Jim-

I give you credit for the way you are able to jam so many facts into your point of view. But you are being misleading on a few points and I want to address them.

JK: You left out: “except for parking meter revenues which were previously used for roads”

RC: Actually, NO! We have either A) put in new meters where the didn't exist before or B) raised rates - specifically for the express purpose of funding streetcar operations - and this is what we are doing on the eastside, too. Like we did in the downtown core, we are working with the area on a parking plan that will generate NEW revenues. On the eastside it will mean meters where they didn't exist. On the Westside it was raising the parking rates with the consent of the business and property owners for the sole purpose of funding streetcar.

We did NOT take any funding from the roads.

JK: There you have it: the streetcar will be funded by stealing money from police, fire, basic human services and schools.

RC: Come now, Jim! What you are calling "stolen funds" are revenues that wouldn't have existed without the public investments TIF funds. You know that! The public improvements we perform in URA's increases the amount of property tax taht comes in the pipeline.

Those taxes would never have been collected if the development were not incented. And when the URA expires, the schools and other public agencies will benefit by having great proprety tax revenues.

Anyways, Jim, I know that I am not goign to convince you to drop your ideology - it is obviously firmly entrenched. But for you to throw around specious arguments and allegations (which I know you are paid to do, and which you do a good job of, I must admit) is frustrating, to say the least.

There are so many other things in your above post I could take issue with, but I know it would be for naught.

If I didn't have as much faith as I do in the Portland electorate, I would be worried that your rhetorical bombs might affect them. But luckily, they have proven time and time again that they can and do see through your ideological rants and see them for what they are- the tirades of a reactionary frustrated to be in the political minority in lovely, sensible, liberal Portland, OR.