Mass Transit, But What Else?

So, Mayor Karl Dean, who has generally looked anemic on issues of concern to many city neighborhoods appears serious and steadfast that "it is time to stop talking" and "get on with" developing mass transit. Great. But talking about getting on with it is still just talk.

And if the move to a more dedicated system of mass transit goes the way of the stripped down Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods, mass transit is already withering on the vine. (Just look at the MOON site. It looks like the Mayoral commitment to address neighborhood concerns begins in July and ends in August. If there is a calendar of future events, they Mayor Dean is playing them close to his vest, which is not an effective way to relate to neighborhoods). So, even if Karl Dean makes progress on mass transit, he has still got a long way to go on a host of neighborhood issues that I'm not convinced he's committed to.

One other point of vexation about the Tennessean article is that it quotes Ben Cunningham thusly,

As far as taxpayers are concerned, it is way too early to be talking about a tax ... We need to see what is being proposed, and we need to tie down the cost very closely. You have to tell us why you need a dedicated funding source and what benefit we'll get from it.

First of all has anyone ever actually seen Ben Cunningham seriously entertain a proposed tax, any proposed tax? I have not. What's up with the false pretense that even talking about a tax (between the horn honking of tax protesters) is even a remote possibility? And where does he get off speaking for me? I'm a taxpayer, too. I am a subscriber to his blog, and I have read just about every newspaper quote attributed to him in the last 4 years, and I can say with certainty that he does not represent my interests accurately or fairly.