1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: What's going on. Thank you so much for listening to 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,640 this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon 3 00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:12,480 to three on WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,719 want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,239 my daily show prep with all the links, become a patron, 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,600 go to thepeakclendarshow dot com. Make sure you hit the 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,160 subscribe button. Get every episode for free right to your 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,719 smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for 9 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:33,719 your support. Alrighty, so let's talk about transportation and the 10 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:44,679 looming increase in taxes that's coming to Mecklenburg County. Well, anybody, visitors, locals, residents, everybody. 11 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,719 This is actually there was an interesting write up about 12 00:00:49,799 --> 00:00:56,320 the about the impact of the transportation sales tax increase 13 00:00:56,399 --> 00:00:59,960 or transit sales tax increase that we will be asked 14 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:06,959 to approve or reject in this upcoming November election. And 15 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:09,959 this is by Steve Harrison. It was published over at 16 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:14,159 the Charlotte Ledger, which I'm a subscriber to, and Steve 17 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:19,519 Harrison as a reporter over at WFAE, and I think 18 00:01:19,519 --> 00:01:23,799 this is They call this feature transit time, I believe. 19 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:27,319 And so he's got the numbers. He crunches a bunch 20 00:01:27,359 --> 00:01:29,840 of the numbers as to what impact this is going 21 00:01:29,879 --> 00:01:32,239 to have. So in case you aren't to wear. The 22 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:38,560 North Carolina legislature put together this plan, but it would 23 00:01:38,599 --> 00:01:42,760 require voter approval first because it would include an increase 24 00:01:42,879 --> 00:01:46,480 in the sales tax, which the City of Charlotte and 25 00:01:46,719 --> 00:01:55,120 Mecklenberg commissioners and transportation advocates have been clamoring for for 26 00:01:55,319 --> 00:02:00,239 years in order to get more revenue into the train 27 00:02:00,359 --> 00:02:03,400 system basically and to a lesser extent, the buses. Yes, 28 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:07,840 but it's really about building out this, uh this train 29 00:02:08,879 --> 00:02:13,439 plan which was first and back when this was first done, 30 00:02:13,479 --> 00:02:18,280 with the original sales tax increase and the original transit plan, 31 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,400 I was a reporter here at WBT. I covered this extensively, 32 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,560 and uh, you know, they they ended up approving it, 33 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:29,039 and they built the South Corridor light rail line, and 34 00:02:30,319 --> 00:02:34,000 I remember the arguments for and against there were. You know, 35 00:02:34,039 --> 00:02:39,280 we even hosted a debate at one point pro and con. 36 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:43,039 It did pass, and I suspect that chances are it's 37 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,879 going to pass again, and a tax increase on the 38 00:02:45,879 --> 00:02:49,319 sales tax will pass again. I don't know if it will. 39 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,759 I'm not predicting it will, But I suspect if I 40 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:53,919 had to bet, if I had to make a prediction, 41 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,120 I'd say chances are probably pretty good. Now that being said, 42 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:00,599 there is a chance that it could fit. It is 43 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:05,000 an off year election, right, which means lower turnout, which 44 00:03:05,039 --> 00:03:10,840 means if you can organize and motivate, galvanize the opposition 45 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:16,759 movement whatever it is, you can actually, oh, you can 46 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:22,560 vote this thing down. Part of the problem, though, I suspect, 47 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,039 is going to be that a lot of the conservative, 48 00:03:25,199 --> 00:03:30,840 limited government, low tax kind of Republican voters they left. 49 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,599 Those are the people that would help you vote against 50 00:03:34,719 --> 00:03:37,400 this kind of a thing, And many of them have 51 00:03:37,479 --> 00:03:40,960 gone to the surrounding counties because they got tired of 52 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,919 all of the other tax increases that boosters and Democrats 53 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:51,159 have done over the years in Charlotte to build all 54 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,639 sorts of as the former WBT host