News commentary

Cities Growing Faster Than Suburbs–NOT!0
- September 19, 2012
A few months ago, several news outlets reported that new census data showed that the cities were growing faster than the suburbs. This brought comfort to those urban planners who believe that inner cities are better than suburbs and that most people would prefer to live in them if only they understood all the benefits. […]
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Highway Fund Uncertainty Leads to Ratings Cut 0
- September 18, 2012
Citing uncertainties about the health of the federal Highway Trust Fund, Fitch has cut its ratings on state highway bonds in several states from AA- to A+. The bonds being cut are “grant anticipation revenue” or GARVEE bonds, which are supposed to be repaid out of federal grants. In recent years, Congressional overspending of the […]
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Clackistanis Threaten Portland Light Rail 0
- September 12, 2012
In all the times it has been on the ballot, Clackamas County has never voted for Portland light rail. But Portland planners were determined to run a light-rail line into the urban heart of the county, so they persuaded the county commission to give them $20 million of the $1.5 billion cost of the 7.7-mile […]
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Join a Transit Agency; See the World 0
- September 11, 2012
Taxpayers have paid for the “mostly advisory” CEO of the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) to travel to more than ten countries and seventeen American cities in the last eighteen months. John Inglish was UTA’s general manager until two years ago, when he was replaced and kicked upstairs to a newly created position “as severance.” “Nice […]
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The Truth About GM and Chrysler 0
- September 6, 2012
VP candidate Paul Ryan has been accused of lying when he claimed that Obama broke a promise by letting a Wisconsin auto factory close, when in fact the factory closed before Obama took office. Although that isn’t precisely what Ryan said, there is some validity to the accusation that his statement was deceptive. But numerous […]
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Class Warfare in 2012 0
- September 5, 2012
Liberals accuse Republicans of engaging in class warfare. Conservatives accuse Republicans of engaging in class warfare. Cynics accuse both parties of existing “solely to hurl rhetoric at each other and pander to the the most ignorant of their base constituencies.” While the Antiplanner is sympathetic to the cynical view, I also think the idea of […]
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