just went from 19 minutes to 46 minutes.

I understand, somewhat, the elimination of the express routes.  Even though they are generally pretty full, they are mainly occupied with monthly pass holders and thus their revenue per rider would be less on these routes.  Still, they are losing many loyal rider and some significant revenue.  I feel for them trying to balance their budget.  I know this is a terrible time for them to go through this with ridership being up and they are trying to keep the service that gives them the most revenue per rider.  Hopefully there will be a day when the tax revenue to the system will increase and we will get better bus service back in the city.  The changes aren’t just effecting the county, they are effecting the city quite a bit as well.

Personally, I have half a mind to buy a second car and take I-44 downtown to work just to add 1 more car to clog up traffic for those St. Louis county people who didn’t see the need to support our public transit system.

On a side note, I met Mayor Slay for the first time last night (he’s pretty much guaranteed to show up during an election cycle).  He was at our neighborhood association general meeting.  He made the rounds shaking hands and saying hello.  His first stop when he walked in the room was to my son and one other kid playing over in the corner.  My son didn’t know who he was until we told him later.  He made a few brief remarks at the start of our meeting.  It was really a brief stump speech about some of his accomplishments.  He’s a rather good public speaker and you can tell that he really does genuinely care about the future of the city.  The fact that he was out in 10 degree weather at a neighborhood meeting with 20 people is also a sign that (like he said) he’s not taking his re-election for granted.  It’s a very short election cycle for Mayor, so I’ll have to start looking over the other candidates to see who is worth voting for this time around.

I heard the news this morning. I guess there really is a Santa Clause:

Auto Bailout Talks Collapse as Senate Deadlocks Over Wages

I guess there really area a few people left in Washington willing to stand up for what’s right. What was the big sticking point that brought down the $14 billion dollar bailout? There had already been agreement in the bill to reduce executive compensation and dividends over a period of time, but one more item requested by the most junior member of the Senate Banking Committee just couldn’t get supported:

The negotiations were based on a plan advanced by Corker, the most junior member of the Banking Committee. His proposal sought to reduce the wages and benefits of union workers by requiring the automakers’ total labor costs to be “on par” with Honda and Toyota.

…

He and other Republicans had revolted against the earlier plan because they thought it did not go far enough in forcing contracts on the UAW. GM officials have told Congress, for instance, that under the most recent contract, labor costs would be about $62 per hour in 2010 — $30 per hour in wages and slightly more than that in benefits to current workers and retirees. That’s about $14 per hour more than at Toyota’s U.S. plants.

To me, that’s just amazing. In more detail, Corker was asking that this happen sometime in 2009, but no one was willing to budge on union wages and benefits until their contracts come up in 2011. I guess having no job at all is better than taking a pay cut huh? Seriously? So, it’s okay for the executives and shareholders to agree to reduced/no compensation, but not for the working Joe? I mean, really, $30 per hour plus more than that in benefits? You can’t give up some of that to keep your job? In economics we call that “sticky prices.” That simply means price (or in this case wages) are quick to go up and slow to go down.

Also, part of this bill was to give money to Chrysler to prevent them from going under later this month (according to them). If you remember, Chrysler is actually owned 80% by Cerberus Capital Management, a private investment group. Below are a handful of quotes from the Cerberus website:

We work patiently and constructively with management teams and we have a deep respect for operational excellence. We succeed when our companies succeed, to the benefit of our portfolio companies’ employees, customers, suppliers and the communities in which they operate.

…

Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. is one of the world’s leading private investment firms. Cerberus specializes in providing both financial resources and operational expertise to help transform undervalued companies into industry leaders for long-term success and value creation.

…

At Cerberus, we have a long-term investment horizon and focus on value creation. We invest in undervalued companies and their people, and help them to realize their potential.

We partner with our portfolio companies to help them become industry leaders. We believe competition makes the global economy more productive and more efficient, which enables companies to succeed long-term in the globally competitive marketplace.

We encourage our companies to focus on the future through prudent capital investment, R&D, new product marketing, talent development, improved operations and appropriate strategic acquisitions.

