Mayor Betsy Thinks Unfinished Little Panther Island Bridges Transformative For Fort Worth

Late last night an incoming email from Elsie Hotpepper consisted of a Letter to the Editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I had already read that letter, prior to Elsie sending it to me, even though the Star-Telegram currently denies me access to their server.

Before I show you the Letter to the Editor we need to discuss that bridge you see above. This is the one and only of the three bridges to have opened to traffic, after being a slow motion construction project since 2014,

Would one not think that, after so much time, that somehow whoever designed this hapless bridge could have managed to align the bridge with the existing road in a more straight forward fashion? Those curves look like a head-on crash waiting to happen.

And now the aforementioned Letter to the Editor...

Bike lanes nothing big

Mayor Betsy Price, at the delayed opening of the first of three bridges over dry land associated with the Panther Island project, proclaimed them to be transformative for the city. I agree. Those three bridges, along with the profligate and misguided spending sponsored by our mayor to create miles and miles of unused bicycle lanes, makes us the laughingstock among Texas cities. We are not Amsterdam or Singapore, and simply carving out empty bicycle lanes from those used for autos will not change that.

Cleveland, a city I admire, is called by some the “Mistake on the Lake.” At least it does not boast that three bridges over dirt are transformative. We will be known as the “Obscenity on the Trinity.”

- Roy Browning, Fort Worth

____________________

"Obscenity on the Trinity?" I like that. Has a much better ring to it than "America's Biggest Boondoggle".

I have long been puzzled by why it is that Fort Worth officials, such a mayors, or new sources, such as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, have such a tendency to spout idiotic hyperbole about some perfectly ordinary thing in Fort Worth.

But, this may be a new low, referring to those pitiful little freeway overpass style bridges as being transformative for Fort Worth. Well, that is just embarrassing...

Fort Worth's Inept Urban Planning Population Growth Bragging Rights

A few days ago in a blog post about Fort Worth Almost Being The Fastest Growing Big City In America mention was made of the fact that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram seemed to be missing an opportunity to do its usual inflated puffery over something to do with Fort Worth which most town's newspapers would not feel the need to be puffing about.

A few days later on Facebook the Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy made mention of the fact that Fort Worth's population had grown in the latest census, passing Jacksonville to become America's 12th ranked city, population-wise.

This was blogged about in a post asking Is Fort Worth The Biggest City In The World? This question was asked after multiple Facebookers commented on Bud Kennedy's post making the observation that Fort Worth's population growth was largely due to the fact that the town annexes open spaces, and has a lot of open space within its borders in which to build homes.

As witnessed by the above photo which illustrates that open space, with the sprawl of homes, in this morning's Star-Telegram article titled Only 2 cities added more people than Fort Worth in 2020 as city climbs in U.S. ranking.

The caption under the photo says "An aerial view of far north Fort Worth shows a veritable ocean of rooftops. The city has grown 24% since 2010 and is now the 12th largest city in the U.S."

Far north Fort Worth was where I lived when first moving to Texas. Actually it was the hamlet of Haslet, the border with Fort Worth was across the street from my abode. At that point in time this seemed to be out in the country, with farm/ranch land what one saw when one looked south towards the puny skyline of downtown Fort Worth, which you can sort of see through the haze at the top of the above photo.

That open farm/ranch land is now filled in with that ocean of rooftops.

Due to Fort Worth's notoriously bad urban planning, that ocean of rooftops has not been accompanied by new parks, or road improvements.

Or, most notoriously, adequate drainage to prevent the deadly flooding which has occurred due to the bad urban planning. 

A few days ago I made mention of the fact that my Access Is Denied: But I Don't Need Permission To Access The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  

Even with my access being denied, I am easily able to gain access, and thus read what I want to read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, such as today's odd article about Fort Worth's population.

Previously I had blogged that it was Seattle which the latest census indicated had grown the most of the big American cities. With Fort Worth having the second most growth.

Somehow the Star-Telegram knocked Fort Worth down to 3rd place, from 2nd, claiming Phoenix was #1, with San Antonio #2.  In the Seattle Times article about this serious population issue, neither San Antonio or Phoenix are in the Top Five, with the Seattle Times version having Seattle #1, Fort Worth #2, Mesa, Arizona #3, Austin #4 and Tampa #4.

The Star-Telegram article about Fort Worth being #3 has some choice Star-Telegram type verbiage, including a gem from Fort Worth's outgoing mayor...

“Fort Worth’s move to the 12th largest city in the United States was expected, but that doesn’t make the news any less exciting,” Mayor Betsy Price said Tuesday in an email to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

What would be exciting would be if Fort Worth matched infrastructure improvement with population growth. You know, things like modern facilities in the city parks, sidewalks alongside the city streets, modern public transportation. That type thing. 

Filling open spaces with more homes, making a sort of bedroom community, does not seem all that exciting.

And then in this paragraph Betsy's elaborates more ironic nonsense...

“Growth, especially the explosive growth we are seeing in Fort Worth, is always challenging for a city, but it is in that growth there is also massive opportunity to build incredible things,” Price said. “In my 10 years as mayor, we’ve worked to capitalize on those opportunities, meeting the needs of a growing city with innovation and resourcefulness, while always maintaining the unique history and spirit of Fort Worth.”

Build incredible things? Like the ongoing Trinity River Vision Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision which has been ambling along for most of this century, so far rendering a large chunk of Fort Worth's central core into being an embarrassing eyesore.

Maintaining the unique history and spirit of Fort Worth? Has Heritage Park, across the street from the downtown Fort Worth Tarrant County Courthouse, re-opened yet? After a decade, give or take a year or two, of being yet one more Fort Worth eyesore.

It would be fascinating to hear Betsy Price try to elaborate on how those opportunities to which she refers, have been capitalized upon, along with some examples of Fort Worth innovation and resourcefulness.

And then there is the final paragraph of this Star-Telegram article, reviving some classic Star-Telegram verbalize we have not seen for awhile...

Besides creating bragging rights for the largest cities, the Census figures are used for crucial things such as determining how many seats in Congress each state should have, and how much funding communities can receive for roads, schools and other government functions.

Oh yes, the all important bragging rights.

Long ago we made a webpage with multiple examples of what was referred to as the Star-Telegram's Green With Envy verbiage, where this that or the other perfectly mundane thing in Fort Worth was making towns far and wide green with envy, or was giving Fort Worth bragging rights. 

For years that type embarrassing verbiage has seemed to have disappeared from the Star-Telegram, only to reappear today, maybe thinking those of us with access denied would not notice...
 

She Pricelessly Cancelled J.D. Granger From Rockin' The Polluted Trinity River

I saw that which you above and below last night on Facebook. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Betsy Price's best friend's eldest son, J.D. Granger getting into a Twitter twitfest over the canceling of Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube floating beer parties in the frequently e.coli infested Trinity River.

Betsy Price tweeted thanking J.D., and his nefarious gang of river pirates, for making the right call and canceling this weekend's concert and river float scheduled to take place at one of the world's best imaginary music venues, located, partly, on the landlocked imaginary archipelago known as Panther Island.

Well, J.D. was not gonna sit still for this bit of subterfuge, so he posted a lengthy retort Tweet to set the record straight as to who it was who DID cancel the river floating.

Oh my. The above has so many absurdities.

J.D.'s crew painted a grid system on 1.3 acres of riverfront "lawn"?

With safe distancing between all the spots?

Every single attendee was to get a temperature check before being allowed to get wet with the river's multi pathogens?

