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David Greene

Minneapolis, MN
Commenter for
2 years 40 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/06/13 at 04:30 pm in response to Expand transit in this legislative session? Talk’s cheap

Southwest LRT does NOT duplicate existing service. It *might* duplicate existing service for people in Eden Prairie who exclusively want to go downtown, but that's it. There are a lot more people along the line than those who currently use the SW Transit buses.

In particular, people living in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, North Minneapolis and yes, CIDNA and Kenwood will have new transit service, service that hasn't existed since at least the '50's when we tore up the streetcars.

Posted on 05/06/13 at 04:33 pm in response to Expand transit in this legislative session? Talk’s cheap

Every Democrat in the Twin Cities ought to know that it is a few white urban DFLers who are holding up transportation funding. Too many of them oppose a gas tax and sales tax "because it hurt the middle class" while ignoring that many people of color and those with lower incomes will suffer a LOT more when their bus service gets reduced. White privilege rears its ugly head.

They're stuck in their ivory towers, unaware of what's happening on the ground right under their noses.

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Posted on 05/07/13 at 09:13 am in response to Expand transit in this legislative session? Talk’s cheap

Jim Davnie, for one. He's publicly come out against it so I can name his name. There are others in full opposition too.

Yes, an urban Republican _would_ vote for transportation taxes. Such a legislator would have to be responsive to the communities needs, unlike Rep. Davnie who feels quite comfortable in his ivory tower where he doesn't have to think about the consequences to the poor and people of color of a decrease in transit funding.

Urban DFLers tout themselves as...

Posted on 05/07/13 at 09:20 am in response to Expand transit in this legislative session? Talk’s cheap

There's a good thread here:

http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls-seward/messages/topic/59ydZzcV...

Note how Rep. Davnie does not actually address CM Gordon's points. He simply repeats his reasons for opposition with no response to the very good points made by CM Gordon about why...

Posted on 05/07/13 at 09:23 am in response to Expand transit in this legislative session? Talk’s cheap

Of course I was sickened then. But I'm even MORE sickened that Rep. Davnie voted for that bill (when he could stick it in the eye of Pawlenty) but now refuses to support basically the same bill.

Gov. Dayton shares a huge amount of blame as well. His opposition to a gas tax is a huge threat to any transportation funding. But as 2008 shows, legislators can lead, even with opposition by a governor. I was hoping Rep. Davnie and other urban DFLers would lead. Now I would settle for...

Posted on 05/08/13 at 11:48 am in response to 'Belt and suspenders' for transit would be more like a noose

Here is where a lot of people misunderstand LRT, particularly the Southwest LRT line.

The Southwest LRT doesn't only serve suburban residents. I would go as far to say it doesn't even *primarily* serve suburban residents, at least not those 2nd- and 3rd-tier suburbs.

This line will open up whole new areas of job opportunity for people in North Minneapolis, Hopkins and St. Louis Park. These are communities that desperately need access to jobs. These are communities struggling...

Posted on 05/08/13 at 11:58 am in response to 'Belt and suspenders' for transit would be more like a noose

"It’s disingenuous for liberals to advocate so strongly to increase sales taxes, especially for a 'solution' that will only benefit about 4 percent of the population."

No, what's disingenuous is pretending to care about low-income people by opposing a "regressive" sales tax that funds a service that benefits a large proportion of those same low-income people.

You see, regressivity isn't just about the source of the funding, it's also about the *use* of that funding. I talk to...

Posted on 04/15/13 at 10:51 am in response to Senate DFL going its own way on tax reform

"It has been known since discussion of regressive sales taxes began that sales taxes on clothing hit the poorest hardest."

That is not true. A sales tax on clothing would make the sales tax more progressive. Dee Long (certainly no conservative) did the studies.

Posted on 03/07/13 at 06:07 pm in response to The great senior sell-off: Our next housing crisis?

I am nowhere near retirement age yet we take very much the same approach with our house. My father (just ahead of the boomer curve) treats housing as an investment. My wife and I treat it as a quality of life issue. I didn't mind paying more for a house we really like in a great neighborhood. I wasn't overly anxious about the housing collapse and going underwater because I don't count on housing equity for retirement. Sure, I would love it if I got something out the back end but I'm not...

Posted on 03/07/13 at 06:12 pm in response to The great senior sell-off: Our next housing crisis?

I assume by "sprawl people" you mean those of us working to contain it.

We expect *infill* development, not no development. There is a big difference between expanding the size of the metro area to unsustainable levels and taking existing land area and redeveloping it for better uses. Take a walk around Uptown, for instance. There's a tremendous amount of surface parking. That is wasted land that could be used for housing and businesses. Fortunately, some of that transformation...