These statements from a company that prides itself on turning around companies to make themselves a lot of money. Here they are now, failing with one of their investments and they want someone else to make up for it.  The reason buying “undervalued” companies and turning them around is such a lucrative business is that it is also inherently risky.  It might have been easier in a strong economy, but with a weak economy you have to be much better.  Either way, you are bound to lose a few.

Senator Corker, thank you for standing up and reminding us that we are still required to be responsible.

Times are going to be hard folks.  It’s time to make good decisions again.  It’s time to be responsible with your money for a change.  It’s time to hold our politicians accountable for the money we allot to them.  From all accounts, the great depression was a terrible thing to live through, but it also taught people the values of responsibility and  resourcefulness.  Those skills learned led to a new society when we broke from the depression.  Maybe it’s time for a new generation of us to learn those values for ourselves anew.  The road is not always easy; the path is not always straight.

Two weeks ago I was standing in a conference center in Scottsdale, AZ.  I was with a good friend and business partner trying to hock our new business service to potential clients.  Things went really well and we’ve had a lot of follow-up and planning going on since.  Between that and trying to catch up with the new class I’m teaching, these past 2 weeks have been extremely busy.   I finally feel like I’m caught up at this point and wanted to share a few thoughts that have gone on with me the last several days.

1. I was really impressed on Friday night when we stopped by our local PetSmart to pick up some bedding for our guinnea pig.  Parked right next to us was a shiny, black Ford Escape Hybrid.  This was a car my wife and I had considered last year when we bought our new one.  It gets an EPA estimated 34 MPG in the CITY!  That’s right, 34 MPG In the city for a small SUV, that’s very impressive.  Still, we don’t drive enough to really justify the 10 grand extra that would have cost us.  What impressed me most was the license plate.  It read, “City of St. Louis, Director of Public Safety.”  Yep, a city vehicle.  And for an office that’s undoubtedly putting a lot of city miles on it.  Very smart decision and good use of my tax dollars.
2. Over the weekend I heard that Metro had finally announced their rate increases for next year.  My monthly pass will be going from $60 to $68.   Still not bad I guess.  My only problem still is the possibility that my express route could get canceled come spring.  That would mean my 35 minute trip to and from work would now become nearly an hour (if everything is on time).  That extra 25 minutes each way everyday makes me not want to use Metro.  I mean, I live about 5 miles from work, it shouldn’t take me an hour to get there, I could nearly walk that far in that amount of time!  So, I’m still thinking of options for me and waiting for the official announcement, but look for an extra car on the road for morning commutes come spring.
3. On Saturday I read a note on Mayor Slay’s website (he calls it a blog, but it hardly is considering there are no comments allowed) encouraging Metro to work out a deal to allow their system to be integrated with Google Maps.  I too would agree this is a great thing.  With my business I’ve started, I’ve got a cell phone with a data plan and built in GPS.  Google Maps has been great to have on my cell phone to look up directions.  To have easy access through there to bus routes and times would be awesome.

So, things have been busy, the holidays are upon us, and the boy is at the airport now on his way to visit his father for 10 days over Thanksgiving.  I’ve got lots of cleaning and organizing to do around the house so we can set up a Christmas tree in a couple of weeks and so I can turn our front “junk” room into a home office over the holiday.

With the failure of the county to pass Proposition M last night (to increase sales tax revenue for transit service), it seems more likely than ever that my bus line with either be drastically reduced in service or completely eliminated come spring.  Guess I’ll need to start looking at some alternatives.

Out of curiosity I started looking up electric cars.  There is a class of electrics called NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle).  These are lower speed vehicles that aren’t typically licensed for highway driving.  They are often a fancy golf cart from what I saw.   There are a few models however, that look a bit more like a conventional car with actual doors and radios and such.  A couple of the interesting models I found were the ZENN and the Miles ZX40.  These both look like a typical sub-compact, hatchback car and retail for typically $15,000 - $20,000 depending on options.

