Meet Me At The Polls

As people do better, they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing.
-Karl Rove


I never thought I'd quote Karl Rove on the blog. There's a first time for everything.

Tomorrow is Election Day, and I wanted to take this moment to remind your of your constitutional right to vote.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Constitution does not specifically provide you with the right to vote. It's a right that's passed down to us from state - not federal - government. The Constitution, however, has made provisions ensuring women, minorities, and people 18 and over have the right to vote.

But I digress.

Tomorrow, millions of Americans will head to the polls to cast ballots in elections that will have a big impact on how their local and state governments operate. Federal elections only happen in even-numbered years.

Here in Cincinnati, many constituents are focused on Issue 48. A little editorializing here, but this is an issue that has the potential to completely cripple the Queen City, and dare I say, turn it into southwest Ohio's version of Youngstown.

Half of my family is from there. I can say that.

Issue 48 has the potential to stop Cincinnati in its tracks and make it regress for the next ten years, the same ten years that our urban competitors will build their own streetcars, light rail, commuter rail, high speed rail, and any other form of rail-based transportation.

The city of Youngstown rusted out when the steel mills closed up shop and it couldn't find other forms of industry to replace those glowing furnaces.

Cincinnati will rust out, too, if we willingly kiss goodbye any forms of rail-based public transportation.

Well educated, skilled workers will move to forward-thinking (dare I say it, progressive?) cities that appreciate the value of public transportation and understand the pending economic shift tied to rising fuel prices.

Fortune 500 companies will consider uprooting from Cincinnati, instead seeking places with better transportation options.

Scoff at what I say? It's already happening.

Put aside your feelings about the streetcar.

I love the streetcar, but I know it's not beloved and adored by everyone. I'll explain its value another time.

Issue 48 is a living, breathing political example of the expression, "Cut off your nose to spite your face."

Some people are so vehement in their quest to squash the streetcar that they would like to annihilate any chance for rail transportation.

That's a brave, grave move, Cincinnati.

And it's a move that brings with it dire consequences.

Vote NO on Issue 48.

The success of Cincinnati depends on it.



Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.