Administrivia: February 2008 Archives
An interurban electric car operated by the Orleans-Kenner Railroad, at the company's barn at Tulane Ave. and S. Dupre St. in 1928.
The O-K railroad ran from what is now Williams Blvd. and Jefferson Highway in Kenner to Canal and S. Rampart Streets downtown. The railroad followed Jefferson Highway to the parish line. When it crossed into Orleans Parish, the O-K ran down S. Claiborne, then turned left on S. Carrollton to follow the Tulane Belt path to Canal St. The return was via the St. Charles belt. The O-K ran from 1915 to 1929. NOPSI converted the St. Charles and Tulane Belts to wide gauge in 1929, making the track incompatible with the standard-gauge O-K. Buses were substituted for the interurbans, running from S. Carrollton and S. Claiborne.
One of the most significant differences between the interurban rail cars and traditional streetcars is the baggage compartment between the cab and rider seating. This area enabled farmers from Kenner to bring bushels of produce into town easily. Once at Canal and Rampart, it was an easy trip by wagon or truck to the French Market.
The O-K RR was the city's only true interurban line. Unlike other parts of the country, the geography of the Isle d'Orleans is such that it was too expensive to run electric interurbans through the swamp to higher ground. Connecting the tri-parish (Orleans/Jefferson/St. Bernard) to the rest of the world was the job of traditional railroad service.
We had a great discussion about the O-K Railroad at the East Jefferson Regional Library last week. I'll be posting more info about the O-K RR in the NOSRA wiki in the near future.
One of the most effective things that Newt the Gingrich did to frame the debate against Democrats in 1994 was "The Contract For America," a point-by-point list of the things a Republican congress would do to turn things around to their way of thinking. They promised to outright do a number of those points in the first 100 days of the session, and at least get tht ball rolling on the rest. The contract was clear, succint and was one of the reasons the Dems had their collective ass handed to them that Novemb
er.It's in that spirit that I offer my "Ten Things in Twelve Months" list. I've always felt that the whole "hundred days" benchmark was media masturbation. A year, however, is a legimitate time period that voters understand.
1. Fully restore civil liberties in the US. I put this item at a higher priority than the war because the powers that the Republicans and capitulating Democrats have given the government are so indisious that this issue merits immediate attention. There's another equally important factor here: use of those powers is tempting. There are all sorts of stories of the meetings that J. Edgar Hoover used to have with incoming Presidents and Attorneys General, where he brought them inside on all those files he had. This is like "Lord of the Rings" in that the temptation to try to use these powers for good is so strong that I want to see it shut down immediately. Close down the Guantanamo, dismantle the "military tribunal" structure and concept. Destroy any data collected without legal FISA warrants, and set up policies and procedures with stiff consequences for personnel who go off the reservation.
2. Iraq Withdrawl/MidEast Security. I don't say "end the war," because we can't do that. We've lost. This is Vietnam now, a matter of getting our people out and letting the locals settle things amongst themselves. I like Clinton's two brigades a month plan. I don't know enough about Army and Marine logistics to know if that timetable could be accelerated.
Some of the troops we're pulling out will have to stay in that theatre of operations. When the Soviets left Afghanistan, the vacuum created allowed the Taliban to rise, and we all know how well that worked out for us all. Still, ALL National Guard units currently deployed should be brought home in the first year. Those men and women didn't sign on to be in the regular Army, and neither did their families. We owe them their lives back.
3. Universal Health Care. Learn from the 1993 defeat, come back with a bill that will pass both houses and the President can sign.
4. Bring back the WPA. One of the reasons the WPA was created was to be an economic stimulus at a time when so many businesses fell apart so many people were out of work. We'll be in full-blown recession by November. While that's good for the electoral map (no incumbent party wins when the economy sinks on their watch), it's the next administration that will be left cleaning up what Dr. Black calls "big shitpile.
"We have massive infrastructure needs in this country. Highways, bridges, schools, public buildings all need repair or replacement. An overwhelming number of the businesses that would benefit from a WPA-style program are owned by Republicans. The problem is that these businesses aren't in the oil industry and they aren't war profiteers. They're the type of people who oppose direct welfare programs. With a WPA-style program, we give them a shot of corporate welfare in terms of government contracts that they simply can't refuse.