Capacity was capped at 25%? What is the number of floaters considered full capacity, I can not help but wonder?

Health safety monitors were staffed throughout the site? On land and in the sea, I mean, in the polluted river water, to make sure masks were worn, with no groups larger than 10 allowed to congregate, with all distancing requirements met? Violators to be asked to leave?  How many of these health safety monitors were hired, I can not help but wonder? And how do you find someone with that skill willing to get wet doing their job in a polluted river?

Cleaning attendants were disinfecting on the hour? Wiping down touched surfaces throughout the day? Like what? Wiping down the concrete enclosures around the multi-outhouses? And the outhouses themselves?

The final third of J.D's Tweet details all the measures he thinks Betsy Price went to to shut down his operation, even after she twice rode her bike to the location and eye witnessed the massive effort underway to make the Trinity River and its surrounding area safe from COVID-19, with the final blow from Betsy coming Friday afternoon in the form of a threat, threatening that if J.D. proceeded with Rockin' the River the city would have no choice but to shut it down.

This all has generated quite the kerfuffle on Facebook. One of the more amusing comments opined that this must be real rough for J.D. to get Rockin' the River taken from him, that this was all he and his new wife, Shanna Cate Granger, had to do after their demotion about a year ago, when J.D. was removed from his post as Executive Director of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, and given a new job, working directly for the Tarrant Region Water District overseeing the imaginary flood control part of what has become one of America's Dumbest Boondoggles ever.

I think we have pointed out previously that J.D. Granger's new job of being in charge of the flood control part of the Boondoggle is a bit ironic in that the area in question has not flooded for well over half a century, due to levees which have kept the area flood-free ever since they were installed. It is thought that J.D. was given this "job" because it would not be possible for him to muck it up, like what happened with what was originally known as the Trinity River Vision.

Those new to this Boondoggle, the Trinity River Vision is an ineptly implemented, ill-conceived pseudo public works project the public did not approve of via the voting method which is the norm for such things. The Trinity River Vision was touted as being, way back when first touted, near the start of this century, as a vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme.

Vitally needed flood control in an area which does not flood. The economic development scheme part of the cloudy vision has always been even more sketchy than the imaginary flood control.

This project was touted as being vitally needed, and yet has limped along in slow motion for most of this century. The project has never been fully funded. Relying on hoping to secure federal funding.

And so the son of a local congresswoman gave up his job being a deputy prosecutor to become an executive director directing a project for which he had zero qualifications.

The purpose of this brilliant scheme of giving J.D. this job was to motivate his mother to secure those federal funds, to help pay J.D.'s over $200,000 a year salary (plus perks), plus the salary of J.D.'s wife, and to pay for all the fun fact finding junkets J.D. and his wife take their crew of river pirates on.

Oh, and also to help pay for things like building three simple little bridges over dry land. And the cement lined ditch to go under the bridges, along with canals and other infrastructure on the imaginary island which is currently an industrial wasteland.

Those three simple little bridges have been stalled in slow motion construction mode for five years. I read a comment, on the Facebook post where these Betsy/JD Tweets came from, that those pitiful bridges are no longer being referred to as the Panther Island Bridges. They are now being called, I assume by the Boondoggle's propaganda websites and printed publications, the TxDOT Signature Bridges.

Fort Worth has a weird pathology regarding signature and iconic things. And labeling some ordinary thing as such. I think this pathology comes from the fact that there is nothing in Fort Worth of the signature or iconic sort, and this creates some sort of civic inferiority complex. I have had it explained to me as such by longtime locals.

Many Fort Worthers have long had a strange obsession with Dallas, which comes across as jealously to one new to hearing it.

Dallas has multiple iconic and signature items. First off there is the Dallas skyline, known world wide due to a hit TV show in the previous century. There is Reunion Tower. A couple new, actual signature, bridges across the Trinity, have been added to the Dallas skyline this century. It was when those Dallas bridges were announced as being planned as part of the Dallas Trinity River Vision (I don't remember the actual name of the Dallas River Vision) that soon thereafter I remember being appalled at a banner headline in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

TRINITY UPTOWN TO TURN FORT WORTH INTO VANCOUVER OF THE SOUTH

No, I am not making this up. Really happened. Something was gonna turn landlocked, mountain-free, Fort Worth, into the Vancouver of the South.

Trinity Uptown soon morphed into Trinity River Vision, and soon was touting three "signature" bridges. However, when the cost of the Fort Worth bridges came in, the designer bridges were dropped, with what look like freeway overpasses replacing them, but hanging on to claiming them to be signature bridges. As if applying that word to something magically turns it into a signature iconic thing recognized the world over.

Mayor Betsy Price Tweets Cali Is So Yesterday While Fort Worth Is So Last Century

It has been a couple decades now I have found myself bemused and, at times, appalled by something I read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about something to do with Fort Worth.

It started off with making note of the fact that over and over again in an article in the Star-Telegram the claim would be made that some dumb thing would be making other towns, far and wide, green with envy.

There were multiple iterations of what I came to call the Star-Telegram's Green with Envy Syndrome.

And then, years ago now, I guess someone figured out how dumb making such claims came across and that particular Star-Telegram propaganda ceased. Or at least I have not eye witnessed such in a long time.

Other instances of Star-Telegram propaganda, not of the Green with Envy Syndrome sort, would also seem bizarre to me.

Such as claiming what turned out to be a small, lame, soon to fail food court type thing was modeled after public markets in Europe, Seattle's Pike Place Market, and was to be the first public market in Texas.

None of which was even remotely true.

And then there was that Sunday morning, early this century, when a banner headline on the Star-Telegram front page touted "TRINITY UPTOWN TO TURN FORT WORTH INTO VANCOUVER OF THE SOUTH".

I remember reading that headline and thinking what fresh moronic nonsense is this going to turn out to be. Never imagining that the Vancouver of the South project would turn into the Trinity River Vision, eventually becoming the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Eventually what became America's Biggest and Dumbest Boondoggle hired Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger's son, J.D., to be the Executive Director of the public works project which the public did not vote for. Son J.D. had zero qualifications to direct such a project, a fact which many believe is one of the reasons this ill-fated vision has become such a boondoggle, currently with three simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

And with those three pitiful bridges now in year six of slow motion construction, with the start of construction marked by a TNT exploding ceremony back in 2014, with a then astonishing four year project timeline. To build little bridges over dry land, a project of seemingly simple engineering compared to an actual feat of bridge engineering, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, built in less than four years over actual deep swift moving water.

Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price, was at that TNT exploding ceremony celebrating the start of construction of those pitiful bridges.

And now, in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on the front page, we see Betsy Price suggesting Tesla move to Fort Worth, tweeting to Elon Musk that "Cali is so yesterday".

Well.

If "Cali is so yesterday" I would suggest "Fort Worth is so last century". With zero chance of luring Tesla to relocate.

Back a year or two ago when Fort Worth leaders embarrassed themselves by acting like they thought Fort Worth had a chance to lure Amazon to Fort Worth for its HQ2 I recollect iterating all the reasons I could think of why Fort Worth is unable to lure a corporation to move from the parts of our country I refer to as Modern America.

You know, those towns in America where the streets have sidewalks, the parks have modern restrooms, and zero outhouses, where there is well designed public mass transit, where voting is easy via mail-in ballots, where urban planning is sophisticated, thoughtful and intelligently implemented.