I then hopped on over to Ebay Motors and did a quick search for electric fueled cars.  I found some listings from a company that has a few older model Miles ZX40.  They are very low mileage and were showroom models they are getting rid of.  This particular listing is for a 2006 model with 39 miles for only $9,995 buy it now price.   I thought that was a pretty good bargain.  Not to mention it has some impressive cargo space for such a small vehicle.  The listing says it has a top speed of 40 mph and a range of 40-50 miles.  I have 5.5 miles to get to work, so that would easily take care of my needs with a nightly recharging.  What really struck me about the listing was the company that is selling the vehicle.  It’s a place called Electric Car Company… in Farmington, MO!

Now, I have no idea why there is a dealership in Farmington that specializes in electric cars, but at least it would be close enough to go take a test drive before buying.  Honestly, if I were them, I’d try and find a way to work with a dealership up here in the city to get some more sales.  Even with gas prices down now close to $2 a gallon, with economic uncertainty and the looming likelihood of drastically reduced transit service there should be a rising market for an affordable alternative.

It’s over for me officially.  I arrived at my polling place about 5:55 and left at precisely 7:09.  All in all, not too bad.  It was rather uneventful except for the incidence when they tried to split the line into 2 precincts by starting at the back and not telling any of us in the front.  All we saw was a large group of people from the back walking straight past the rest of the line up to the front.  Although, considering the narrowness of the hallway they had us squeezed through, they would have been better off to route the other precinct through the door at the end of the building where they were checking in.

Regardless, I’m done and can sit back and wait for the results to come in tonight and tomorrow.  It was good to see so many people there and taking an interest in our government for a change.  It’s about time Americans step up and start electing leaders who are going to look out for the country as a whole instead of lots of special interests.

Still haven’t made your choices for you ballot this coming Tuesday?  Don’t forget, there are several elections going on that you may not have heard much about.  For elected positions you can check out the Post-Dispatch Politics section and look at the Voter’s Guide for your area (St. Louis area only).

If you want to get more information on propositions that are on the ballot, you can check out my prior post on Proposition A for a link to the Secretary of State’s website with more details.

If seen two blog posts in the last week or so about Proposition A. Steve Patterson over at Urban Review is still Undecided on Proposition A. Mayor Slay, on the other hand, will be Voting For Prop A.

If you’re not familiar with Proposition A, the full text can be found here. A summary is here below:

          Official Ballot Title:

Shall Missouri law be amended to:

• repeal the current individual maximum loss limit for gambling;
• prohibit any future loss limits;
• require identification to enter the gambling area only if necessary to establish that an individual is at least 21 years old;
• restrict the number of casinos to those already built or being built;
• increase the casino gambling tax from 20% to 21%;
• create a new specific education fund from gambling tax proceeds generated as a result of this measure called the “Schools First Elementary and Secondary Education Improvement Fund”; and
• require annual audits of this new fund?

State governmental entities will receive an estimated $105.1 to $130.0 million annually for elementary and secondary education, and $5.0 to $7.0 million annually for higher education, early childhood development, veterans, and other programs. Local governmental entities receiving gambling boat tax and fee revenues will receive an estimated $18.1 to $19.0 million annually.

Fair Ballot Language:

A “yes” vote will amend Missouri law to:

• repeal the current individual maximum loss limit for gambling;
• prohibit any future loss limits;
• require identification to enter the gambling area only if necessary to establish that an individual is at least 21 years old;
• restrict the number of casinos to those already built or being built;
• increase the casino gambling tax from 20% to 21%;
• create a new specific education fund from gambling tax proceeds generated as a result of this measure called the “Schools First Elementary and Secondary Education Improvement Fund”; and
• require annual audits of this new fund.

A “no” vote will maintain the current individual maximum loss limit of five hundred dollars for each gambling excursion. The casino gambling tax will not be increased nor will the “Schools First Elementary and Secondary Education Improvement Fund” be created. Also, the number of new casinos that may be built in Missouri will not be restricted.

If passed, this measure will increase the casino gambling tax.

