Progress in Kansas City: Here we go again, folks

Seeing this headline in the Star today: KC landlord sends letters to tenants opposing streetcar plan

It reminds me of when they talked, several years ago, of light rail going through town, down Broadway.

At the time, another crusty, old, rich, white man--that time it was James B. Nutter--opposed the whole idea.

Obviously he got his way.

This time it's Roger Buford who, the paper tells us, is "president of Old Town Management, Inc."

Not only is he agin' it, but check this out--he "said his company distributed letters to about 1,500 units within the proposed downtown streetcar district, warning about possible rent increases if the streetcar project moves forward."

So if you don't like something, threaten to increase the rents of all you can. That way you can be sure of generating at least that many votes against it, or more, depending how many live there and vote. It's genius.

I have to say, I've made it clear I'm no Clay Chastain supporter, far from it, but I'm for mass transit. I'm for reducing the number of cars on the roads and I'm for cutting down the pollution and CO2 emissions in the area. Heck, I want to see that nationwide.

At this rate, Kansas City will never get "off the dime" and get a starter light-rail line going. We should at least have one going from the airport to downtown and the Plaza. Then, later, we could and should expand it from there, out East and West and South.

At this rate, we'll never get there.

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/30/3633656/kc-landlord-sends-letters-to-tenants.html; http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/30/3633526/once-again-rail-plans-hang-in.html