Urbanism is political and I’m kinda tired of the decorum of neutrality on the forum. We can’t vote to improve the quality of our lives at a state level. Cities are extremely underrepresented proportionately in the legislature. Plain and simple. If resources are being allocated the wrong way to our cities, there’s nothing we can do about it. If companies are poisoning our air and water and facing no consequences, there’s nothing we can do about it.
NC has been living with “Project 2025” since 2010 and it sucks.
At a state level Republicans are causing all the problems because they have set all the policy since 2010. Not to say Democrats aren’t without their problems too… Chapel Hill and Asheville are plagued by NIMBYism for instance.
It’s less about decorum and more because, much like the sports thread, otherwise normal people can’t help themselves when politics comes up. It’s so emotionally charged that it tanks threads and overwhelms other discussions.
If there was a way to guarantee people would stay cooly factual I’d agree with you on a lot of those points.
I foresee no issues with this whatsoever for a region that accounts for roughly a quarter of the entire state’s population and close to a third of the state’s GDP (not to mention being home to second-largest banking center in America), we have an absolutely pathetic amount of say and support at the state level. I’m not saying CATS is run very well currently, and am definitely not suggesting that the state government does anything to help some of the other major cities at Charlotte’s expense, but if this is passed then it will be the second piece of legislation in just the past few weeks that lessens our ability to manage and shape our already borderline unmanageable growth.
Republican lawmakers and the governor would appoint board members to help make decisions on managing Charlotte’s buses, light rail and streetcar
…
The authority would replace the Charlotte Area Transit System, which is a city of Charlotte department
Well since the state already effectively blocked all rail transit but AMTRAK in Raleigh/Durham they haven’t gone after us recently–since they already did it years ago.
Now we get to play with slightly less crappy bus service one day though Raleigh city government seems to be already screwing that up.
Probably because of comments like this one from a Charlotte council member:
“And at the request of Bokhari — who is a futurist — the city could also spend that money on magnetic levitation and a hyperloop.”
If I were Charlotte, I would decline the tax hike and tell the State to shove it.
Small government only when they want it to be but bring up a culture war issue and their wants for small government go out the window.
This state needs a functioning Democratic Party that will at least try to get power back. NC was a better place before they blacked out at the wheel in the 2010 midterms.
I totally agree with the sentiment, but the thought that the Dems are in any way “extreme” is laughable. In any other country they would be the center-right party
for a region that accounts for roughly a quarter of the entire state’s population and close to a third of the state’s GDP (not to mention being home to second-largest banking center in America), we have an absolutely pathetic amount of say and support at the state level. I’m not saying CATS is run very well currently, and am definitely not suggesting that the state government does anything to help some of the other major cities at Charlotte’s expense, but if this is passed then it will be the second piece of legislation in just the past few weeks that lessens our ability to manage and shape our already borderline unmanageable growth.