The City

[stephendare]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frugality

Frugality is a quality whose meaning and practice seems to have passed out of our politics.

It is a philosophy and a way of doing things that transcends mere Cheapness, or even more simply, low cost.

While both would agree on the value of thriftiness, a frugal person is actually the opposite of a miser in many ways.  Frugality is the good side of thrift, and miserliness is its absurdly self destructive side.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miser

A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts. The term derives from the Latin miser, meaning "poor" or "wretched," comparable to the modern word "miserable".

Frugality (also known as thrift or thriftiness ) is the practice of acquiring goods and services at minimum cost, achieved via economical restraints or creative measures. Frugality can be related to the idea of being conservative or conserving money.

Where a conservative approach to money goes the wrong way to misery is in valuing economic restraints over creative measures.

Jacksonville, for example has created much of its own misery as a result of a predominance of this latter tendency amongst the various 'Citizens against Taxation' groups over the years.   

So far, we have sacrificed a workable mass transit system,  excellence in higher education, community amenities considered standard in other cities, national prominence as a trade center that should have resulted merely from being the transportation nexus  formed from the intersection of I-10 and I-95, a large seaport, and a train hub simultaneously, and we have sacrificed it on a shabbily built altar of cheapness.

Like most landowners, Jacksonville taxpayers value a thrifty and intelligent use of public monies:  No one wants a corrupt freespending group of Trough guzzling fat cats gobbling up dollars and crapping out foul smelling scandals.

But somewhere along the way, political climbers of the sort who trade in public denouncements as a means to public influence have hijacked the idea of 'frugality' and replaced it with the much simpler idea of 'lowering' taxes for the simple end of having lower taxes.   

If that means just going without basic needs, like animal control or reliable transportation, then the misers see no conflict with responsible stewardship of the city.  After all, Cheaper is better, right?

Ask the crane operators in New York, who lost their lives when the cheaper grade of chinese steel collapsed recently.

Ask the City of New Orleans, who saved money for years by not adequately maintaining their levees.

A better question to be asked at all times is 'How do we achieve a goal in a way that exceeds expectations with the most creative and least expensive use of public money?"

For example.  Our mass transit system.   A city wide light rail system was considered to costly by Marvin Edwards and several others in the last decades.  200 million, the cost of the entire system at the time, was considered pie in the sky, astronomically expensive and too much money for the city of Jacksonville.

Instead, the anti tax citizen group led a tax revolt that cancelled federal funding for the project and killed mass transit in its tracks.

But at least we still got to spend the same 200 million dollars in repairing roads damaged by heavy use, like busses and expanding our highway system to accomodate all of the new cars necessary to tranport citizens to work and back.

Actually, we spent 7 TIMES that amount in servicing a populations auto related needs rather than simply springing for the much cheaper (over the long run) mass transit system.

Their miserly victory ironically was one of the biggest expenditures of tax payer monies in the history of Jacksonville.  Its effects and the philosophy it helped to support (build and maintain the roads we already have   before talking about mass transit---a self defeating circular task) are still being felt (AND PAID FOR) to this day by the very taxpayers that the merchants of miserliness purported to represent.

A better conversation would have been, "How do we build a Mass Transit System that serves the greatest number at the least cost?"

Why are we in such a rush to be the discount K-Mart of cities? 

I personally think that its because its easier to cut off funds than it is to think about better ways to manage them.   The type of people who sell political miserliness arent really interested in creative solutions.  They dont want to be bothered.  They just like bitching about how nothing seems to have any quality, the jobs arent being done right, and bi god, the local government sucks if this (whatever their latest outrage is) is the best that they can do.

That isnt citizenship.

Real civic responsibility and Real Citizenship is being proud enough to be involved in creating a solution that serves all.

It requires patience and fairness, but most importantly it requires remembering that the goal is more important than the personalities and egos, and working towards it for that fact alone.

We have so much to do, and so far to go, if we want to live in a city worth living in.

[Jason]

Mind if I add a bit?