Keith Larson used 55 00:03:54,639 --> 00:03:57,960 to call it, all of the shiny things in order 56 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:03,479 to attract businesses and new residents. Right, to grow the city, 57 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,319 you had to spend all this money, millions and millions, 58 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,319 hundreds of millions, billions of dollars you had to spend 59 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:12,960 for growth. Because growth doesn't pay for itself. We were 60 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,879 always told, And one time I asked a planner, well, 61 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,279 if growth doesn't pay for itself, then why would you 62 00:04:18,319 --> 00:04:21,959 want growth? Like, well, then you'd be dying. That's even worse, 63 00:04:22,199 --> 00:04:26,639 like okay, So it sounds like there's never an excuse 64 00:04:26,759 --> 00:04:31,000 to hold the line and to maintain a status quo. 65 00:04:31,079 --> 00:04:35,560 You're always growing, okay, and that always costs more money. 66 00:04:35,639 --> 00:04:38,319 So it seems like sort of a built in formula 67 00:04:38,439 --> 00:04:42,560 of heads eye, wind tails, you lose. So here's Steve 68 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:47,079 Harrison's piece at the Charlotte Ledger. Mecklenberg voters will decide 69 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,600 in November on whether to increase the county wide sales tax. 70 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,399 It would go from seven and a quarter percent up 71 00:04:54,399 --> 00:04:57,879 to eight and a quarter percent. This would fund a 72 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,879 multi billion dollar transportation plan. So far, most of the 73 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,600 focus has been on what the plan will build, roads, 74 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,040 new rail lines, more frequent bus service, and vastly more 75 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,439 on demand micro transit. Have you heard of this term 76 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:23,600 micro transit? Uber? Basically, so we're going to build an uber, Okay, 77 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:27,639 why don't Why don't we just offer credits? Why don't 78 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:29,759 we just cut some sort of a deal with Uber 79 00:05:29,879 --> 00:05:30,399 and Lyft? 80 00:05:30,519 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 2: Why? 81 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: Why do we have to maintain a fleet of vehicles 82 00:05:33,639 --> 00:05:39,199 running their own Uber program. I don't get it. Why 83 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:43,439 do we have to control it? Probably because the credits 84 00:05:43,439 --> 00:05:46,439 to Uber would not you know, because they're going to 85 00:05:46,519 --> 00:05:49,720 charge people probably next to nothing to get taxi service. 86 00:05:49,759 --> 00:05:52,040 That's what we're talking about. It's a no on demand 87 00:05:52,079 --> 00:05:56,199 taxi service that's run by the local government, which will 88 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,319 of course crowd out a lot of those Uber drivers, 89 00:05:59,399 --> 00:06:03,160 lift drivers and taxi companies, because that's what happens when 90 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:07,160 the government enters into the marketplace and competes with private 91 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:11,600 companies that are fulfilling a demand. They're providing a supply, 92 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,079 they're doing so at a profit. Government comes in and 93 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:22,399 subsidizes low prices with taxpayer funds, and so it's going 94 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,160 to crowd out. In other words, it's going to put 95 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:32,079 out of business these other companies. See this is my 96 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,240 problem with the micro transit model. When gov Co runs it, 97 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:38,800 gov Co should not be running this. I also would 98 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,199 submit it's probably going to be less efficient and effective 99 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:47,079 than Uber and Lyft and a taxi company. But how 100 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,360 much would residents pay under this new tax Charlotte Area 101 00:06:51,399 --> 00:06:54,279 Transit System and the Charlotte City Council have not focused 102 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,000 on the cost to residents, which is a complete shock 103 00:06:57,079 --> 00:07:01,439 to me, which would be substantially large. Get this then 104 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:06,920 a typical property tax increase. So this is a key 105 00:07:06,959 --> 00:07:11,279 point here. People complain about property taxes going up, right, 106 00:07:13,079 --> 00:07:17,120 but they don't go up on an annual basis as 107 00:07:17,199 --> 00:07:20,600 much as this is going to cost you on an 108 00:07:20,639 --> 00:07:24,480 annual basis by an order of about three to five 109 00:07:25,319 --> 00:07:29,160 depending on the calculations you're