« November 2005 | Main | January 2006 »
Consternation
December 29, 2005
Work is interesting. It’s also causing me some consternation. People have changed positions, and not because they wanted to. Therefore, animosity abounds, and I am caught in the middle (with two other newbies). It sucks.
Otherwise, I love my job. Most definitely.
I also love our new house. I am definitely looking forward to cleaning it up and moving in.
I love Christa!
Posted by paul at 09:25 PM | Comments (0)
Thoughts
December 22, 2005
Something I find funny…
The City of Oklahoma City hires out police officers to work security at local stores, yet the City uses a private security firm to protect City Hall and other City buildings downtown.
Ain’t capitalism fun?
Posted by paul at 08:06 PM | Comments (0)
Simmering
December 13, 2005
Home buying has not been so easy on me… Thursday afternoon I learned that there was, surprise!, an IRS lien on the home we are buying. Not only is it a lien on this property, but several others, all part of a group of business-owners who owe the Federal Gov’t a good amount of money. Therefore, instead of closing on Dec. 12, we now have an unknown closing date. The mortgage rate is locked in until Dec. 22, but then it’s unknown (it looks like it might go up after that).
The lien is completely not my responsibility, yet I am quite affected by this. The realtor would like to set up an escrow to pay the lien off, but the title company says it’s not allowed. Frustration abounds. A group lien may also mean a 30 days notice to each person, for some reason. I’m so in the dark about most of this; it’s annoying.
And this lien isn’t a surprise to the seller. There’s actually an agreement already worked out with the IRS to pay off the debts… supposedly. I’m beginning to lose trust in some of the people involved.
I remain upbeat though… it’s not easy, but what else can I do?
Posted by paul at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)
I’m Thinking Of…
December 10, 2005
Watching a little Reno 911 this morning, waiting for This Old House to come on. Now that I’m close to owning an historic home, I’m much more interested in the show again. I’ve got all these wonderful ideas in my head for this home…
The unfinished basement would allow us to (somewhat) easily retrofit the home for radiant heating. The kitchen needs a little work, and I’m dreaming of what I could do. The mantel above the fireplace would be a perfect location for a flat panel TV. So many wonderful ideas.
Posted by paul at 08:47 AM | Comments (2)
Technorati Test
Posted by paul at 08:40 AM | Comments (1)
Who Killed the Streetcar?
December 04, 2005
Another interesting article in Trains Magazine this month, this one entitled “Did a conspiracy really kill the streetcar?” Written by John Diers, a veteren transit industry veteran, this seven-page article disputes the common planner’s myth that streetcars were killed by GM & its associated conspirators.
I first learned a version of this story back at Calvin College in my Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning class when we watched the PBS special Taken for a Ride. The special worked its magic on me, and I came to believe the story of GM’s evil plot to rid the world of good ol’ public streetcars and replace them with nasty, dirty buses.
Now I’m not so sure. While the article is rather short (one cannot explain the complexities of the dissapearance of streetcars in a mere seven pages), and its focus specific (Twin City Rapid Transit), it does a major service in positing a new explanation (at least to me) to the near extinction of the streetcar.
What is this theory? That the people of America ruined the streetcar. How? By choosing to drive cars, live in the suburbs, and bypassing the existing streetcars. Public policy also brought about the death of the classic streetcars - one-way streets (to improve automobile movement) rendered two-way streetcars obsolete unless they were to spend thousands of dollars to build new rail (utterly impossible given the limited financial status of existing systems at the time, due to increasing costs and lower ridership). Another part of the explanation goes to the fact that people were already choosing automobiles and buses before GM overtook the streetcars. In other words, people didn’t choose autos and buses because there were no streetcars, people chose them because they liked the different transportations options these new methods afforded.
Yes, GM and its underling, National City Lines, were guilty of promoting their buses. And, it is true that employees of the related companies were convicted of crimes related to their bus systems, but the crimes all revolved around the buses themselves (GM monopolizing the bus business).
Lest we forget, streetcars until the mid 60’s were privately owned and operated, public franchise, such as Oklahoma Gas & Electric and DTE Energy are today. Therefore, they were just as subject to competition as automobile manufacturers are today. In the spirit of competition and capitalism, it is not at all unfair that streetcars died out.
But, as a planner and a nostolgic person by nature, I cannot help but pine for the days of the streetcar. As I move into a new neighborhood, one that was carved out along a streetcar line, I wish I could hop onto a streetcar every morning on my way to work. I desire the car-free lifestyle a streetcar could provide. New and/or restored streetcar systems are growing across the country. People are realizing the benefits to less driving and more relaxing. Even Oklahoma City is looking at proposing a light-rail/streetcar system in its new Fixed Guideway Study. I hope I can see it come soon.
Posted by paul at 09:15 PM | Comments (1)