What does a corporate re-location investigating team think when they check out a town with antiquated type public transit? Or when they drive something like Fort Worth's Tarrant Parkway and find roads which were not upgraded when a mall and multiple other retail developments where allowed, with Tarrant Parkway's western terminus being a tacky little roundabout intersecting with a beat up, un-upgraded entry to the Highway 287 freeway, which appalls and disgusts me every time I see it.

What does a corporate re-location investigating team think when they visit Fort Worth's downtown and find the park celebrating Fort Worth's heritage is a boarded up eyesore? What do they think when they learn Heritage Park at the downtown's north end has been in this sad state for over a decade?

What does a corporate re-location investigating team think when they come upon the mess on the landscape which has become America's Biggest & Dumbest Boondoggle? How do you explain those three bridges stuck partly built. How do you explain that ridiculous homage to an aluminum trash can at the center of the un-finished roundabout which is part of the Boondoggle's bridge mess?

What does a corporate re-location investigating team think when they see Molly the Trolley?

What does a corporate re-location investigating team think when they learn the town allows Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in the polluted Trinity River, which is one of the few projects actually actualized by the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision Boondoggle.

If Fort Worth really wants to be serious about attracting a major corporation to move to Fort Worth the town should send a task force to towns which do attract corporations. Visit a couple towns in Arizona, like Tempe and Chandler, both way smaller than Fort Worth, both with multiple corporate headquarters or corporate presences, such as the sprawling INTEL complex in Chandler.

You won't find any outhouses in Chandler or Tempe's parks. Or streets without sidewalks. You will find multiple public swimming pools, huge pool complexes, the likes of which one can not find in Fort Worth.

Or visit Seattle and find out why it is Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft, Costco, Boeing and others are located in the area.

Or just stay in Texas and visit Austin, which is a modern American town. I do not know what the voting situations is in Austin though, if they have joined modern America with the mail-in ballot method, or not...

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price's Washington Panhandling Adventure

I think I was still in Arizona when I learned, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and DFW locals emailing me, that Panther Island (is) back in line for federal funding after Betsy Price’s White House meeting.

I saw the headline and thought what fresh ridiculous propaganda is this going to be. I did not get around to reading the article until I was back in Texas.

Cutting through the baloney, the Star-Telegram thinks Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price, somehow successfully convinced the White House acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to get Fort Worth's Boondoggle back on track, even though the Boondoggle has been Boondoggling along for most of this century, with little to show for the effort, even though this pseudo public works project is propagandized as a vitally needed flood control project, in an area of Fort Worth which has not flooded for well over a half century, due to levees already in place.

And recently we learned, after DFW locals reacted with the truth, to propaganda spewed in the half million buck Riveron Review of America's Biggest Boondoggle, that the Army Corps Of Engineer's Document Contradicts Controversial Riveron Review.

From the Star-Telegram article...

“We really wanted to talk to them about the bypass channel,” Price said. “That’s the flood control piece and our major concern.”

Does the Fort Worth mayor not realize that it is relatively easy for those who authorize federal funding to find out the bypass channel is not needed, that there is no legitimate flood control concern. And that the entire scheme has never had anything to do with flood control, but has all along been nothing but a disguised economic development scheme, conniving to secure federal funds to make some sort of water feature on which multiple developments would develop.

You know, the sort of economic development which occurs in other parts of America because developers see an opportunity to make big bucks, and thus they invest their own money to do so. Such as, for example, Point Ruston in Tacoma, where billions of dollars have been invested to develop a thriving development on the site of a EPA superfund cleanup, where paying for that cleanup was the only part of the development involving federal funding.

How can the people of Fort Worth not see how pitifully pathetic it is for their town's mayor to go begging to Washington for what the town should manage to finance itself, if the project filled a legitimate need, by going to the voters with an honest, well designed proposal, not some sham ballot measure of the sort which passed two May's ago, with fraudulent deceptive wording suggesting the measure was for flood control and drainage, when the funds were actually to be directed to the Panther Island debacle. That is til some responsible sorts put a halt to that, pending additional investigation.

And sadly, that additional investigation, you know, that hoped for forensic audit of the Trinity River Vision, turned into the Riveron Review, in which those doing the reviewing only interviewed those directly responsible for the mess, not those who might, you know, tell the truth, such as officials with the Army Corps of Engineers, who could address the actual flood issues, and actual bridge building facts.

Federal funding for the Trinity River Vision began to unravel after it was made known that the required Army Corps of Engineers cost-benefit analysis was not done. And the fact, as we already mentioned, that the Army Corps of Engineers can not be involved in economic development schemes, with is what the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision actually is.

The fact that there has been no legitimate public vote in support of the Trinity River Vision, indicating the sort of support which maybe the federal government, and the rest of America might support getting behind. You know, ballot measures of the sort  I frequently experienced whilst living on the west coast, and recently saw underway in the Phoenix metro area. Or like I saw yesterday via the Seattle Times, a headline of the sort one does not see in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about some voting measure in that town.

Now look at that, King County voters being asked to approve spending way more on park improvements than what Betsy Price went begging for in Washington.

Why should the rest of America help pay for an economic development scheme in Fort Worth? Legitimate flood control of the sort which saves lives, yes, that is in every one's interest. But not this ill conceived ineptly implemented Fort Worth Boondoggle.

This article about the Betsy Price panhandling episode has typical bits of Star-Telegram ridiculousness, such as this paragraph...

It also noted that the public views Panther Island as three projects in one — flood control, economic development and recreation.

The "IT" referred to is that aforementioned Riveron Review. The public views Panther Island as three projects in one? Really? And how was this conclusion reached? How many people were asked "How do you view Panther Island? Oh sure, I can see how over and over again it is believable people indicated they viewed Panther Island as being about flood control, economic development and recreation.

I suspect if that question were actually asked of the public the majority of the answers would indicate the public viewed  Panther Island as a Boondoggle.

Because that is what it is...

Space Force's Donald Trump In Fort Worth Walmart With Betsy Price

On Wednesday, which was yesterday, I found myself in the Beach Street Fort Worth Walmart.

I was barely inside this particular Walmart when I heard a loud speaker speaking loudly.

This seemed not to be my usual Walmart experience.

A second or two later I found myself asking a fellow Walmarter what was going on with all this loud speaking.

My fellow Walmarter told me she thought there was some sort of celebrity posing for photos with TV news people.

I ventured in the direction of the loud speaking and soon found myself able to take the photo you see above.

One of Donald Trump's best friends, and possible former girl friend, Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price, posing with what looked to be some sort of caricature of Betsy's best friend in his Space Force uniform.

There were multiple dozens of people attending this event. I have never seen so many cell phones held overhead in photo taking mode.

Apparently a lot of Fort Worth locals are thrilled to be in the presence of someone close to Donald Trump....

Betsy Price Fantastic Friend Trump Fort Worth Sewer Flood Fix

It seems like just yesterday we blogged about the latest insanity from the Fort Worth Zone of Delusion, with that delusion provided by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Then Elsie Hotpepper pointed us to an indication the delusion pathology is spreading to other D/FW news sources.

Such as NBC DFW.

NBC DFW is the DFW NBC TV local affiliate. In a "news" story from that source titled  Trump Praises Fort Worth Mayor, How It Could Help City we learn several surprising things.

Such as....

Fort Worth is in the national spotlight as President Donald Trump calls Mayor Betsy Price a "fantastic friend." This week, the president singled out Price, thanking her for attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors and thanking her for her long friendship.

