Vote No, Because Trees Suck!

"You can't look at just the parks aspect independent of the transportation element, the flood-control element, the economic-development element. That's like saying I like the trees in my neighborhood. So let's not have any streets. Let's just have trees." -- Dave Neumann

We are sitting here staring at that quote from the newly elected Dallas Councilmember. We're having a hard time understanding the metaphor, or why it was allowed to be placed on campaign literature that is supposed to convince a Dallas voter that a toll road in a park is a cool idea. We like trees too, Dave. We also dislike major highways in our parks. We can hear parents now -- "Don't go too far from the swingset unless you're wearing your TollTag, kids".

Our coworker got this massive pamplet in the mail asking him to "Vote No! Save The Trinity", so of course the first thing out of his mouth is "well am I supposed to vote no against the toll road?" The misinformation campaign has begun. As we discussed before, voting no votes against an ordinance that prevents a toll road from being placed in the Trinity River park area. Vote yes, and you get the 4 lane access road voters voted for in 1998, or so they thought. So, in order to confuse the 80,000 Dallas residents who signed a petition to get this issue on the ballot in November, the campaign that likes having high speed roads in flood plains wants you to vote no.

Some of the highlights of the lit are reasons that voting yes is bad: Dallas will lose $1 billion in funding. Higher taxes. More traffic. Delayed flood protection. Sounds scary if you don't vote no doesn't it? First, the federal funding is not going anywhere. Even Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson admitted that in her shakedown. Second, the claim again is that Texas will pull it's funding as well, and then Dallas will have to foot the entire bill by increasing taxes. We thought that is what Dallas did in 1998 with a BOND package covering the road. Oh wait, that was if they built the access road, and not a huge tollway. And lastly flood control. Somehow building a road in a flood plain will help flooding? Um no. Try again. Although, like it threatens, if they don't get their fancy tollway, they will let black families in South Dallas suffer from flooding for another 5 years (the "delay" that voting against the toll road will cause, allgedly).

And we all know what this issue is really about. Power. The lit says "Don't let Angela Hunt send more than $1 billion down the river and turn our river of dreams into a nightmare for Dallas taxpayers & families". It is the big power people of Dallas vs little ol' Councilmember Angela Hunt. "How dare Angela fight for a just cause!? Let's put her in her place and show her what's for!" they must be saying to themselves in the smokey backrooms. We were some of those 80,000 people who signed the petition and said "fuck you" to the powers that be. We just wish we were still Dallas residents to do it again next month. Vote Yes Dallas!