Roefaro on Oneida Sq. Roundabout

[Clipper]

GearofZanzibar's blog, "CNY Snakepit" has a great piece on Roefaro's retort to the OD story about the Oneida Square roundabout.
You can link his blog at cnysnakepitlives.blogspot.com.

I was amazed at the ignorance exhibited by city hall. The article's defense is that the money for paving would not be a player in building this foolish waste of taxpayer money. It also states that the plan for Oneida Square is only a concept being STUDIED BY NY STATE and the city, as part of the arterial plan. What the hell, Oneida square is quite a ways from the arterial. Another transportation and traffic flow study??? For what??? Has anyone been trapped in gridlock at Oneida Square lately? He also mentions traffic lights, and the need to eliminate some of them along Genessee St. I would have to guess that the answer to that problem, is just to take the damned things down, and replace them with stop signs on the side streets.

I really get pissed when I hear politicians at any level stating that the money for such things won't be coming out of our pockets. Roefaro is saying that the money for Oneida Square would be largely from Federal and State dollars.

Jeeez Mr. Mayor, do you think this money is FREE just because it has been filtered through the higher levels of government. WAKE UP Dave! Just because you didn't reach in my pocket personally and rob me, doesn't mean that the money didn't come from my pocket. Simply "laundering it" through the state or federal government, doesn't make it FREE MONEY dumb ass!

Does anyone else see that this mentality is what is sinking our economy, and that politicians that "bring home the pork" such as grants to remodel a perfectly functional situation are simply lining their own pockets and garnering the vote of the stupid and uninformed? Bringing home the pork, is not always a good thing. Especially when it means bringing home money to waste on extravagant, unnecessary or misguided concepts such as this one.

The money spent on "studies" and "concepts" and "drawings" and "lunches for lobbyists" could be saved by simple, frugal, and sensible use of a brain, which seems to be an organ absent from the anatomy of many politicians.

[Swimmy]

The money spent on "studies" and "concepts" and "drawings" and "lunches for lobbyists" could be saved by simple, frugal, and sensible use of a brain, which seems to be an organ absent from the anatomy of many politicians.

Yes, but then instead of conducting studies, and forming committees to explore various "options" our government would actually have to DO something that solves problems, not just make it appear as such. And that would mean making tough decisions that would cost votes. We can't have a functioning government, where you think we are? TN? My friend, this is NYS home of dysfunctional government that is masterful at conducting studies upon studies in circular progress. lol

[Ralph]

Swimmy is absolutely right Clipper.

Why we even have a NFP right here in Utica that is proving to be an excellent training ground for just such "constructive government".


It's called Genesis.

[strikeslip]

You called that right, Ralph! After being with them for about 5 years and serving on two committees, I'm disgusted. Genesis attracts people who may be interested in improving the community, and then wastes their time with meetings where only the ideas of a certain core group get advanced . . . the core group that already is in power in the community, is living off the community, and wants to protect their turf. Genesis is the vehicle for attracting and disposing of would-be "trouble makers" who would upset the regional apple cart.

[Swimmy]

Don't forget about EDGE. They breed incompetence that suits local government quite well. Mr. Tanoury excluded.

[gearofzanzibar]

I was amused to discover that the Regional Development Plan recently issued by the Genesis Group consisted primarily of a schedule for more meetings.

Oh, and more of the "public/private" partnerships so beloved of pork-slurping politicians.

[Ralph]

Hehehe.........If you think back a ways on the MSN board Strike, I pretty much pegged them to this when they first started.

I am sorry to say I was right, as I did think some of their original ideas were pretty good. But I saw it evolving into exactly what you have described.
It sealed the deal for me a long time ago, but their recent blathering sewed it up good.
If no one can read the writing on the wall about them after their last statement on furthering the community, then we're in worse shape than I thought.