going to. So this increase 110 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,079 is three to five times greater than your normal kind 111 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:39,000 of property tax rate increase in real dollars. According to 112 00:07:39,199 --> 00:07:44,040 a slide that was part of a presentation back in June, 113 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,800 the city estimated that the increased tax would cost the 114 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,800 average household in Mecklenberg County two hundred and forty dollars 115 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,279 additionally a year. That's additional that's on top of this 116 00:07:54,439 --> 00:07:57,959 was the old Parks Helms argument. Parks Elms was the 117 00:07:58,519 --> 00:08:04,959 former county commission chairman, state legislator Democrat, and during one 118 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,560 of the tax increase debates at the county level, he 119 00:08:08,639 --> 00:08:11,639 made a comment about it's only the price of a 120 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,439 cup of slaw when he went to Chick fil A's. 121 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:17,560 That's all that's all it is. It's just a cup 122 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:24,120 of slaw, and that that was used plentifully. Let me 123 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:29,000 say against him on this very station, because it's not 124 00:08:29,319 --> 00:08:32,440 just the cup of slaw. It's the cup of slaw 125 00:08:32,759 --> 00:08:36,799 plus all of the other costs before you tacked on 126 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,480 the slaw. Right, it's like saying, well, I just got 127 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:42,720 this cup of slaw, that's it. Well, no, you didn't 128 00:08:42,799 --> 00:08:45,639 just eat the slaw. You ate like a seventeen course meal, 129 00:08:45,879 --> 00:08:48,600 and then you threw on a cup of slaw and 130 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:53,440 you're you're billing me to pay for it all two 131 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,679 hundred and forty dollars a year. The city estimates that 132 00:08:55,799 --> 00:09:00,279 average low income households, the average low income household would 133 00:09:00,279 --> 00:09:02,720 pay one hundred and thirty two dollars a year, and 134 00:09:02,759 --> 00:09:06,639 that's also still more than your normal average property tax 135 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:10,679 increase impact. Here's a great idea. How about making an 136 00:09:10,799 --> 00:09:14,000 escape to a really special and secluded getaway in western 137 00:09:14,039 --> 00:09:16,519 North Carolina? 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So the increase of one percentage 158 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:28,879 point in the Mecklenburg sales tax if voters approve it 159 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:33,600 in November, adds little to the cost of any individual purchase. 160 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,639 According to the piece at the Charlotte Ledger by Steve Harrison, 161 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:42,279 it's just twenty cents more on something that costs twenty dollars. 162 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:48,879 Speaker 1: Okay, so you buy something for twenty bucks, it's an 163 00:10:48,919 --> 00:10:54,240 additional twenty cents on the dollar. However, it's eight percent, 164 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,320 So it's well, I'm not going to do the math 165 00:10:58,360 --> 00:10:59,919 on that. It's eight It'll be eight and a quarter 166 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:06,360 percent of the twenty dollars. That's just the the county 167 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:10,440 wide tax, don't I don't believe that includes the state 168 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:14,720 sales tax. Right, So you're somewhere in the neighborhood of 169 00:11:14,759 --> 00:11:18,240 on a twenty dollars purchase. Now you're spending probably over 170 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,840 two bucks, maybe two fifty. Right, we're over ten percent 171 00:11:24,519 --> 00:11:27,080 over the course of a year, though that additional twenty 172 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:32,600 cents adds up, and the range is, he writes, somewhere 173 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,559 the estimate is somewhere between two forty and two ninety 174 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:42,399 a year. The sales tax is applied to things like clothing, toys, electronics, 175 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:48,080 restaurant and bar food, most drinks, furniture, and books. Some 176 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:53,279 items are exempt, such as medicine, most groceries, and cars. 177 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:57,559 Thirty percent of the sales tax proceeds according to the 178 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,320 Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, which I guess was that the 179 00:12:01,399 --> 00:12:06,879 Chamber of Commerce, at one point, thirty percent of those 180 00:12:06,919 --> 00:12:11,639 tax proceeds will be paid by non Mecklenburg residents, so visitors, 181 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:16,919 commuters from out of county, right, thirty percent paid by 182 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:21,559 out of countiers. That a word, out of towners, although 183 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:26,559 it is county wide. Okay, so thirty percent non Mecklenburg residents. 