Oh yeah, and the first place this WPA-style program goes to work is the Gulf Coast.
5. Establish a General Disaster Insurance Program. Currently, FEMA underwrites flood insurance, and the program is basically solid. There is a lot of potential for expanding the concept to other disasters. With the existing flood insurance program as a base, allow Californians to buy "earthquake insurance," "tornado insurance" for folks in the midwest, and "wildfire insurance" for residents where that's the big threat. Short of a trifecta worthy of the Book of Revelation, the increase in the pool of policyholders should go a long way in reducing the overall risk.
The political benefits to including everyone in "disaster" insurance are obvious. When homes in New Mexico are burned from out of control fires, those people get the same help as when the Mississippi Valley rivers overflow their banks and destroy homes or one of our storms rolls in from the gulf. Make premiums affordable to all homeowners and everyone has a sense of buy-in with the program. We'll have a lot less of these arguments over whether someone's home, town, or city should be rebuilt when disaster strikes.
6. Proper treatment of military veterans. We'll never get the votes of the old farts in the VFW (particularly if we're up against Hundred-Year-Johnny), but way too many of the veterans under 40 have been royally screwed by both Bush administrations. They remember, their wives remember, and they vote. Upgrades and improvements to the VA hospital system should be part of overall health care reform. Serious efforts to look after the mental health needs of veterans will be implemented. Establish re-integration programs to get veterans back into civilian life and the civilian workforce, so we don't create any more ticking timebombs like Tim McVeigh. Give SBA assistance to veteran-owned businesses to help them get contracts for the WPA-style rebuilding program.
7. Adopt sensible energy policies. Carter had it right on energy, but we've really lost our way. Sign and adhere to Kyoto. Offer to host and sponsor "Kyoto 2" or whatever you want to call the next discussion of global warming. Stop worrying about angry Michigan voters and do the right thing in terms of automobile regulations. Promote mass transit: go back to the 80/20 (federal/local) funding formula for new transit programs instead of the 50/50 formula adopted by BushCo. Put a surcharge on airline tickets and dedicate the money to upgrading and improving Amtrak service. Establish policies that all buildings and facilities constructed in the WPA-style program be "greener."
8. Common-sense counterterrorism. BushCo have not only trampled on the Constitution in the last eight years, but they've done a positively awful job of protecting this country from terrorist attack. From Ashcroft's grandstanding to the "color code" alert system to the antics of the TSA at airports, "Homeland Security" has been mocked more than it's been praised. Pull DHS together and make it work right. Spin off the pieces that don't fit. Make TSA work the way it was originally intended, staffing it with properly-trained security officers who are looking for people that might hijack planes.
9. Re-define the role of the Department of Education. Federal assistance to public education is one of the areas where Grover Norquist almost got his wish. The Republicans are coming closer and closer to being able to drown the Dept. of Education in a bathtub. I'd rather see the wingnuts yelling about "states rights" and "federal extortion" when it comes to education policy than having them in a position where faith-based charter schools and voucher programs are gaining strength.
10. Presidential World Tour. When a large company fires a CEO, one of the first things the new boss will do is get on a plane and visit that company's customers personally, re-assuring them that things are back on track. The new CEO will eat humble pie, admit that the previous guy was a screw-up, and list the ways things will be better in the future. Our next President should do the same. With most of the world thinking we Americans are a bunch of complete fools, I can't think of a better way to show we're moving back to sanity than to send the "first black" or "first woman" President on a rock-star style promotional tour. Give speeches, make public appearances, have substantive talks with world leaders. It's possible to run this government from Air Force One for a week at a time, so go to Europe one one trip, Asia a couple months later, etc. The world will catch the same fever our campaigns have on this, and will want to be able to say they saw/met our "first-whatever" President.
I know that a lot of the points on my list are part of the campaign platforms of both Obama and Clinton. Nothing here is new ground, really, and none of this is beyond the level of "progressive" or "populist" of either candidate. The bottom line is that Americans like "top-ten" lists, be they from Letterman, or just their own daily "to-do" lists. They're easy benchmarks for performance that everyone can understand. It's one thing to put up a bunch of position papers on a campaign website, it's another to say, I will do these following things in my first year.
Please use comments here to put up your own top-ten list.