Oh my, you just can not make up idiotic nonsense this idiotic. You out in the non-delusional non-Fort Worth part of the nation, had you noticed Fort Worth being in the national spotlight? Because Trump called Betsy Price a "fantastic friend".

A fantastic friend.

A fantastic friend who Trump thanked for her long friendship.

Proof please.

Has Betsy been to Trump Tower? Overnighted in the Lincoln bedroom in the White House? Lunched with Melania or any of the previous wives? Been told she reminds Trump of Ivanka? Trump never lies or makes up stuff, so he and Betsy must really be longtime fantastic friends. They probably exchange Christmas cards and call each other on their birthdays, because, you know, that's the type thing fantastic friends do.

And then this doozy from Trump's fantastic friend...

"I was proud the president recognized Fort Worth during his remarks. With a potential $1.8 trillion infrastructure package on the table, it's good to be noticed, and we are ready to get to work," Price said in a statement.

So, the local grifter thinks Fort Worth may get itself some graft from her fantastic friend, the grifter in chief.

Others opined about all that could be done in Fort Worth with the money Betsy is going to get from her fantastic friend...

Some in the city would like to see federal money go to solving an aging sewer and drainage system. "We can use the money in this area to fix the infrastructure," Irwin said. "The streets flood when it rains really hard." Irwin said the water comes up to their curb on Hulen Street, but the problem gets even worse further down the street. "It's a valley down there near Central Market. It really floods. Cars can't get through there. They drown out the cars," Irwin said. "Water would be up to the window of a small sports car."

We do not know who this "Irvin" person is or why this "news" story suddenly switched to quoting this Irwin person's hopes as to what can be done with all this money Betsy is going to get from her fantastic friend. Irvin does give you a good idea of what sad shape Fort Worth is in, and how dire need of help the town is.

The "news" story then switches to quoting a person named Wiggins with her thoughts about how dire the needs are in Fort Worth for Betsy's fantastic friend's incoming federal aid...

"The cars just come flying through here and pushes the water up. It's crazy," stylist Tara Wiggins added. Wiggins said students at nearby Arlington Heights High School must wade through the water. "It's even hard for the students that are on their lunch break," Wiggins said. The idea that Fort Worth is on the president's radar is a comforting fact for Wiggins. "He's actually looking at Fort Worth. He actually knows Fort Worth. It's not just another town in a state that he's over," Wiggins said.

Oh honey, it's not just Trump, we think everyone is over Fort Worth and its backwater backwards grifting ways. These people actually think Fort Worth is on Trump's radar due to his supposed fantastic friendship with Betsy Price, and thus Trump is going to somehow direct federal infrastructure funds to Fort Worth to fix the town's flooding problems and antiquated sewers?

These people are describing what sounds like some really bad flooding issues in Fort Worth, which apparently the town is doing nothing to fix, other than hope Betsy Price's fantastic friend sends the town some money.

And yet, at the same time areas of Fort Worth regularly go under water, around a billion bucks is being slowly spent on America's Biggest Boondoggle, touted, in part, as a vitally needed flood control project, where there has been no flooding for well over a half century, due to levees American taxpayers paid for long ago.

Half of that billion boondoggle bucks is slowly being doled out to Fort Worth from federal funds, thanks to incoming pork courtesy of Fort Worth Congresswoman, Kay Granger, whose unqualified son, J.D., was installed as executive director of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District, where, currently, three simple little bridges are taking years to build over dry land to one day maybe connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

And now, due to Betsy Price's fantastic friendship with Trump, some in Fort Worth apparently think even more federal money will be doled out to Fort Worth.

You know, money funneled to Fort Worth from the more prosperous parts of America, you know parts of America which fund their own infrastructure improvement needs by voting on these things called bonds. I know such is possible in more, well, uh, normal parts of Texas.

The Texas town I am currently in, much smaller than Fort Worth at around 100,000 population, is a town which wears its big city big boy pants, unlike Fort Worth which wears little boy knickers. The Wichita Falls City Council just approved a big bond issue to be put before the voters this coming May. Six different bond measures, each with multiple facets. Such as one bond issue to complete the Circle Trail, make improvements on Lake Wichita, and other park improvements. That is just one of the bond issues. Another has to do with infrastructure upgrades, roads, drainage, and such.

Are the majority of Fort Worth's citizens so clueless as to how civic improvements happen in modern towns in America that they actually think such comes about due to a town's mayor being a fantastic friend of an extremely unpopular president?

Pitiful.

I need to share the details of the upcoming Wichita Falls bond vote, and compare that to how Fort Worth approved the building of a little arena, with the approval coming via the passing of three separate propositions which the voters were allowed to vote on, like one proposition was to charge a $1 fee to rent a livestock stall.

That passage of the three separate propositions approving fees supposedly somehow gave voter approval for the building of the arena. That arena vote was one of the most bizarre things I have witnessed during my time of being amazed at what a backwards backwater Fort Worth is, and continues to be, even though the town's mayor is a fantastic friend of the man on a downhill slide to being the worst president in American history.

But, you never know, Betsy Price's fantastic friend might just turn the town around. Why maybe Trump can convince Jeff Bezos to open Amazon's HQ2 on Fort Worth's imaginary island industrial wasteland, which may someday be connected to three simple little bridges, which the public has never voted for, and may never see.

Yeah, sounds like a real good idea to send some more federal dollars to Fort Worth...

Trinity Trails "Could" Stretch To An Imaginary 219 Miles

Saturday night I was enjoying an immensely stimulating intellectual debate with D/FW's Trag Tickley, he being one of Facebook's most prolific instigators of thought stimulating debate.

Trag Tickley is so persuasive he almost has me turning into one of those left-leaning, liberal, progressive, free thinking American sorts.

So, after that Saturday night of sublime intense intellectual stimulation, the next morning Trag Tickley brought me back to the ridiculous, to yet one more embarrassingly stupid Fort Wort Star-Telegram propaganda piece, complete with an idiotic quote from Fort Worth's Mayor, Betsy Price.

Trag Tickley pointed me to this via a Facebook message which said...

Enjoy the delusional Betsy Price nugget buried in this story.

The "story" to which Trag Tickley refers is Expansion plans: Trinity Trails could stretch to 219 miles.

The use of the word "could" in the article title is a good clue you are about to read a Star-Telegram propaganda piece.

First paragraph contains the first error...

From zero to 72 miles in about 15 years, the Trinity Trails has become quite the attraction for bicyclists, joggers and all sorts of outdoor enthusiasts across Tarrant County.

From zero to 72 miles? When I arrived in Texas, late in the last century, longer than 15 years ago, there were already miles of  paved Trinity Trails trailing alongside the shade-free Trinity River.

Oh yes, those Trinity Trails have become quite the attraction across Tarrant County. Unless, you know, you live in the Arlington part of Tarrant County with close access to River Legacy Park and that park's miles of paved trails, shaded by trees, along the Trinity River.

And then this paragraph...

According to the draft of a proposed strategic plan of the Trinity Trails, that could grow an to impressive 219 miles, closing gaps between 18 cities and along waterways, and creating a tourism mecca as well as a economic development opportunities. The trails would run along all 90 miles of the Trinity River in Tarrant County.

There we have the "could" word again. Yes 219 miles could/would be impressive. As would be creating any sort of tourism mecca in a part of America currently lacking any tourism meccas.

And this...

For example, the trails would loop completely around Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Benbrook. Or, someone in Crowley could get on the trails and make it up to north Saginaw, some 30 miles away, or from White Settlement to past River Legacy Park in Arlington. Eventually the trails will connect into Dallas.

Oh yes, one can really see that happening, paved trails looping around those two lakes. And someone from Crowley biking all the way to Saginaw. I have been hearing about that imaginary possible trail connection to Dallas ever since I have been in Texas.

Plus this...

“It’s pretty inspiring,” Pierce said. Steams & Valleys raised $450,000 to hire California-based MIG Inc. consultants to shepherd and write the new 10-year plan. “We’ve had a lot of great river plans, but things change so fast now. Is this very ambitious? No question it is. We want to look ahead to the river we want to have.” Consultants are in the thick of the planning process, asking for suggestions from groups, city leaders and the public.

Yeah. really inspiring. Somehow a California consultant firm was able to milk about a half million bucks from the local rubes to help come up with a plan as to where to pave imaginary trails which will never happen, judging, am I, by how little seems to happen with any sort of urgency in this lethargic part of America.

We've had a lot of great river plans? Things change so fast now? Consultants are in the thick of this trail planning process? Asking for suggestions? Who writes this stuff? Who approves it for publishing?

How are those three simple little bridges being built across dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island coming along? Along with the rest of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision?

Is Fort Worth's downtown homage to its founding, Heritage Park, still a boarded up eyesore?

Read the Expansion plans: Trinity Trails could stretch to 219 miles in its entirety for the full propaganda lunacy.

We will end with what Trag Tickely referred to as a delusional nugget from Betsy Price...

Mayor Betsy Price called the draft an amazing plan so far. “It used to be a muddy ditch. It’s a jewel now,” she said of the Trinity River.

During my time in Texas the Trinity River has not changed one iota. It was a littered, muddy, don't eat the fish you catch, polluted mess when I arrived and if anything, it is more littered, muddy and polluted now, in 2017. But, Fort Worth's mayor thinks the muddy ditch has turned into a jewel.

And people wonder why I and others think Fort Worth is totally ill-served by the fools who get elected to local public office and the sad excuse for a newspaper which reports on their embarrassing nonsense without identifying it as such...

Tune Into Elsie Hotpepper & I Love Betsy

Turns out Elsie Hotpepper and I were worried needlessly about not yet receiving a coveted invite to the "I Love Betsy" fundraiser starring Betsy Price, because that coveted invite has arrived.

Elsie and I have decided to donate at the Co-Host Level. We think this may allow us to bring along some other Betsy Lovers. So, let us know if you want to go with us.

The I Love Betsy Fundraiser takes place at the posh Ashton Depot on Thursday, February 9, which is only a couple weeks from today.

Elsie and I are unclear exactly as to why Betsy is having this fund raising event for all of us Betsy Loving people. Are the funds being raised for Betsy's personal use? Or for her upcoming mayoral campaign? The invite is not clear regarding what the funds are for.

But, Elsie and I Love Betsy so much that if she is in need of funds for her personal use, well, we are totally happy to help out.

If the funds are being raised for the upcoming mayoral campaign Elsie and I are wondering why such funds are needed. It's not like anyone ever runs against the Ultra Lovable Betsy. And even if someone did run against the Ultra Lovable Betsy she still automatically gets elected, due to the special Fort Worth Way of running elections.

Which has us wondering how that State of Texas investigation into the most flagrant election fraud in Texas history is going.

You know that Tarrant County election fraud investigation which generated a lot of publicity a couple months ago, with that investigation triggered by the obviously fraudulent vote totals which saw Jim Lane and Marty Leonard keeping their TRWD board positions with an astounding vote total from thousands of allegedly bogus absentee ballots.

The "I Love Betsy" Fundraiser lasts from 5 pm til 7 pm. Is Betsy going to make dinner for us? Ply us with alcohol? I guess we will find out when we get to the Ashton Depot...

The Cast Of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price

I don't know why, but last night someone who goes by a one letter first name of "L" emailed me that which you see here.

A photo of Fort Worth Mayor, Betsy Price, who appears to be wearing some sort of stylish winter boot.

Or in some sort of cast.

Did Fort Worth's esteemed, extremely athletic, inspirational mayor have a biking accident, the news of which I missed?

The email which contained this photo included no explanatory text. So, I do not know if those are Betsy Price's daughters and son, or husband, she is standing with.

I see a strong resemblance factor among those in the photo, hence wondering if those are Betsy's kids, or husband.

I hope Mayor Betsy has herself a swift recovery from this injury, if an injury is the explanation for the stylish footwear, and that she is soon back on her bike, pedaling around town, inspiring Fort Worth's lethargees to get themselves some exercise.

But, exercise caution, lest you end up injured.....

Betsy Price's Tarnished Golden Rule of Pseudo Compassionate Service

Compassionate Fort Worth.

Sounds like a good idea.

I often see a thing or two, or hear of a thing or two, in Fort Worth, which I think could use a little compassion.

Fort Worth's Mayor, Betsy Price, is spearheading a program or event or public relations operation called Compassionate Fort Worth, asking that people who are part of a compassionate Fort Worth organization to participate so as to gain more attention for their project.

My instant reaction upon learning of Betsy's Compassionate Fort Worth operation was to think here we go, once more down the Rabbit Hole, where Up is Down, Right is Wrong, Stupid is Smart and Heartless is Compassionate.

I am not suggesting there are no compassionate people or groups in Fort Worth, because there are plenty of such.

What I am about to suggest is that it is a bit hypocritical for Betsy Price and her city government to be part of an operation called Compassionate Fort Worth. Because the City of Fort Worth, under Betsy Price's reign has not been compassionate in more than one instance where a compassionate person would have exhibited compassion.

Included in the document announcing this Compassion Initiative is a letter from Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. You can read the entire letter below, but, before you get to that, take a gander at the first paragraph of this letter from Fort Worth's mayor......

Last year, the Fort Worth City Council signed the International Charter for Compassion, designating Fort Worth as a "Compassionate City". I believe that actions motivated by the Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", will help us become an even greater and compassionate city.

Betsy Price practices the Golden Rule?

Last year I wrote a couple blog posts about how well Betsy Price adheres to the Golden Rule.

Fort Worth Shrugs Its Shoulders While Hundreds Of Citizens Are Given 30 Day Eviction Notices

and

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price Has No Comment About 30 Day Evictions Of 100s In Her Town

Now, if I was a town's mayor and some out of town developer came to town and coldheartedly issued eviction notices in a manner which violated decency, and maybe the law, well, I would have directed that something be done to help those people. Betsy did nothing.

In Fort Worth there is a wall that is slowly coming down, making a lot of Fort Worth citizens nervous. Plea after plea to the city, and to Betsy Price, for help, has resulted in no help, nothing, absolutely no doing unto those people the way you would want yourself to be treated in a similar situation.

I have blogged about the Pulte Wall of Shame multiple times, including a recent blogging pointing out Betsy Price's neglect of this issue in Why Is Fort Worth's Best Public Servant Ignoring The Pulte Wall Of Shame?

Compassionate Fort Worth.

A week does not go by where I do not see a mom struggling to push a stroller along side a Fort Worth street, with that street lacking a sidewalk. Want to initiate something meaningful and compassionate, Betsy Price, how about advocating for a sidewalk building program for Fort Worth?

A mom and dad take their kids on a picnic to a Fort Worth park. Mom looks for running water to wash her kid's hands. Dad looks for a restroom to which to take Junior. Neither are to be found in most Fort Worth parks. That is right, in the city which is the envy of the nation the majority of the town's park have no running water, along with outhouses serving as restrooms.

