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...
