Baton Rouge? (Lake Charles: moving, education, metro)

[WestbankNOLA]

Originally Posted by mhounit

...Baton Rouge folks , including myself , are NOT opposed to new bus lines , trains , sidewalks , and all of the other things you complain about . The city DOES NOT HAVE THE MONEY for these things...

What is your take these issues since you live there. How do you think they should be taken care of?

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by WestbankNOLA

This is what you said. "you're here to critcize and feel superior". In other words someone is criticizing to make themself feel superior. This means that they are trying to prove to someone that they are superior, be it themselves or someone else.

I stand by MY wording , regardless of how you twist it . Besides , you'll never prove yourself superior anyway .

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by WestbankNOLA

What is your take these issues since you live there. How do you think they should be taken care of?

MY take is to prioritize and take care of all of those other things I mentioned , first . Sewer system is a must , per the Feds . Surface streets , ditches / drainage , school system , existing bus system , etc.
Take care of the basics first . Then you can worry about making the city " walkable " , and building streetcar lines , and God knows what else . The people pay enough taxes ( those who actually pay taxes ) . Spend it wisely and above all prioritize . Do you remember the " Downtown Alive " project that the idiot Mayor proposed ? He bundled it in with public works improvements and tried to get a tax passed for it . He refused to seperate the two .The people rejected his slick politics . Thank God for that . But , that is why it is hard to fund things in EBR . People do not trust him , and for good reason .

[WestbankNOLA]

Originally Posted by mhounit

MY take is to prioritize and take care of all of those other things I mentioned , first . Sewer system is a must , per the Feds . Surface streets , ditches / drainage , school system , existing bus system , etc. Take care of the basics first . Then you can worry about making the city " walkable " , and building streetcar lines , and God knows what else.

That's no different than anything that I've said. You have to all of that in place to make anything else work except for maybe the sidewalks. Still that requires a significant investment to get done, particularly the school system and transit. Whether you make the effort to try and help the uneducated understand the value of education and not living off the system or gentrifying and pushing them out to the suburbs or rural areas it will take money.

As far as others bringing up various transit and infill projects that come later. People saying that they wish BR had these things or that BR needs these things is not the same as saying BR needs to abandon more serious problems and do it now. It's a mere suggestion or matter of opinion. Most on here have come to the consensus that there are other problems that need to be taken care of and that the general opinion and political climate in BR will not allow these things to happen anytime soon. I don't understand how this translate into "outsiders" trying to change Baton Rouge or down your city.

The people pay enough taxes ( those who actually pay taxes ) . Spend it wisely and above all prioritize . Do you remember the " Downtown Alive " project that the idiot Mayor proposed ? He bundled it in with public works improvements and tried to get a tax passed for it . He refused to seperate the two .The people rejected his slick politics . Thank God for that . But , that is why it is hard to fund things in EBR . People do not trust him , and for good reason .

I'm assuming one was likely to pass, but the other wasn't.

[mhounit]

Most people were wary of the Downtown Alive project , and the Mayor knew it . The public works projects would have probably passed . People asked him to let each one stand on it's own , but he wouldn't do it . He was counting on his " base " to put it over the top . Didn't work .

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Hold your horses. It's not about making somewhere walkable, it's about taking advantage of neighborhoods that have potential to be lively and increase foot traffic. You can't make a neighborhood "walkable" by just installing sidewalks and crosswalks, people need things to walk to, and a reason to walk versus drive.

EXACTLY! So I guess it's not just our "anti-progress, typically Baton Rougean mentality" to blame.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

EXACTLY! So I guess it's not just our "anti-progress, typically Baton Rougean mentality" to blame.

You can put the blame anywhere you want, it's not just the citizens fault.

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

You can put the blame anywhere you want, it's not just the citizens fault.

Thank you !

[southseeker]

Originally Posted by mhounit

You seem to be advocating higher taxes . That won't happen voluntarily .

That's kinda my point.

I'm not saying we should be Califorina or NY, but we are just circling the wagons if we think cuts alone solve our fiscal woes. At some point, we got to look at other options in addition to that if we truly want to move this city forward, but again that's easier said than done.

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

You can put the blame anywhere you want, it's not just the citizens fault.

You're saying what I've been saying all along.