A transit advocate on the Charlie Brennan show just claimed that there has been a 20% increase in transit ridership in the last five years. That is true – but only because the caller conveniently selected one of the worst years ever for Metro. Here’s the whole story, from page 78 of the Metro 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report:
| Year | Ridership |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 52,186,468 |
| 2001 | 50,971,127 |
| 2002 | 47,661,333 |
| 2003 | 46,025,179 |
| 2004 | 45,644,096 |
| 2005 | 46,505,507 |
| 2006 | 48,585,648 |
| 2007 | 50,943,196 |
| 2008 | 53,766,733 |
| 2009 | 52,768,856 |
So, between 2000 and 2009, Metro ridership increased by just over 1%.
I’ve been involved in a lot of campaigns over the years, and have been outspent on more than a few occasions. But I can remember no more cynical a campaign than Advance St. Louis and its effort for Proposition A. Here’s just the most recent contributions:
| Date | Donor | Industry | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/4 | Columbia Capital Management | Finance | $5,000 |
| 4/2 | Cits for Modern Transit | Advocacy group | $9,275 in-kind |
| 4/2 | Don C. Musick III | Construction | $25,000 |
| 4/1 | Siemens | Rail equipment | $15,000 |
| 3/31 | Northside Regeneration, LLC | Developer | $5,000 |
| 3/31 | Amalgamated Transit Union | Union | $5,000 |
| 3/30 | Mercy Health System | Employer | $20,000 |
| 3/30 | BJC Health System | Employer | $75,000 |
| 3/29 | Drury Displays | Advertising | $15,000 in-kind |
| 3/27 | St. Louis Rams | Sports Team | $10,000 |
| 3/25 | Gillig | Bus manufacturer | $10,000 |
| 3/25 | Graybar Electric | Contractor | $5,000 |
| 3/25 | Ironworker’s Union (IMPACT) | Union | $20,000 |
| 3/25 | Centene Management | Healthcare | $25,000 |
| 3/24 | HOK | Architect | $10,000 |
| 3/24 | Express Scripts | Healthcare | $25,000 |
| 3/23 | St. Luke’s Hospital | Healthcare | $10,000 |
| 3/23 | Laclede Gas | Utility | $10,000 |
| 3/23 | Wachovia Securities | Finance | $25,000 |
| 3/23 | Enterprise Holdings | Car rental | $5,000 |
| 3/20 | SSM Healthcare | Healthcare | $10,000 |
| 3/16 | Ameristar | Casino | $5,000 |
| 3/16 | Cits for Modern Transit | Advocacy group | $10,000 in-kind |
| 3/13 | Stifel Nicolaus | Finance | $10,000 |
There are many, many more, but I’m exhausted, and the point has been well made: Proposition A is supported by a well heeled, self-interested group of transit industry firms and low wage employers, all of whom have a financial interest in this tax increase. If it passes, we’ll all be a little more poor, and these powerful companies will continue to abuse the tax paying people of St. Louis county.
Nick Kasoff
As 24th State reports, Charlie Dooley and Metro knowingly overspent on light rail, and knew it would lead to massive budget deficits that they’d have to shore up through higher taxes:
We open new lines, and what is the first thing out of this [CMT's Tom Shrout's] mouth? We need to find a way to fund what they built. Pardon me for being naive, but wouldn’t it have made sense to figure out how we were going to fund the existing system prior to them building it?
Good question.
Later, 24th state writes:
The entire campaign is designed around guilt… The critics will scream that we are punishing the poor, but it is Dooley and Nations who are doing the punishing. They have allowed this sorry state of affairs to exist. These people built the Metro knowing it would lose money and require federal funding. Whether through shortsighted planning or greed at the money involved, they built Metro to lose money.
Apparently, Charlie Dooley and Metro don’t respect the pocketbooks of voters. We’re all merely sheep to be fleeced. They do what they want, they ‘live beyond their means’ and we’re all supposed to pay for it all or risk being demonized as not caring about the poor.
——
24th State also has a great chart that demonstrates the utter failure of mass transit in the US, primarily as a result of the expansion of light rail, which is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive…so much so, that it is essentially bankrupting a dozen US cities.
US cities on the chart below have an average budget deficit of $139 MILLION. NOTE: “% Operating,” refers to the amount of operating costs covered by ticket fares. Notice St. Louis’ Metro only has 21% of its revenue from ticket sales. If normal businesses (notwithstanding Government Motors and other nationalized businesses) ran their businesses this way, they’d be out of business.
Lucky for Zombie Industries like light rail, groups of wealthy special interests ( who benefit from tax payer subsidies and revenue) can lobby leaders like Charlie Dooley and repeatedly bring new taxes on the ballot to prop up their zombie cash cow.
With an average budget deficit of $139 MILLION (mostly as a result of light rail), Mass Transit systems accross the country are unmitigated DISASTERS.
Friends,
CBT needs your help PRONTO to defeat Proposition A. PLEASE! Tell everyone you know to donate to Citizens for Better Transit. We desperately need to raise money in order to have a chance of defeating Prop A.
PLEASE MONEY BOMB OUR CAMPAIGN AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO SO AS WELL.
BTW: The Post-Dispatch just wrote about our campaign. Help us stop this bailout and 100% tax revenue increase for Metro!
Thank you,
John Burns
CBT
Location: 41 South Central Avenue, Clayton, Missouri…St. Louis County Administrative Building.
BRING POSTERS AND FLYERS AND YOUR LOUD VOICES!!
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STAND UP AGAINST MASSIVE TAXATION BEING LEVELED AGAINST ST. LOUIS COUNTY FAMILIES! STAND UP AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE! STAND UP FOR A REFORMED MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM!!
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TELL CHARLIE DOOLEY AND CO., THAT YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! TELL HIM YOU’LL VOTE NO ON PROP A THIS APRIL 6TH!!
Eliot Davis, reporting for Fox 2 St. Louis, asked Bob Baer about Metro’s spending on art. For some reason, they are required to spend 1% of their Federal funds on “Arts in Transit” – somebody ought to talk to their Congressman about that – but in this case, Metro also spent a great deal of locals funds on the art. Check it out:
March 12th, 2010 at 3:35 am
That sculpture on Delmar is great! More art in public spaces is always a plus.
Daily Metro commuter,
Charlie
April 4th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Arts in Transit is pretty! I feel my tax dollars are being spent the way they should. TOD ROCKS!!!
April 5th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
METRO has neither helped St. Louis recover as a city, nor in any way helped slow our continued downslide. METRO is a most failed system and has no business seeking more of the public’s money.