Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Examiner's Jaffe Whines About Streetcars
The Examiner has a pretty uninspired opinion piece in which Harry Jaffe complains about Gray reinstating most of the streetcar funding, and blames it on Gray courting the yuppie vote. I was annoyed by this story because Jaffe just seems to be tossing out the same phrases I've seen elsewhere ("19th century technology to solve a 21st century problem"), and mentioning a couple of blogs that I'm not convinced he even looked at. I know it's the first day back after a long weekend, and we might all be dragging a bit, but come on.
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10 comments:
agreed inked. BTW, automobiles and airplanes are at best a very early twentieth century technology.
When did Jaffe go to the Examiner? Either way he's a horrible writer who rarely substantiates his opinions with real facts or interviews. He's an agitator who embodies almost everything that's wrong with journalism today. Why would you link to anything he has to say.
pay no attention to the ham-fisted attempt at class warfare . . .
By the way, to me, its a minor milestone that proposed improvements to the H. Street corridor are now deemed "pro-Yuppie." I don't dig the Yuppie tag and don't find it entirely fitting but at least its different than "that blighted commercial stretch of Northeast."
I saw that article today. Who really cares about the Examiner anyways? Most people don't even read it.
While I wouldn't call it the most brillant piece, I wouldn't exactly call it whining either. I think the streetcars will help the corridor but I also think it's not unfair to call them gimmicky. The budget shortfall is real and it looks like we'll end up cutting programs based less on merit and more on who yells the loudest. That's politics, I know. Same as ever. But let's not talk ourselves into a self righteous, alternate reality here.
Donna
Street cars or not, we need to balance the budget. Perhaps that means there are some tough choices ahead. Personally, I can take or leave the street cars, but the road is so jacked up I just want them to finish. The column seems to be a pernicious attempt at baiting class warfare.
"Streetcars? Gimmicky, unnecessary; unproved and costly. Why try a 19th century technology to solve a 21st century problem?"
This is my favorite quote..because when you go to Zurich, Geneva, Vienna, Vancouver, Portland it always feels gemmicky. Top five most livable cities all have one thing in common: Streetcars.
a 19th century technology? are horses going to pull our streetcars?
cars are actually a 19th century technology.
ah, he's trying to find some way to get people to read his column.
By the way, why is tagged as being the H Street streetcar, when it also will run down a portion of Benning Road? Has Clifton Terrace become a yuppie enclave?
The "examiner" isn't a real news source. Who cares what one of their "me me me!" writers has to say?
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