......  My plane landed at JIA 30 minutes early so once I was able to get a hand on my luggage I hopped a train to Union Terminal then jumped over to the skyway to grab a drink at my favorite spot in Hemming Plaza.  The plaza was hopping because of the typical friday night "Native Noise" concert that draws in the college crowds from nearby FCCJ and UNF.  After mingling a bit I caught the skyway back to Union but just missed my train to St. Augustine.  The next one should be here in 15 minutes, I deduced from the overhead electronic schedule board.  I decided to walk across the terminal and have a cup of coffee while I waited.  I was barely able to finish my coffee before the next train came rolling in.  The ride home to St. Augustine was very relaxing and I was able to get a bit of homework done on the way. 

Before I knew it I was pulling into the St. Augustine multimodal station on King Street and US-1 and made a quick hop to the trolley headed for town to meet my wife for dinner.  We had a great time and was able to walk off our dinner along the bayfront before having to hop the last trolly back to the multimodal at 3:00AM.  I guess St. Augustine is still a bit sleepy.  I wish the transit ran 24 hours like it does in Jax...

[Steve]

Does anyone know what was going on over in La Villa and Brooklyn this weekend?

The Community First Credit Union had a big used car sale.

[Downtown Dweller]

"Ask the City of New Orleans, who saved money for years by not adequately maintaining their levees."

Actually they weren't saving money they were skimming money, a well know side income in the state. Also it was the federal government who was skimping on the money, just as they are skimping on the money to save the coastline, which also doesn;t help the levee situation when a hurricane hits.

[Jason]

I rode the train up there a couple weeks back for the Mardi Gras celebration, caught an early 4:00 movie at the IMax and then bar hopped until 4 in the morning.  That new Downtown Drinking Ordinance that was enacted a couple years back has been fantastic!  I can't believe I hit 8 differents bars all in a 3 block strip!  I'm so glad I had a long train ride home to recoup my sences.  I have to say, the cabbies in St. Augustine have been great.  Me and my buds were able to fall off of the train and right into the cab for the last leg home.  Rodney (the cabbie) has been taking care of us for a few months now and of course knows right where we all live.

[Steve]

man, Steve, after you got married and had five kids, your priorities sure changed.

Did you pick up a car for one of your wild urchins?

How is the Bursitis coming?

Yeah. Sure.

No, on Saturday I was cleaning out my townhome east of town, and in making three trips between my storage unit at I-95 and Park St and my townhome east of town, I drove up Park St (which turns to Lee when you cross the RR tracks), and saw it.

This is why we should encourage developments with large surface parking lots - so one day out of the year a credit union can turn LaVilla into a used car lot.

[Driven1]

that lady's got a poodle on her head.

[Coolyfett]

By the way, the new gondola service that just opened up at the ParkView Complex across from Confederate Park (or is it all Delaney Park now?) is very cool.  Ever since they dug out Hogans Creek and restored the park, Ive always thought that these things would be very cool. 

They opened last month, but we havent taken a ride on them yet. 

Word!! Delaney Park...Now thats whats up!!!

[Coolyfett]

..........On my way to Jax. Just left Georgia 2 hours ago and only have one left.....I'm loving this route Amtrak has that goes from Miami to Detriot.