184 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:34,080 Thirty five percent will come from mecklenburgers. The rest would 185 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:40,440 be paid by businesses, so the same people basically, because 186 00:12:40,879 --> 00:12:43,440 if you are a business and you have to pay 187 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:47,480 more when you're buying your stuff, right, you're buying your 188 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,399 If you're a restaurant owner and you have to buy, 189 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,759 you know, more to go cups, you're making that purchase, 190 00:12:53,759 --> 00:12:55,600 you've got to pay a sales tax on that, and 191 00:12:56,519 --> 00:13:00,360 you're going to pass that cost onto the consumers. Assuming 192 00:13:01,039 --> 00:13:06,120 that this split is similar, then we should take the 193 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:10,000 remaining what it's got thirty and thirty five, so another 194 00:13:10,039 --> 00:13:14,039 thirty five percent and split that roughly half. So let's 195 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:20,799 say what forty five percent is paid by out of towners, 196 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,720 fifty five percent is going to be paid by residents, 197 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,440 so most of it will be paid by us. Okay. 198 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:37,240 Mecklenburg increased the county increased property taxes last year, and 199 00:13:37,279 --> 00:13:42,080 the county estimates that the median household will pay seventy 200 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,559 four dollars in higher property taxes for the two increases 201 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:47,679 of last year in this year twenty five and twenty six, 202 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:53,360 seventy four dollars a year increase. And this had this 203 00:13:53,399 --> 00:13:56,799 had the county commissioners all twisted in a knot. I 204 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:59,600 don't know if we can raise these property taxes. Is 205 00:13:59,639 --> 00:14:02,120 too much, but we've cut to the bone. There's nothing 206 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:05,840 lab that we could cut. Here's some DEI contracts. Yeah, 207 00:14:05,879 --> 00:14:08,360 they can't cut anymore. They were so torn up about it. 208 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:15,360 Seventy four dollars, This is two hundred and forty. It 209 00:14:15,399 --> 00:14:19,519 passed eight to one to put it to voters. The 210 00:14:19,559 --> 00:14:22,320 City of Charlotte did not raise property taxes this year, 211 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,720 but it did increase them last year. That tax increase 212 00:14:25,759 --> 00:14:31,320 cost forty nine dollars for the median home. So forty 213 00:14:31,399 --> 00:14:35,279 nine dollars plus seventy four you're at about one hundred 214 00:14:35,279 --> 00:14:39,879 and twenty. That's still half of what the sales tax 215 00:14:39,919 --> 00:14:44,960 increase will cost us. Luckily, I live right near the 216 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,320 county line. I will be going to a nearby county 217 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:52,600 to spend all of my money on these purchases. The 218 00:14:52,759 --> 00:14:55,320 sales taxes applied to things like oh, I already mentioned that, 219 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,960 sorry this page. The biggest hikes have been fees that 220 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:03,559 homeowners pay for garbage stormwater water service. In fiscal You're 221 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,720 twenty twenty five, the city said those hikes would also 222 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:11,919 cost the median homeowner an additional sixty seven dollars for 223 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:16,799 the next year, ninety dollars. Gosh, I don't know why 224 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,200 people can't afford to live here anymore. It's a mystery. 225 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:26,279 Let me go over to Chris. Hello, Chris, welcome to 226 00:15:26,279 --> 00:15:26,879 the program. 