Anyway lets take a look at the "official" business including this months pork barrel contracts
1-LOW INCOME FARE
A positive development which will help people struggling to meet the expenses of daily living who have been unable to secure a job with the government (the only place left where you can make a livable wage with benefits). Although Trimet says they "pushed" for it the truth is its part of the gigantic $5.3 billion dollar tax grab that was foisted onto tax payers shoulders without their approval. It's less than 1% of the tax grab but it makes Trimet "look good" and gives tax payers the idea that this was a humanitarian tax grab.
2-TRIMET SELF EMPLOYMENT TAX
As you know if you have been reading any of my material Trimet transportation district is an independent tax farm, which means it has the power to seize wages of citizens whether or not they use the system. This is similar to the state and federal government. This is related to tax code
3-CHANGING THE FARE EVASION POLICY
Another positive development which was about 6 years later than it was necessary but better late than never as they say. I still find the whole system one of oppression that unduly penalizes the poorer segments of our population and object to the entire police state presences on the system insofar as enforcing the fare structure. This whole thing could have been solved simply by making the fine commensurate with the crime. A $2.50 fare has no justification of being a $175 fine or even a $90 fine under this new system, A $25 fine for the first offense, $50 for the second, and each incident at $25 increase. Instead we continue to have the regressive and oppressive system with the penalties do not reflect the seriousness of the crime. Its just another example of the endless government oppression of the citizenry. I continue to support fare free transit and get rid of all this foolishness. That will never happen of course because the whole idea is to oppress the citizenry
4-DRUG TESTS FOR EMPLOYEES
I'm not going to go into this but I think this whole drug hysteria is absurd, just more ways to oppress people.
5-THE TRIMET CREDIT CARD, aka "debt management"
All kinds of shenanigans occur with the Trimet money but one important thing to know is that all the tax funds are used to buy bonds which then have to be repaid with interest. This is a common scam to make sure banks continue controlling the future. The banks own everything in this country and most of the world. If I had a choice I would never allow a public transit agency to acquire debt. NEVER!
NOW ON TO THE PORK
6-CONTRACT WITH 3 COMPANIES FOR "ON CALL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING"
This is $1.25 million dollars for each of these 3 companies to do who knows what AND of course they can come back for more later. You want to read the details click the link.
7-WHO NEEDS COMPETITIVE BIDDING?
Apparently not Trimet. They want to exempt the entire DIVISION GENTRIFICATION PROJECT from competitive bidding requirements. No explanation is necessary. Its an absurd policy but one that is perfect for Portland and its insiders government. This is a gigantic piece of pork pie here.
8-$10 million for "multi modal and arterial connections"
I guess they are giving ODOT $10 million for some weird shit that I can't figure out. Nice to have this kind of money just hanging around to play with. My favorite thing about these pork contracts is how they come up with such nice neat exact figures. Like we need EXACTLY $10 MILLION for this.
9-EXISTING CONTRACTOR NEEDS ANOTHER MILLION BUCKS
$8 million wasn't enough enough apparently and as we all know when it comes to Trimet corporate welfare the sky is the limit. Hey, you don't have your $2.50 for Trimet fare you enter the Trimet twilight zone, but if a contractor needs an extra million or two, no problem, Trimet has you covered.
All of this stuff is wasteful pork and does nothing to improves transit services. Once again notice the EXACT nature of the request.
10-ANOTHER CONTRACTOR NEEDS ANOTHER HALF MILLION BUCKS
Of course, Trimet has them covered. This work should all be in house but we know that Trimet executive management is anti union so they strive to keep as much work away from union workers as possible. This should all be in house.
11-$3,610,000 FOR THE RED LINE TO GO TO HILLSBORO
I know I'm not a sophisticated college education elite but isn't the track already laid to Hillsboro?
I have no idea what they are up to but its a nice piece of pork pie to Parametrix Company.
MAN OH MAN THEY ARE BUSY TODAY
12-$15,038,000 FROM CONTINGENCY TO VARIOUS OTHER THINGS. including the "recruitment of the new general manager"
I wonder how much tax payer funds were wasted on that particular farce.
Oi it give me a headache watching all the legalized corruption going on here.
13-$2.9 FOR THE ELEVATORS
I guess this is good right? Long overdue, looks like some nice pork. When I refurbished my elevator for the 5 story apartment complex I was running at the time the cost was $50,000. How many elevators does Trimet have?
14-$8,460,249 FOR "MOBILE CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION SYSTEM FOR TRAINS AND BUSES"
Hmmm? Nice fat piece of pork pie that's for sure. So does Trimet have the ability to watch whats going on in trains and buses in real time from a TV set of some sort? That's what it sounds like to me.
15-STACEY AND WITBECK NEED ANOTHER $3,700,000 FOR THE BLUE LINE STATION REHAB PROJECT.
That makes the total handed over the Trimet's #1 crony contractor Stacey&Witbeck $14,000,000.
Oink Oink Oink
16-PRIVATIZING FARE ENFORCEMENT
This should all be in house but being a union busting organization Trimet decided to keep these jobs away from the union. Terrible. This is supposedly a blue state. If you believe that you're a total idiot.
{I apologize for spelling or grammatical errors, I may be retired but I don't have the time to proof read this stuff.}
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