Aww..finally in Jacksonville. I'm at the Jacksonville Transportation Center, man this place is huge. Every time I'm in here I get lost. Any how word on the streets is the Blue Angels are doing their thing out at the beach. I'ma have to check that out. Got on at Union Station heading to Central Station via Skyway. Got off at Central and took the southline Skyway to St Nicholas Station. From St. Nicholas (since it connects with the JTA east-west heavy rail line) I took the train all the way to Jax Beach. The beach was frigging packed and its only a Tuesday!!! but I should have known...after all this is Jacksonville . Went down to the ocean club to grab a bite to eat for lunch, being I didn't eat any breakfast this morning at 730 before I got on Amtrak. Plus I spent an hour in the Bay Street Station Mall prior to coming to the beach. YUMMY!!! belly is full and I'm walking back to Ocean Station. On the train again & just got a call from Triclops I. He says they having a B-Boy jam at Hemming Plaza today and starts at 4pm. I'M ON IT!! But my grandma heard I was in town so you know I gotta go check grandma out first. Once I got back to Central Station I didn't have to wait too long for the West Skyway train to pull in. When the train stopped at Union Station I saw two of my homeboys from school..but I ain't have any time to jive with them though. Its all good Ill see em on the rebound. Finally made it to JTA's Southwest heavy rail line . Biiiiiim I'm on Roosevelt and Timacuana...grandma is right down the block. Chilled wit grandma for a bit now I'm back on the train heading to Hemmimg Plaza. It's 4:30 right now so by the time I get there it should be jumping!!


.....the day aint even over. 

Stephendare where can I go after the Hemming Plaza jam??

[JeffreyS]

Had to drive to Airport and pick up the in laws. They said they would take the train but my wife said they had too much luggage and we should pick them up.  Just as we were getting to the Dames Point tunnel we saw a ship the size of an aircraft carrier on way out. How deep is this tunnel? I thought we should build a bridge but how short sighted would that have been?

[gatorback]

huh?

[Jason]

In a press conference arranged today outside of the Wanda Lanier Day Center and Jobline, Mayor Carlucci announced a massive new works project to provide shelter clothing, food and pay to Jacksonville's homeless in return for environmental cleanup work to be conducted along Talleyrand Avenue.

Tallyrand could use a little help but I'd rather them work towards cleaning up the Gate Parkway area.  Whomever the guy was the thought a suburban sprawlsville office park would be a good idea in a city with a burgeoning central core was an idiot.  Anywho, the buildings have made for great workforce and low income housing at very little cost to the city but at the same time the slumlords surrounding it have seemingly refused to clean up their messes.  Also, all of the vacant lots and abandoned parking areas have become popular hangouts with the teens and have been trashed and unkept.  They seriously need to get a clean-up crew and a few lawnmowers and go to work!

[Ocklawaha]

Well folks my vision is pretty damn similar... I keep fighting and hoping... JTA RAIL MEETING TONIGHT AT 5:30 AT MYRTLE AV PALACE. Y'all come. I have some new images, in fact a catalog with video and 100's of stills of things we could do with Vintage Omni-Bus (replacements for our PCT trolley system), Some 50-80 shots of skyways that even knocked my "out of the box" butt out of my chair. As well as trolleys and a video of vintage cars for sale in Australia available to us for $400,000 each... Or new JACKSONVILLE TRACTION TURTLEBACK STREETCARS brand new for about the same.

Stephendare, I could have sumed this up in the Music thread, but somehow it applies to Jacksonville. So the whole thing seems like we fade into a song...


THE ACTIVIST SINGS:

There must be some kind of way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
Theres too much confusion
I cant get no relief
Businessman they drink my wine
Plow men dig my earth
None will level on the line
Nobody of it is worth
Hey hey

THE CITY RESPONDS?

No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke but uh
But you and I weve been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hours getting late
Hey

BUSINESS AS USUAL?

All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Bare-foot servants to, but huh
Outside in the cold distance
A Teal Blue cat did growl
Two riders were approachin
And the wind began to howl
Hey
Oh
All along the watchtower
Hear you sing around the watch
Gotta beware gotta beware I will
Yeah
Ooh baby
All along the watchtower

Jimi Hendrix (with a slight cat change)

Ocklawaha

[thelakelander]

The rail meeting has been rescheduled to May 15, 2008

The Citizens Advisory Group meeting scheduled for April 24 has been beenrescheduled for Thursday May 15, 5:30 p.m. at JTA. We hope this doesn'tcause you any inconvenience. Please contact James Boyle at or 598-8769 if you have any questions prior to the meeting. Thank you,Victoria

[JeffreyS]

Do they do this on purpose to keep people from being able to attend?