227 00:15:27,759 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 4: Thanks Pete, sir, you kind of touched on my point 228 00:15:30,159 --> 00:15:32,600 right there at the end. I'm up here in Combar's 229 00:15:32,639 --> 00:15:35,559 County fighting against property tax hikes. I moved from Charlotte 230 00:15:35,639 --> 00:15:38,320 up here, and you know, the sales tax thing is 231 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,320 a great idea in a way for all of us 232 00:15:40,399 --> 00:15:45,279 to share the burden instead of just homeowners, and also 233 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,840 having our lively our homes threatened by taking away by 234 00:15:48,879 --> 00:15:51,639 force if we don't pay the property tax. But the 235 00:15:51,759 --> 00:15:54,320 scary part is, like you just touched on, if I'm 236 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,240 going to go buy anything of substance, I'm not going 237 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:58,480 to buy it where it's a you know, a percent 238 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:00,440 or a percent and a half two percent more than 239 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,159 the neighboring county. I'll take that half an hour drive 240 00:16:03,279 --> 00:16:06,200 to buy a fifty thousand dollars car or you know 241 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:07,559 whatever cars are. 242 00:16:07,879 --> 00:16:11,559 Speaker 1: Cars are exempt from the sales tax, so okay, yeah, yeah, 243 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:13,759 but but to your point, stands about a large purchase. 244 00:16:13,799 --> 00:16:15,200 So yeah, if you're going to go, if you're going 245 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,120 to go buy some appliances, let's say, and you're going 246 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:21,720 to drop two thousand dollars, well, you know, you know, 247 00:16:21,759 --> 00:16:26,000 ten percent plus sales tax in Mecklinburg County, that's going 248 00:16:26,039 --> 00:16:27,840 to run you an extra two hundred bucks or so 249 00:16:28,039 --> 00:16:30,639 too fifty So yeah, that's that's worth a drive. 250 00:16:31,559 --> 00:16:34,159 Speaker 5: Absolutely, and people will do that. But I do want 251 00:16:34,519 --> 00:16:38,240 protection on our property, like the property tax increases are 252 00:16:38,279 --> 00:16:40,519 even worse to me. But unless they raise all the 253 00:16:40,559 --> 00:16:43,159 sales tax at a state level, it's not going to 254 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,480 protect like certain counties are going to be able to 255 00:16:45,519 --> 00:16:48,759 protect their citizens with a proper a sales tax increase 256 00:16:48,759 --> 00:16:51,039 because they won't, they'll just go to another county. So 257 00:16:51,159 --> 00:16:54,279 it's slippery slow. But I'm out of Mecklenburg, thank goodness. 258 00:16:54,279 --> 00:16:56,440 But we were fighting the same exact thing. Yeah here 259 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:58,320 in Cobar's County, we're just a little behind you. 260 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: Well, it's here's the thing. It's about priorities, right, It's 261 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:04,799 about focusing on course services. And when cities believe that 262 00:17:04,839 --> 00:17:07,519 they have gotten all the course services funded and they're 263 00:17:07,559 --> 00:17:12,039 running smoothly, and then they start focusing on these other things, right, 264 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:16,599 and then they start getting visionary. Shall we say, let's grow? Yeah, 265 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:19,000 and so let's do all these things. And that's well. 266 00:17:19,039 --> 00:17:22,079 And that's the reason why this plan, as approved by 267 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:26,039 the state General Assembly, got approved was because it mandated 268 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:29,720 forty percent of this revenue to go to RHADS. So 269 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:33,799 that because the original plan the City of Charlotte, they 270 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:35,359 did not want it to go to roads. It was 271 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:36,960 all going to be for transit. 272 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,559 Speaker 5: And the state said, my gas tax go h. 273 00:17:41,079 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: Well, there's some federal gas tax revenue that's collected at 274 00:17:44,519 --> 00:17:47,160 the federal level, and then the state gas taxes go 275 00:17:47,279 --> 00:17:48,640 to the state dot. 276 00:17:49,559 --> 00:17:52,599 Speaker 5: Where's my registration fees all of the different birds. 277 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:58,319 Speaker 1: The registration fees, your registration fees for just the registration 278 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:01,720 that go well, hang on a second. There's a small 279 00:18:01,759 --> 00:18:05,079 fee that goes to the DMV to cover those costs. 280 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:07,880 But then there are property taxes for your vehicle as well, 281 00:18:08,279 --> 00:18:10,640 and that's assessed at the county level, and I believe 282 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:12,559 those go to the county, but I'm not sure. 283 00:18:13,799 --> 00:18:16,680 Speaker 5: So many taxes, yeah, no, it's yeah, And that's what 284 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:16,920 I mean. 285 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 1: When governments do more and more and more, they have 286 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:22,640 to fund these things and keep them funded, and so 287 00:18:22,839 --> 00:18:24,759 they just keep inflating the balloon. And then they just 288 00:18:24,759 --> 00:18:27,960 squeeze different sides of the balloon, like oh, lower property taxes, 289 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,799 but higher sales taxes, or squeeze it the other direction. 