Just Build It - Stop The Inane LRT Debate Before We Are left Behind

I really can't fathom why there is a mind-numbing debate in Hamilton right now about the LRT. People are actually spending money to make No LRT in Hamilton signs and posting them up around the city.  As one acquaintance pointed out...really badly designed signs at that.

I could see the validity of serious debate if the city were considering LRT without outside funding (if that were the case, it just wouldn't be considered at all I suppose) BUT THEY'RE NOT....

The province has committed $1,000,000,000 to build it. period. Count them zeros! That's a Billion... With a B....When does a city get a 1 Billion dollar capital infrastructure investment from the Province...  let me help you.  Never.  And yet here we are with a $1Billion dollar gift of state of the art transit infrastructure sitting on a silver platter and the city is debating what to do.  Let me answer the question for you.  TAKE IT!  before someone else does.  I suspect that some people at Brantford city hall are sitting there, just down the highway saying...if they don't want it, we'll take it...we'll be the cool modern city with all the jobs and growth if you want.

It's like you and your spouse are thinking...man our car is really rusty and burns oil, but we've only got a few thousand...lets go down to the used car dealer and buy that 10 year old minivan we saw the other day, but then your buddy pipes up and says..."oh...you need a car?...here... have a brand new Tesla...no strings attached".  Now most people at this point would be saying "Hell Ya!...you're the best!  This is more than we could have ever hoped for!" and so on...

But not you.  You and your partner say..."hmmm, give us a few months to talk it over...does it have to be a Tesla? we'd kind of like to buy 3 minivans...would that be ok?"

and your buddy does a complete head snap, looks at you like you've just grown a donkey's head and says ...."dude...I'm giving you a new tesla...it's what I'm offering you, do you want it or not?...."

But hey, you're pragmatic and don't want to rush into getting the wrong free car, so you'd like some time to discuss it, to mull it over, to consider your options and so on, so you say; "I don't know....I have heard that Tesla isn't exactly the best car for people like us...can I call you in a few weeks?"

The last thing you hear your buddy say is "whatever" which you take to mean that he's fine with whatever you decide and off you go to consider your options.

Pretty soon what happens though, is that your buddy gets bored with this inane conversation, gives the car to your other buddy who takes it and immediately sees the positive impact on his dating life, and meanwhile you've spent your few thousand dollars repairing your old car and drinking coffee while you debate what to do and suddenly you realize "damn...we have no money now and we still have our same old car and now it's too late to get the Tesla..."

It's kinda like that...the way I see it.

Get shovels in the ground sooner rather than later. #HamOnt