Is this city getting collectively more stupid?

I don't mean to be alarmist or to over-react but really, that's the question I come up with today.

Of course, we have our stupid and irresponsible mayor and his wife, supposedly to lead us and they've proven themselves, time and again but now all this.

Something called a "Tomahawke Ridge" subdivision to add 316 more acres and more than 600 homes, eventually, to the city is being considered today at 1:30 pm by the City Council's Planning and Zoning Commission.

(I ask again, too--since when does the Native American Indian word "tomahawk" get a British "e" on the end? Answer: when you want it to sound expensive or special. And you're a developer).

It doesn't look good.

It looks as though this council wants to pass and accept this bone-headed boondoggle.

Forget that we can't take care of our streets and sewers already, with what we've got. Forget that there aren't enough fire stations up that way already and that the Fire Chief thinks it's likely not a good idea. Forget that they city planners think it's misguided sprawl we shouldn't do or have. And forget that it further weakens the city's core.

Forget all that.

Some developer wants to make money--and likely give some to Council members, in the meantime.

Hell, yeah!

So what should happen won't and it looks as though we'll get this thing.

Dammit.

(And when did our local paper cover this locally important story? Yesterday. Once. At the last minute. Way to go, Kansas City Star. Way to not report.)

One silver lining to this expansionist crowd is that the Star has come out with an editorial agin' it. In fact, they've had a few. Here's another.

Thank goodness for that, anyway.

In it, they also support my idea that the "e" on the end is--there's that word again--stupid.

Then, for more local, home-grown ignorance and, yes, stupidity, look no further than the Star (at least they reported this), reporting that a committee has been formed, for pity's sake, to look into repealing the earnings tax in the city.

Check it out:

"Opponents of the earnings tax in St. Louis and Kansas City have established a campaign committee and will begin to gather petition signatures within the next weeks to put repeal on the statewide ballot."

"The group is called Let Voters Decide. According to attorney Marc Ellinger, the commitee will circulate a petition that would allow local voters a chance to decide if the E-tax should be phased out in Kansas City and St. Louis."

"(UPDATE, 9:25: Businessman Rex Sinquefield has given the committee $500,000 to get started, records show.)"

Yahoo!

How, exactly, are we going to pay for anything if this goes through?

We'd lose two hundred million dollars a year in operating fees if we do away with this.

We can barely keep sewers running and streets operable now. How can we do it if we're broke?

And some people, including people downtown at City Hall, including, in this case, the Mayor, think this is a good idea.

Note that this wealthy chucklehead Sinquefeld is financing this nightmare. Apparently he benefits from this going through, while at our collective expense. He's been pushing it in St. Louis and now here, both.


So there you go, Kansas City, to repeat, stupidity reigns.

How soon can we quit this?