In general, I don’t have a problem with removing the loss limits on gambling. If people are entertained that way and want to spend their money there, fine. We don’t put limits on how many beers, nachos and souvenirs you buy at a Cardinals game.

At the same time, why the need to prohibit any further competition?  Why prohibit loss limits from being added in the future?  Oh, and why the special education fund from the proceeds of this change?  Does that mean just the extra 1% in tax, or does it include the full 21% for anything people lose over $500 as well?  Wasn’t the casino money supposed to be going to education all along?

If you ask me to vote on removing the loss limits, you’d have my vote.  However, you throw in all the other crap so that you (the casinos) make out like bandits in the process, I will emphatically vote NO.

If you want more details on the other ballot initiatives, you can find details and the full text of them all at them all over at the SOS site.

No, not dreams in a wishful sort of way, but dreams while sleeping.  Last night I had this very vivid dream of being in a large sports stadium with thousands of other people.  There were 2 small stages in the center of the mob of people.  On the stages were Obama and McCain.  The scoreboards overhead were keeping track of the official electoral results as they were reported (I know, pretty weird huh?).

Anyway, things started off pretty close and then Obama started pulling ahead.  The margin kept growing until it was almost certain he would win.  Then, the unexpected happened, the last few states all got their results in at once and McCain was declared the winner.

Now, you would almost think that was my subconscious, conservative, rural self hoping for a McCain victory.  But here’s the real kicker.  When that happened, I shot awake in a cold sweat with my heart racing.  It was like waking up from a nightmare where you’re being chased by a mass murderer or something.  Honestly, it was a little disturbing.  Even though I’m rather conservative, I just can’t find it in me to vote for McCain.  That said, I still haven’t convinced myself to vote FOR Obama either.  I can’t imagine what kind of dreams I’d be having if I actually watched TV an had to deal with even more coverage of the election!

Last week there was a proposal to make changes to the Arch Grounds. Preservationists and parks people are not at all happy about the prospects of some of the land being taken over for private development/management. If you don’t check out Michael Allen’s Eco Absence blog regularly, you should head over there. Here are a couple of articles recently on opposition to the plans.

• National Park Service Retirees Oppose Preliminary Plan to “Privatize” Portion of St. Louis Gateway Arch Site
• National Parks Conservation Association Concerned about Potential Development on Grounds of National Historic Landmark in St. Louis
• NPS Expected to Announce Preferred Alternatives for Arch Grounds Today

I was utterly appalled yesterday. I have been sitting on the fence so far in this presidential election. Driving over to my in-laws in U. City we saw someone putting up a “No Obama” sign in the yard. It’s bad enough that someone feels the need to support NOT voting for someone rather than encouraging you to vote FOR their candidate, but this sign was even worse. The first “o” was the Islamic moon & star symbol and Obama was spelled out in other such characters. Obviously, they are attempting to link Obama to Muslim extremists and terrorists. I have to agree with the sentiments of Colin Powell here. If Obama was a Muslim… “So What.” This country was colonized by people fleeing religious persecution and now you want to tell me we can’t allow a certain kind of religion here? Pardon me, but that’s Bull Sh!t.

I tried to find a picture of the sign online, but didn’t have much luck. I did find a site (to remain nameless and linkless) that has lots of user created content of political signs. There, I found 16,700 items in the “anti Obama” category and another 12,400 in the “anti McCain” category.

Is it too much to ask of Americans to be more Positive and less Negative. Why do we insist on supporting our choices by degrading the choices of others? It’s about more than just politics as well. There is plenty of “don’t drive foreign cars” sentiment to go along with “buy American.” Why must we always be the bully and put down others in order to make ourselves look better?

It’s time we take a good, long look ourselves in the mirror and figure out who we really are. It’s time to stand up and say I’m Pro-America without being Anti-Foreigner. Let’s be Pro-City without being Anti-County, Pro-Missouri without being Anti-Illinois. Let’s remind each other about the good things in life and in this country. It makes me hearken back to my April post, Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You…