290 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:35,119 So yeah, but it always comes down to prioritization. Chris, 291 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:36,759 I appreciate the call, Buddy, good to hear from you. 292 00:18:36,839 --> 00:18:38,880 Have a great weekend, all right, if you're listening to 293 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:40,440 this show, you know I try to keep up with 294 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:42,599 all sorts of current events, and I know you do too. 295 00:18:42,759 --> 00:18:45,279 And you've probably heard me say get your news from 296 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:49,960 multiple sources. Why, Well, because it's how you detect media bias, 297 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,559 which is why I've been so impressed with ground News. 298 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:56,319 It's an app, and it's a website, and it combines 299 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,440 news from around the world in one place, so you 300 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,839 can compare coverage and verify information. You can check it 301 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:06,440 out at check dot ground, dot news slash pete. I 302 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,319 put the link in the podcast description too. I started 303 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,119 using ground News a few months ago and more recently 304 00:19:12,279 --> 00:19:14,279 chose to work with them as an affiliate because it 305 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:18,200 lets me see clearly how stories get covered and by whom. 306 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,440 The blind spot feature shows you which stories get ignored 307 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,400 by the left and the right. See for yourself check 308 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:28,960 dot ground, dot news slash pete. Subscribe through that link 309 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,880 and you'll get fifteen percent off any subscription. I use 310 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:35,079 the Vantage plan to get unlimited access to every feature. 311 00:19:35,279 --> 00:19:38,039 Your subscription then not only helps my podcast, but it 312 00:19:38,079 --> 00:19:41,200 also supports ground News as they make the media landscape 313 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:47,039 more transparent real quick on the numbers. By state law 314 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:52,000 which was adopted this session that authorized this vote, at 315 00:19:52,079 --> 00:19:54,160 least forty percent of the money from the tax has 316 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,079 to be spent on roads or road related projects, which 317 00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:02,640 includes by the way, sidewalks, and street lights. So I'm 318 00:20:02,759 --> 00:20:04,519 going to go out on a limb and say that's 319 00:20:04,559 --> 00:20:07,920 probably where the City of Charlotte's gonna funnel most of 320 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:12,279 this money. No more than forty percent can be spent 321 00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:15,039 on rail transit, and twenty percent can be spent on 322 00:20:15,079 --> 00:20:19,839 other transit uses like buses and the micro transit option. 323 00:20:20,519 --> 00:20:22,759 The city has said that the sales tax would generate 324 00:20:22,799 --> 00:20:24,680 more than one hundred and thirty million dollars a year 325 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:28,200 county wide for roads and road related projects, money that 326 00:20:28,319 --> 00:20:31,400 Charlotte and the six Mecklenburg towns would be free to 327 00:20:31,519 --> 00:20:37,240 spend on streets, sidewalks, crosswalks, street lights, and redesigning intersections. Now, 328 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,359 there was some comments, There were some comments made at 329 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:43,920 a Charlotte City council meeting where I believe the county 330 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:46,640 or the city manager said, well, you know, we can 331 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:48,480 get this extra money in and then we can look 332 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:52,920 to reduce our spending at the city budget level to 333 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,839 basically supplant that money. And when the state lawmakers heard that, 334 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,279 they were like, yeah, you know what, we're gonna put 335 00:20:59,319 --> 00:21:02,119 an amendment into this bill. And you can't do that. 336 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:07,039 You have to maintain current funding levels taken over like 337 00:21:07,079 --> 00:21:10,640 a five year your recent five year average that's what 338 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,799 you got to maintain. It appears most of the money 339 00:21:14,839 --> 00:21:17,200 we go to expanding the new micro transit service that 340 00:21:17,319 --> 00:21:23,160 mimics Uber. They started this in North Mecklenburg in February. 