Why Mike Hogan is the right choice for downtown

[duvaldude08]

What I dont understand is, who said that Alvin Brown was waste tax payers money on DT? Being that he never stated EXACTLY what his plans are, how can we put words in his mouth? He did not say he was going to approve million projects such as the Shipyards, etc etc. Creating a vibrant DT is not all about the money. And yes you are correct, getting our financial house in order will help DT, but we also need a leader who has a VISION for DT.

I never seen a city who does not care about their DT. And we wonder why everyone calls us country. An empty @ss DT seems pretty darn country to me. Its time for a new direction. Jacksonville is not some small hick town, it is a city and should be ran as such.

And I approve this message 

Mike Hogan does have a vision for downtown. And the first part of the vision is getting people in the outlying areas to stop hating downtown. And the first part of this plan is to reassure them that there will be no more wasteful spending on downtown projects.

Like it or not, the Skyway is a huge wedge issue. People are angry out there, and Hogan is going to calm that anger. Then businesses will be able to step in and fix downtown, not politicians.

The election will of Mike Hogan will go along way towards strengthening Jacksonville as a whole, whereas an Alvin Brown election would have caused a great rift between the urban population and the suburban population.

no one is 'angry at downtown'.  This is sheer moronic dribble.

Hogan's plan, according to sources is to let First Baptist handle the growth of downtown.  That is not a plan.

The skyway is not a huge wedge issue.  the majority of the city wants a working transit system.

Im sorry, Big Guy, but these claims you are making are imaginary.

You just cant get a real feel for the city from your office in orange park after being here for a year.

+1000. The problem is not the skyway, it is DT. JTA even stated they are willing to work with city about possiable expansion of the skyway, but DOWNTOWN HAS NO PLAN. The answer is not shutting it down, it about making it work. And igfwas concerned about money, he would realize how much we would have to pay to shut it down and would possiably jeporadize JTA from getting future funding. YEAH he sounds like the guy to me. Dt is already a ghost town, have an empty transit system just sitting around would add insult to injury.

[BigGuy219]

Mike Hogan does have a vision for downtown.

Yes he certainly does...

Chilling.  And prescient.  Unless people vote to stop it.

It is private entites like Vestor and Farah and Farah saving historic downtown structures and giving them new life. Not government. In a Hogan administration, this trend will continue.

[wsansewjs]

And I've spoken with the hardworking suburbanites and all they've had to say about downtown was bad.

So basically, Those who you support are just as guilty of doing the thing which you detest, only in reverse.  Suburbanites have nothing good to say about downtown, but the pro-downtowners need to stop the hate? 

Shenanigans.

They have every right to be angry and resentful of downtown because of our sky train to nowhere and other wasteful spending. They have bills to pay, and children to feed, and their taxes are too high. When they see us tearing up Laura street and spending millions so we can have cobblestones in an interection? They get furious, and righly so.

Miken Hogan's going to see that such wasteful spending comes to an end and that will cause the rest of Jacksonville to calm in their attitudes towards downtown. Then we can go back to being one city again, instead of divided communities, and that will make for a stronger, more successful Jacksonville going into the future.

Uh.... sir -raise index finger up- That metaphor is like the same thing as someone shoving a bible down your throat.

-Josh

[Doctor_K]

Our skytrain to nowhere has the highest ridership statistics in the whole of JTA's network.  it's been proven time and again by practically anyone who takes 5 minutes to figure it out for themselves.

This is the problem, after all.  An uninformed electorate.  Or a religious zealot.  Heavy on rhetoric, lacking in substance.

[fsujax]

I believe Vestcor got help from the City. Now there have been others who have done it by themseleves like Perdue Office Interiors and Farah and Farah.

[BigGuy219]

Mike Hogan does have a vision for downtown.

Yes he certainly does...

Chilling.  And prescient.  Unless people vote to stop it.

It is private entites like Vestor and Farah and Farah saving historic downtown structures and giving them new life. Not government. In a Hogan administration, this trend will continue.

Ah.  So you mean that Hogan promises to give 25 million dollars more to Vestcor?  Plus the tax breaks that made the vestcor projects viable?

Doesnt sound like you know what the hell you are talking about.   Still.

Taxes are killing this state and this county. I am against tax breaks whenever possible. It's always best when indivudals and corporations are allowed to manage their own money rather than hand them over to the government for some 'greater good.' If government would get out of the way, downtown would rebuild a lot easier.

[Lunican]

Why should anyone listen to a person that lies for a living?

What is factually true and accurate is irrelevant. What people believe is the only thing that matters. And I take a particular sense of joy each time I make someone believe something that isn't so. It keeps a roof over my head and food in my belly.

I'm not debating your facts, or your statistics, because I don't have to. I'm not brining my own facts and statistics, because I don't need any. I know how to read a situation and prey upon sterotypes, false beliefs, and exploit it as good as anyone.

[BigGuy219]

Our skytrain to nowhere has the highest ridership statistics in the whole of JTA's network.  it's been proven time and again by practically anyone who takes 5 minutes to figure it out for themselves.

This is the problem, after all.  An uninformed electorate.  Or a religious zealot.  Heavy on rhetoric, lacking in substance.

I use the Skyway. On every occasion but one I have had the entire car to myself. On the bus, I have sometimes been unable to find a seat and had to stand.

I do not drive. I rely solely on the JTA. What you're claiming does not go along with what my experience using the transit system heavily has shown me.

[Lunican]

Is that even true? No one knows.