What is the City of Fort Worth's Compassionate Program to help all the panhandlers and homeless people? Day after day I see panhandlers at various intersections. Just yesterday it was a mom with two girls, near the Jack in the Box at 820 and John T. White Road. Mom's sign said "Please help. I need a job." She was not begging for money. She was begging for a job.

I'm sure this Compassionate City thing makes Betsy Price and fellow sorts feel real good about themselves. But, how about doing something actually meaningful that addresses something real?

Below is the aforementioned letter from Betsy Price and below that the reasons why you should participate in the Mayor's Week of Compassionate Service....

The Betsy Price Selective Fort Worth Wellness Bar

I saw this a few days ago in the Star-Telegram, an opinion piece alleging that somehow Fort Worth is setting the bar.

Short version, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce picked 10 U.S. cities to host a health forum through the C of C's national Better Health through Economic Opportunity campaign.

The Star-Telegram took this being one of ten towns and being a great honor, opining that...

"We love it when Fort Worth is in the Top 10."

Yeah, that happens a lot.

I can not remember Fort Worth being in the Top 10 list of any legit list about anything. Even on Top 10 Most Obese City lists Fort Worth manages to be too skinny for the honor.

However, this Fort Worth setting the bar article does make mention of Fort Worth's obesity problem....

According to FitWorth, 30 percent of the Fort Worth population — and 50 percent of Fort Worth ISD students — are considered overweight, with estimated annual cost of obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease at $190.2 billion.
The setting the bar article also includes this doozy....

Third we have an inspiring public figure who champions this issue and walks the talk — or should I say “pedals the point” — on a daily basis. Mayor Betsy Price’s passionate enthusiasm for the well-being of all our residents is contagious here and has not gone unnoticed in Washington, D.C.

Really? Fort Worth's mayor pedaling a bike has not gone unnoticed in the nation's capitol?

What has gone unnoticed in Fort Worth is Betsy Price initiating much of anything in the public interest.

Betsy Price walks the talk?

How about talking the walks?

As in Fort Worth's pitiful lack of sidewalks on many of the town's streets, streets where  walking residents have worn dirt paths were paved sidewalks should be.

Seattle just passed a huge public transit measure, part of which included miles upon miles of new and improved sidewalks.  This in a town already well served by pedestrian amenities.

Have you heard Betsy Price advocating any such thing?

No, she loans her voice to goofy things like that bizarre vote to approve a new arena in the Fort Worth Stock Show zone, with the public part of that vote being asked to approve three propositions, which each proposition being the likes of which one would never see on the ballot of a town wearing its big boy pants.

Like one proposition asking voters to approve charging a buck to rent a livestock stall.

You living in modern, progressive, democratic, well-educated parts of America, I am not making this up.

Has ground been broken on that arena yet? I think it is well over a year since the voters approved those three goofy propositions.

Anyway, methinks holding Betsy Price up as any sort of inspiring paragon is just, well, sort of embarrassing.

However, I will give Betsy props for being a biking advocate. I would give her bigger props if she advocated building more bike trails.

And sidewalks.....

Fort Worth Wayward Mayor Betsy Price's Devilish Ballerina Tutu

At some point in the 2008 time frame I began getting emails from someone calling him or herself "Deep Moat".

Deep Moat, I believe, but never had any means to confirm, was an employee of the Trinity River Vision, now known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Deep Moat's inside the TRV tidbits of info came before America's Biggest Boondoggle turned, well, bizarre, what with "products" like its Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in the polluted Trinity River at a location the Boondoggle calls Panther Island Pavilion, where there is no island or pavilion.

It was from Deep Moat I learned about the extravagant spending going on inside the Boondoggle that the taxpayers would likely not be happy to hear about.

Things like multiple employees getting company cars, iPhones, iPads, I forget what else. It's been years, but phones and tablets don't seem all that extravagant to me now. I'm likely forgetting a lot of it. I do remember being told of a well stocked liquor supply in the main TRV office. And junkets. Lots of junkets. Junkets which turned into party time. Some junkets being long distance junkets. Some junkets only going to Dallas, with only two people and an overnight stay in a downtown Dallas hotel.

Deep Moat also told me about extramarital flings involving TRV executive officials and subordinate employees. Some of these extramarital flings led to broken marriages in the TRV family of employees.

While it has been years since I have heard from Deep Moat, in recent years I hear from someone who calls him or herself  "Fort Worth Wayward".

It was from Fort Worth Wayward, last year, I learned that J.D. Granger was having his offspring cheer for beer and go nuts for runner's butts.

You can read all about that particular scandal in the blog posting titled  This Morning I Learned J.D. Granger Is Promoting Little Kids Cheering For Beer & Going Nuts For Runner's Butts.

That particular blogging became the posting on my blog with the highest number of page views. And that blogging is one of the few times that a blogging has caused local news entities to contact me wanting details.

I figured that the Going Nuts For Runner's Butts Scandal would be the thing that finally got J.D. Granger fired. That that instance would be the thing that finally hammered home the fact that this guy is not suited to be in charge of something like what the Trinity River Vision was purported to be.

You know, a massive public works project designed to enhance flood protection and stimulate economic development, where there was already flood protection and where economic development is unlikely a result of this dithering Boondoggle.

So, back to today and that photo you see above. That was brought to me via incoming email from the aforementioned Fort Worth Wayward"s email address Fort Worth Wayward***@gmail.com. I used that *** to protect Fort Worth Wayward's email anonymity. Don't click on the email link, it won't work unless you can successfully guess what *** is.

That is Fort Worth's mayor, Betsy Price, you are seeing in the above photo, looking like a devil in a ballerina tutu. I assume this must be a photo taken during the most recent Fort Worth City Council Meeting. Likely Betsy is explaining why she, Fort Worth's best public servant, is ignoring the Pulte Wall of Shame.

If I recollect correctly I blogged about this recently in Why Is Fort Worth's Best Public Servant Ignoring The Pulte Wall Of Shame?

Now looking at that photo one might think to oneself that Fort Worth's mayor is a bit of a party girl. I have seen more than one photo which confirms such.

However, I think Fort Worth Wayward's insider info purporting that Betsy Price is in some sort of Cougar Relationship with Kay Granger's wayward son, J.D., is totally ridiculous.

Then again, I've had heard of stranger things, though not often.

J.D.'s mama, Kay, and Betsy, are friends. It was Kay who convinced Betsy to run for mayor of Fort Worth.

But I really don't think Fort Worth has reached a Roman Empire, at its worst, level of demented debauchery.

Then again, how do you explain something like the Trinity River Vision Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision Boondoggle without it being caused by something like lead in the water? That being the element that is believed to have caused the Roman dementia.

Could Fort Worth being the world's most concentrated area of fracking, and that fracking's resultant pollution, be what has driven Fort Worth a bit nuts, as evidenced by Fort Worth's mayor, attired as you see above? And locals willingly getting in an e.coli polluted river to drink beer while listening to music coming from an imaginary island?

Star-Telegram Says Fort Worth's Accounts Are A Sloppy Mess

This morning Elsie Hotpepper pointed me towards that which you see here, an editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram titled Fort Worth's bond accounts are a mess.

The first three paragraphs of the editorial...

An exhaustive and even painful cleaning process is being carried out at Fort Worth City Hall — not the scrubbing-the-floors type but the cleaning-up-the-financial-accounts type.

