Sunday, March 7, 2010
Tina Hutchinson says what’s at stake when St. Louis County voters consider a half-cent sales tax hike for transit on the April 6 ballot is the ability for people with disabilities to live independently.
“If this doesn’t pass this election, people are going to lose a job, people are going to lose their ability to be independent,” said Hutchinson, a community advocate who is a volunteer for Paraquad Inc., an area not-for-profit agency that works closely with persons with disabilities.
Hutchinson and a group of Paraquad volunteers were manning a telephone bank on Sunday afternoon at the agency’s office in St. Louis trying to get out the vote among people with disabilities and their families.
It’s one part of the strategy that sales tax supporters are mounting with only a few weeks left in the campaign. And it’s one of a number of approaches that they are taking to get the word out.
Kimberly Barge, a staff attorney with Paraquad, said they are trying to contact an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people in the community. Barge said many of these people are already aware of what’s at stake in the election.
“I believe so, especially so when they did see these cuts did when they took place in 2009,” Barge said.
A similar sales tax proposal was narrowly defeated in the November general election in 2008. In March 2009, Metro, the region’s transportation provider, cut bus routes, MetroLink and Call-A-Ride service by more than 30 percent.
More than half the cuts were restored temporarily last August after Metro received about $20 million in federal and one-time state funding. In January, the St. Louis County Council agreed to put the sales tax proposal back on the ballot.
Call-A-Ride services are critical for handicapped and special needs customers because the vehicles provide the only practical and economic services to them in the area, Barge said.
Call-A-Ride vans are equipped to transport wheel chairs and cabs aren’t accessible for many clients and are too expensive, she said.
But the sales tax proposal isn’t without its critics, who cite the expense and past fiscal management of the transportation officials.
Metro officials have warned that the sales tax failure in April will mean an across the board cut in nearly all transit services, said Adella Jones, a Metro spokesperson.
“The only peek into that future, that you have any factual foundation, is what happened in March 2009,” Jones said. “It will be worse. Instead of that 30 percent cut, we’ve been looking at 50 percent.”
Comments
flyoverland (anonymous) says...
As a person with a visual disability, I sympathize with these people, however, there is an easy solution for all of those who need to ride the bus. Move near where the busses run. St. Louis is simply too spread out to be served by mass transit. We can't afford higher taxes right now. We should have transit districts, not go broke trying to bring transit to people who don't need it or want it.
March 8, 2010 at 7:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rune04 (anonymous) says...
While having a vibrant transportation would be really nice, it boils down to the question, can we afford it? With the economy as it is today, the unemployment picture distressing, etc, we just can't afford it. I would like and need a new car, but since I can't afford it right now, I will do without. We just can't keep spending money we don't have. I think its time for the govenment to consider this thought.
March 8, 2010 at 8:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nick (anonymous) says...
"We just can't keep spending money we don't have. I think its time for the govenment to consider this thought."
Money to Iraq since March 2003: $710,809,100,090.
March 8, 2010 at 9:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Flybigrc (anonymous) says...
Good point Nick. That Iraq money would pay for a whole bunch of Buses, Trains and Vans! Iraq should have to pay us back in Oil Revenue, so should Saudi Arabi.
March 8, 2010 at 9:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flyoverland (anonymous) says...
I do agree with Flybigrc. When the war started, I was talking a a then US Senator and asked about whether the war should be paid in oil. He said that was the plan. A year later, he had changed his tune and said, "well, that oil belongs to the Iraqi people." If they won't pay for it, we ought to just take it with us on the way out. I'm still voting no on the busses.
March 8, 2010 at 9:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rune04 (anonymous) says...
You are right on nick, but to be fair, all of this money didn't go to Iraq. Hallerburton got a big chunk of it!!! :-)
March 8, 2010 at 9:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Towncar07 (anonymous) says...
While it is true that Iraq, etc has cost us dearly in life and treasure, (we) were to be paid in Iraq oil, but because of politics, the oil revenue just goes to pay for new infrastructure that gets blown up with the next payback because everyone seems to want to prove that "my God is better than your God"...meanwhile we have the current administration that is spending so much money not yet printed that we are in a hole that is getting deeper every second. The coming tax angle will blow everyone away anyhow...I feel for the disabled, and I hope their needs are met thru private donations and not another tax that will just not work now.
March 8, 2010 at 9:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )