By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Barely three months ago, gasoline cost $4 a gallon in Kansas City. Promoters of light rail were ecstatic: They could campaign on the need to build light rail to avoid costly fillups at the pump.
Not any more.
Gas is now selling for around $1.80 a gallon. The pro-light rail crowd has taken to warning Kansas Citians that the price could go back up again.
Sure, it could. But that's not the landscape of Election Day. And that could -- unfortunately -- hurt light rail's chance of passing today.
Opponents have hammered away for weeks at the three-eighths-cent sales-tax increase needed to pay for light rail.
And they point out that City Hall hasn't told people exactly where the light-rail line would go.
Meanwhile -- with the "high cost of gasoline" argument gone -- promoters are warning that KC will fall behind other cities if it does not build a system.
So what's going to happen?
Light rail would help concentrate where development goes in the city, especially in the urban core.
That's a winning reason to vote for light rail today -- even if gasoline costs have plummeted in recent weeks.
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As Long As It Dies...
I don't care what kills it.
"It follows as the night..."
Every single time, without exception, that Americans seem to get serious about energy conservation, the price of oil magically decreases. Substitutions in the forms of mass transportation, fuel efficient cars, alternate sources of energy, domestic oil exploration etc, all become uneconomic in comparison with oil imports. We all then go back to our profligate ways and remain dependent on foreign sources...until the next time.
vote no on light rail
You are incredible yta... you don't even live here and you are for this. Could it be part of the Star selling out to business interests? Business interests by the way only connected to building and financing light rail or let's say a company like Hallmark Cards who sold out so the stop would be at Crown Center (despite protestations to the contrary by the pathertic and clueless Mayor Smart With Nothinghouser).
We I am hopeful that the regular citizens will figure all this out (cross my fingers) and set light rail down.
And then we can watch the Funk sue his Council friends over the volunteer ordinance.
And then on to the Ruth Bates Lawsuit debacle.
And then on to figuring out how to pay for the sewer debacle (which wiil, if it can be financed in the municipal bond market) double or more KCMO's debt.
Somewhere in between all this, it seems evident that the Funk will have to be dealt with.
And we can expect a dismal report on City finances that was held back. And we can figure out how we can get extra police on the streets so that the daily massacre of citizens will stop or at least slow down. I have given up hope on infrastructure maintenance (streets, plates, etc.) so we won't have to worry about that...
And then when all this is done, perhaps we can turn the gaze of the regular citizen on you :) That will be a chore as well because other than memories, I don't think people are aware of you any more...