It’s painful because a team of employees working since Feb. 1 has discovered that the financial accounting on major debt programs, including bond projects and certificates of obligation going back almost four decades, has been just plain sloppy.

That’s not acceptable, because voters who are asked to approve a bond program must be able to count on the projects being done on time and the money properly accounted for.

_____________________________________________

Voters must be able to count on Fort Worth projects being done on time with money properly accounted for?

Since when?

The biggest  project currently underway in Fort Worth is the Trinity River Uptown Central City Panther Island Vision, known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

The voters were not allowed to vote on this project which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle.

The Star-Telegram says we should be able to count on projects being done on time.

Has the Star-Telegram not heard of America's Biggest Boondoggle? A project with no project timeline, with no projected project completion date.

The Star-Telegram editorial generated a couple interesting comments....


Aaron Harris
Is anyone who watched these folks surprised? This is but a small window into what you should expect to be reading about the new bonds approved last November for the City of Fort Worth. Some things never change.

Jennifer Talbert Frank
So after all of the begging for more money, more bond DEBT and all the bragging and patting each other on the back about how they're doing all these great and wonderful things, it turns out that NOT ONE of these idiots can keep decent track of the spending, the projects and the actual DEBT that has us in the hole to the tune of billions. Do you really think that they're telling you the truth about being only 1.7 million in the hole with these bonds? Seriously??? And the city council wants to vote themselves a raise? Oh hell no!!

Oh, and Betsy Price, if you're so much for transparency, how could you have even thought to have asked the public for more bond debt when you don't even have a handle on the current finances?? If you're so into transparency, why in the WORLD are you so supportive of a water district board that has done nothing but keep secrets from the public about their water, water funds and pet projects - not to mention the E.Coli that was in that "clean and safe" Trinity River that you personally advocated for everyone to get in and go tubing. I don't think you'd know transparency if it bit you in the butt! You are right to be scared because you will NOT be re-elected!

On FOX News Betsy Price Is A Former Bull Leading Fort Worth

I saw that which you see here on FOX News online, widely believed by very few to be the world's most reliable news source.

I don't really rely on FOX News for news, I find entertainment value in FOX News, what with the news on FOX often seeming to present some sort of alternative universe from the one most people live in.

Yesterday on FOX News online I saw an article titled How Fort Worth's Bike Riding Mayor Steers the City.

That is a screen cap from the article you see here, with the lady in yellow being Fort Worth's hugely popular populist mayor, Betsy Price.

A woman of the people. Got a problem? Take it to Betsy Price. Gas drillers causing your property to flood? Take it to Betsy Price. Being evicted by a criminal landlord? Take it to Betsy Price.

You get the drift? Got a problem? Take it to Betsy Price.

This FOX News article seems to be a puff piece bordering on propaganda, almost like some sort of advertisement paid for by the committee to have Betsy Price made a saint.

One would think that, except for one thing. The article refers to Betsy Price as the lead steer leading the Fort Worth herd. If you do not know what a steer is I screen capped a definition for your enlightenment....

So, FOX News thinks our dear leader is a castrated bull? Can that possibly be true? Does FOX News know something that is not commonly known in Fort Worth? Or does FOX News owe our dear leader an apology?

You can read the article in its entirety by going to FOX News and reading How Fort Worth's Riding Mayor Steers the City.

Below you can read the part of the article which says Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price is a castrated bull....

Texans know every herd follows a lead steer.

On several days throughout the year, you can see a herd in the old cow town of Fort Worth, Texas, a city of approximately 800,000 people, following its lead steer.  The surprise, however, is that this herd is on bicycles and its lead steer is their mayor, Betsy Price.

Did Fort Worth's Mayor Slide The City In An Itsy Betsy Bikini?

A few minutes ago an incoming blog comment from someone named Anonymous led me to soon seeing hundreds upon hundreds of photos of Saturday's Fort Worth Slide the City Panther Fest event which went all the way from disaster with medical emergencies to ending the day having broken a Guinness Book World Record, the nature of which I still have not been able to determine.

Looking at all the photos of so many people seeming to be having themselves a mighty fine time getting ready to slide, or sliding down the 2,000 foot long waterslide, I really did not know what to think.

Is the large throng willing to pay a hefty fee to do such a thing an indicator that there is a great lacking in amusing things to do in the Fort Worth zone?

The comment from Mr. or Ms. Anonymous....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saturday's Fort Worth City Slide Went From Disaster To Mysterious Guinness World Record Breaking Event":

Rare J.D. Granger sighting in photo #111. Betsy Price is in photo #173. These pics are from Slide-The-City. Fortunately Dennis Shingleton didn't show up and drop trou.

DFW.com Slide the City Slideshow

____________________________________________

I know I've been told why we should be grateful when Dennis Shingleton keeps his pants on, but I've forgotten the details.

As for Betsy Price being in photo #173, it turned out Betsy was in the photo previous to that one, #172.

As I neared the Betsy number in the slide show I had no small fear that I was about to be scarred for life by an image of Fort Worth's mayor in an Itsy Betsy Bikini.

Turns out I had nothing to be afraid of.

Did Betsy actually slide the slide? And who is the young man in purple, next to Betsy, to whom Betsy is directing her charismatic smile? Is Betsy Price married? I have no idea. Is she single and Fort Worth's version of Madonna? Dating young men a fraction of her age?

I also had some concern that when I got to the J.D. Granger photo I would be subjected to the sight of Kay Granger's baby boy in a speedo getting ready to slide.

Turns out, it appears J.D. Granger has kept intact his record of never getting the polluted Trinity River water on his sensitive skin. Not via the Slide the City thing, or getting in the water during one of those notorious Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in the Trinity River.

I have no idea what that is that Mr. Granger is holding. Is it the official document documenting that a Guinness World Record had been set? Is that guy in a suit, next to J.D., the Guinness representative?

It might be useful if DFW.com had some informational text to go along with its endless collection of pictures.

The Bridge Of The Gods Over The Columbia River Was No Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Bridge

Continuing on with our popular series of blogging about feats of bridge engineering that took less than four years to build.

What we are looking at here is known as the Bridge of the Gods.

You would have seen this bridge if you saw the Reese Witherspoon movie, "Wild" depicting Cheryl Strayed's epic Pacific Crest Trail hike.

The Bridge of the Gods is where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the Columbia River from Oregon to Washington. This was the location of the end of Ms. Strayed's "Wild" hike from California north.

In 1920 the U.S. War Department issued the Interstate Construction Corporation a construction permit to build the Bridge of the Gods.

However, apparently a local congresswoman's unqualified son was hired to direct the project.

By 1925 the Interstate Construction Corporation had only managed to build one pier. An entity called Wauna Toll Bridge Company then took over the project and had the new bridge open for traffic in October of 1926.

I wonder if the Wauna Bridge Company is available to take over construction of America's Biggest Boondoggle's three little simple bridges being built over dry land with a four year construction time span?

The Bridge of the Gods was not built over dry land. It was built over water, currently, on average, 108 feet deep.

In 1938 the water under the Bridge of the Gods began to rise due to the completion of Bonneville Dam. That same year Congress voted to fund the raising of the Bridge of the Gods 44 feet, along with increasing the length of the bridge from 1,131 feet to 1,856 feet. This was completed in 1940.

How can a complex feat of bridge engineering take place over the mighty Columbia in such a short time span while in Fort Worth it takes four years to build three little simple bridges, with no obstacles to make construction difficult?