[BigGuy219]

Why should anyone listen to a person that lies for a living?

What is factually true and accurate is irrelevant. What people believe is the only thing that matters. And I take a particular sense of joy each time I make someone believe something that isn't so. It keeps a roof over my head and food in my belly.

I'm not debating your facts, or your statistics, because I don't have to. I'm not brining my own facts and statistics, because I don't need any. I know how to read a situation and prey upon sterotypes, false beliefs, and exploit it as good as anyone.

Well that's called politics. It's the game.

Learn to play it. Maybe you'll win the next election.

[ChriswUfGator]

yes, big guy, we are well acquainted with your out of touch anti black, anti poor views.  Youve made them all quite clear when you were talking about how great Rick Scott was.  Thanks for that by the way.

And Stephen, you can start in with the personal attacks all you want. It just shows you still have nothing intelligent to bring to the conversation.

I am not a racist. If I were, I'd live in a gated community in Ponte Vedra. I spend a lot of time in Hemming Plaza among the black community and even invited you to have lunch with me there.

I am against entitlements. I am against handouts. I am against big government 'fixing' problems people make for themselves. We are born equal, but after that we are on our own to make something out of ourselves.

Maybe you're the one who is 'anti-black' if you feel only African Americans are getting the entitlements and handouts I want to see cut.

Big Guy, didnt you quit this board?  I rather though that we had banned you for the racist chatter.....

Youve already made your obnoxious views known, there was never any doubt that a tea bag transplant from new york was going to vote for whatever vile rightwinger ran for the job.

Frankly Im surprised that you are voting for Hogan, because hes a bit more decent of a human being than your normal choices. Wouldnt you be better off supporting Grady Warren?  Or are you holding out for his presidential bid?

Trust me, that your endorsement doesnt help Hogan at all.  

No Stephen. Never banned, never suspended. And I challenge you to find one thing in my post history that would have been worthy of either. I am a civilized, educated man and I do not make threats, use profanity, or use personal attacks.

It sounds all well and good, but then you get a few homeless in there trying to take a bath and then all of a sudden you get a few floating #2s and well... you get the picture.

Can't we just round up these people and send them over to Iraq and Afghanistan

What do we do with that group? I'll tell you exactly what we do with them ... nothing. We turn our backs on them. We cast them out from society. There is a growing sense in this country that those who have are responsible for those who have not. Thankfully we have just elected a Governor who does not subscribe to such foolishness. They have no motivation to change their lives as long as there are bleeding hearts feeding them, clothing them, and handing them drug money.

I live here. I have to walk these streets at night. It's not fair for anyone who doesn't live where I live to tell me I should be compassionate when these people want to rob me for crack.

The problem isn't where the social services are, it's the fact that they even exist. Let them freeze. Let them starve. Maybe then they'd have some motivation to do something but harrass and rob people so they can buy crack.

New York had the sense and the courage to drive them out like the rats that they are.

If you feed one bird ... the next thing you know you got 100 birds showing up, making noise, begging for food, and pooping all over the place.

If you feed/hand out one vagrant ... the same thing happens, only it's a lot messier.

I was there today. I got asked for change, as usual. Saw a lot of police and a lot of vagrants...Just glad my pockets weren't jingling or I'd be a gonner.

Social darwinism. For every winner in life, there is a loser. Just because I won doesn't mean I have to turn around and help those who lost. We are not all created equal. That is the biggest spoonful of garbage we are fed from the moment we enter pre-school.

My goodness, Hogan must be thrilled to have your endorsement!

[BigGuy219]

My goodness, Hogan must be thrilled to have your endorsement!

I'm sure he is. The champagne is already on ice. About four hours before we celebrate. Going to be a heck of a night.

[JeffreyS]

I live in Oakleaf own a business in Murry Hill and can confirm BigGuy is delusional. The only reason Hogan may get elected is the R on the ticket.  There is no hate for downtown. People think we spent to much on the courthouse and skyway but those issues do not prevent people from coming downtown.  This city enjoys the Jags, the Jazz fest, the Landing, the art walk, world of nations and on and on.  There is no hate for downtown some apathy but mostly just a feeling we could do better.  BTW I am sure they mean better without raising taxes. Given the way we spend money on our sprawl it would be hard to argue we spend too much on downtown.

[ChriswUfGator]

And I've spoken with the hardworking suburbanites and all they've had to say about downtown was bad.

So basically, Those who you support are just as guilty of doing the thing which you detest, only in reverse.  Suburbanites have nothing good to say about downtown, but the pro-downtowners need to stop the hate?  

Shenanigans.

They have every right to be angry and resentful of downtown because of our sky train to nowhere and other wasteful spending. They have bills to pay, and children to feed, and their taxes are too high. When they see us tearing up Laura street and spending millions so we can have cobblestones in an interection? They get furious, and righly so.

Miken Hogan's going to see that such wasteful spending comes to an end and that will cause the rest of Jacksonville to calm in their attitudes towards downtown. Then we can go back to being one city again, instead of divided communities, and that will make for a stronger, more successful Jacksonville going into the future.

You have managed to get it 180-degrees backwards.

Historically, downtown and the urban areas constitute the tax base that has been tapped to fund sprawl, not vice-versa. What downtown consumes, it has until very recently always generated. It was finally taken down by the sprawl its tax revenue was misappropriated to fund. The suburbs didn't fund downtown, BigGuy, it's the diametric opposite of your viewpoint.

[JeffreyS]

I think he knows that but does not care.