I have opined previously my aggravation over the fact that J.D. Granger, his mama and Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price, have each propagandized the ridiculous lie that Fort Worth's little bridges are being built over dry land in order to save money by making construction easier.

Why is this a lie?

Because there will be no water under those little bridges until a ditch is dug under them and the Trinity River is diverted into the ditch.

The bridges are being built over dry land because this never voted for by the public, public works project, is underfunded, unlike the Bridge of the Gods, and pretty much any other public works project in America which actually works.

How come the Star-Telegram does not send one of its Pulitzer Prize winning reporters to ask a few questions of J.D. Granger?

Questions like...

Will you explain why you claim these bridges are being built over dry land, prior to the digging of the ditch, to save money, when there will be no water in the ditch until the Trinity is diverted into it?

Can you explain why it will take four years to build these three little bridges over dry land, when there have been bridges built all over the world over treacherous bodies of water with construction times of less than four years?

When will the digging of the ditch begin?

Won't the bridges already being in place present a construction difficulty when the ditch is dug under them?

Four years from now, if the three bridges are completed by then, when can we expect to see water flowing under these bridges?

What is the construction timeline of the ditch that goes under the bridges?

And then when Mr. Granger tells the Star-Telegram reporter he does not know when the ditch will be dug and how long it will take to dig it I hope the reporter asks...

How can you not know? You've been the director of America's Biggest Boondoggle for well near a decade. How can you not have a project timeline for this project?

America's Biggest Boondoggle is very perplexing, and even more perplexing is the fact that, apparently, most of the voters who vote in the area of America's Biggest Boondoggle either don't know what a mis-managed mess it is.

Or don't care.

A Happy Tandy Hills Earth Day With Fort Worth's Beatnik Loving Mayor

Fort Worth Mayor, Tom McCann signing
"National Beatnik Week" proclamation, 1960. (from LIFE magazine)

Or as the Tandy Hills Godfather, Don Young, put it today in an email's subject line:

Happy Triple bEarthday to Tandy Hills 2015.

According to Olive the Prairie Dog's parental unit, way back on this current day of April 22, in 1960, Fort Worth's beatnik-loving mayor, Tom McCann, and the Fort Worth City Council made the momentous decision to spend $138,250 for the 160 acre chunk of land now known as the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

As for the other parts of the triple part of today's bEarthday and the Tandy Hills.

Ten years after Fort Worth's beatnik-loving major decided to buy the Tandy Hills the first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970.

And then, 40 years later, on April 22, 2010, the Friends of the Tandy Hills Natural Area began a partnership deal with the City of Fort Worth where the city joined in the efforts to protect and restore the Tandy Hills.

The most interesting, to me, part of today's Earth Day Tandy Hills information is the fact that, apparently, way back in the 1960s, Fort Worth had itself a progressive mayor who liked the precursors of hippies, that being beatniks.

How did Fort Worth go from having a progressive beatnik-loving mayor to the era of mayor entities like Kay Granger, Mike Moncrief and Betsy Price? Can you picture any of those three signing a "National Beatnik Week" proclamation?

Well, okay, to be totally fair, which I always am, I guess I can see Betsy Price signing such a proclamation. There is something about Mayor Betsy that makes me think she could easily have been an active hippie during the hippie era. It would not shock me to learn that Mayor Betsy was at Woodstock being a Grateful Dead groupie.

Then again, I am not at all sure the Grateful Dead were at Woodstock....

Fort Worth's Mayor Wants To Become Betsy Blue Rollerblading Sidewalks While Eating Less Beef

I saw that which you see here and thought "HUH".

The "HUH" was due to thinking "Blue Zone" was referring to Democrat, as in turn Fort Worth from a Red Republican dominated town to a progressive, liberal, forward thinking Blue Democrat dominated town.

The "HUH" was also due to seeing right-wing Republican Betsy Price hoping to turn Fort Worth Blue.

Turn Cow Town into Long-Living 'Blue Zone' is an article on the NBC News website. It was via a blog comment from Steve A that I learned Betsy Price wants to become Betsy Blue....

Steve A has left a new comment on your post "Pondering Thirteen Months To Build The Empire State Building Over Dry Land & Fort Worth's Bridge Boondoggle": 

Meanwhile, Betsy Price is looking to be around a LONG time so she can see the boondoggle's final completion - http://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/texas-mayor-hopes-turn-cow-town-long-living-blue-zone-n337416 - or cancellation... 

From the NBC article some interesting Betsy Blue quotes....

Regarding a poll which ranked Fort Worth's well-being as 61st out of 189 cities Betsy said, "I believe we can substantially raise those numbers. I really do believe we can. And I think long term, 20 years out, we'll be way up in the top 50 percent or more."

Uh, at the 61st ranking, out of 189, isn't Fort Worth already in the top 50 percent?

Betsy has a history of saying things without putting a lot of thought into what she is saying. Like at the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's TNT ceremony to explosively mark the supposed start of construction of three little bridges being built over dry land Betsy is heard, on video, uttering something like "Building over dry land is a brilliant engineering plan that will save a lot of money, with the bridges only taking four years to build, instead of the eight years it might take over water."

I may have taken a bit of poetic license with that Betsy Blue quote.

All the TRWD/TRV Boondoggle apologists making it sound like a purposeful good thing to be building those little bridges over dry land highly annoy me. There will be no water in the ditch that is supposed to go under the bridges until the Trinity River is diverted into the ditch. Any normal, properly funded public works project would be digging the ditch at the same time the bridges are being built.

Regarding Fort Worth having too many fat kids, Betsy said "Kids spend far too much time in front of screens. They eat fast food. Their diabetes rate is incredible. Estimates are this is the first generation that will live shorter. And that's really worried me as a mother, a grandmother, and as a community leader."

Live shorter? Not grow as tall?

Betsy had some useful diet advice, saying "If you're used to eating beef six days a week, maybe you eat it four days a week. Or maybe you eat four ounces instead of eight ounces. Maybe mostly you just think about what you're doing."

Yikes! Beef six days a week, cut back to four? I think it's been a couple months since I've had any beef. No wonder I"m so skinny.

The article also says part of Betsy Blue's plan to enhance Fort Worth's well-being is to add sidewalks throughout the city. There is no Betsy quote on the sidewalk subject.

Fort Worth's lack of sidewalks has been an issue with me for years. How does it happen that a big city develops with so few sidewalks? The little town I moved to Texas from, Mount Vernon, Washington, has sidewalks on pretty much every street in town. Plus paved trails that are not beside streets which can take you all over town. In Tacoma, where I spent a miserable month the summer of 2008, everywhere I walked had sidewalks on both sides of the street, usually with a grass median between the street and the sidewalk.

How does a town grow into being a big city, like Fort Worth, without adding sidewalks to all its streets?

While Betsy Blue did not directly address the lack of sidewalks issue she did get quoted making reference to something one can use to roll oneself around on sidewalks in a modern American town, saying "Let's have more life in our years. Let's be able to enjoy our children and our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren. Be able to pick them up and to dance with them—or go rollerblading if you want to."

Rollerblading if you want to? On the few narrow sidewalks in my neighborhood it would be very problematic to rollerblade on them.

That's another thing. Why are Fort Worth's few sidewalks so narrow? Shouldn't they be at least as wide as the girth of an average Fort Worther? Two average sized Fort Worthers can not pass each other on a Fort Worth sidewalk without one of those passing having to step off the sidewalk to allow the other to pass.

How many miles of sidewalks could Fort Worth install for the amount of money being slowly squandered on The Boondoggle?