341 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:27,680 They planned to add eighteen additional zones. They're also going 342 00:21:27,759 --> 00:21:30,920 to be doing according to the transit law, calls for 343 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:33,759 the Red Line commuter rail, which is not light rail, 344 00:21:33,799 --> 00:21:37,279 it's a heavier rail to go to Lake Norman to 345 00:21:37,319 --> 00:21:41,359 be built first. Katz has prioritized the Silver Line, which 346 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,680 runs from the airport to Bojangles Coliseum, and then completing 347 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:48,400 the Gold Line street car which is a complete waste 348 00:21:48,559 --> 00:21:50,920 to the east down Central Avenue and to the west 349 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,160 along Baty's Ford Road, and then extending the Links Blue 350 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:59,039 Line down into Pineville and by the way Pineville. Although 351 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:02,799 those many years ago rejected the light rail line going 352 00:22:02,799 --> 00:22:06,759 into it, they did not want the South Quarter light 353 00:22:06,839 --> 00:22:14,559 rail line going into Pindel, and now they do. In 354 00:22:14,599 --> 00:22:19,279 the past, it should be noted here that they said 355 00:22:19,319 --> 00:22:23,400 they could build and operate the transit system for the 356 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,519 amount of money that the one sent sales tax had 357 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:31,519 was projected to bring in. This may shock you to learn, 358 00:22:31,599 --> 00:22:38,680 but those projections were not accurate in an ambition, abitious, 359 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:41,640 ambitious project. List CAT said it can build and operate 360 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,279 the trains for one hundred and thirty million dollars annually. 361 00:22:44,799 --> 00:22:48,200 But it's important to remember that what was promised when 362 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,000 voters chose not to repeal the existing half sent sales 363 00:22:51,039 --> 00:22:54,000 tax for transit in two thousand and seven. At the time, 364 00:22:54,599 --> 00:22:59,960 the Links Blue Line had just opened. KATS built the extension, 365 00:23:00,039 --> 00:23:02,240 but it had to cut the line short and terminated 366 00:23:02,279 --> 00:23:06,359 at UNCC to save money. It shifted construction and operations 367 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,880 of the street car to the City of Charlotte. I 368 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,920 call that the Anthony Fox Line because Anthony Fox promised 369 00:23:13,279 --> 00:23:18,920 to leap frog that project over the other transit priorities 370 00:23:19,599 --> 00:23:21,960 in order to win the votes of the East Charlotte 371 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:26,440 people in the mayor's race. It was the first race 372 00:23:26,519 --> 00:23:29,440 after Pat McCrory said he wasn't going to run for 373 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:32,599 reelection again after seven terms. It was a tight race 374 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:36,039 between John Lasseter the Republican, Anthony Fox the Democrat. So 375 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:39,000 Fox made this promise to build the street car, and 376 00:23:39,519 --> 00:23:42,880 you know, McCrory was apoplectic. He's like, we sold everybody 377 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:45,079 on this thing, Like the street car is a lower priority. 378 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:46,519 It is not going to get a lot of usage. 379 00:23:46,519 --> 00:23:49,480 We should not be doing this, but you know, Anthony 380 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:51,640 Fox needed the votes, so I guess it all worked out. 381 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,480 So Katz underestimated how much it would cost to build 382 00:23:57,519 --> 00:24:01,319 and operate the trains at that time. They over promised 383 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:04,839 eighteen years ago. Is it doing so again? I would 384 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:10,440 say yes. That's kind of the way these things go. Tony, 385 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:11,160 Welcome to the show. 386 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,880 Speaker 2: Hello Tony, Hey, good afternoon, Pete. I hope you're doing well. 387 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:15,839 Speaker 1: I am sir. How are you? 388 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:20,599 Speaker 2: I am good. A tremendous amount of growth in Charlotte 389 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:24,240 Drow's got to be improved, some public transportation. I get 390 00:24:24,279 --> 00:24:27,000 all that, even with the funny projects they have. But 391 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:29,680 what bothers me the most is when you get into 392 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,039 these billion dollar projects, you've got the usual pigs at 393 00:24:33,039 --> 00:24:37,279 the trough. It is a circular take from the taxpayer. 394 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:42,279 I know these engineers that work on these large state projects. 395 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:45,160 These guys are making over three hundred thousand dollars a 396 00:24:45,279 --> 00:24:48,480 year base salary. They get bonuses fifty thousand to one 397 00:24:48,559 --> 00:24:51,640 hundred thousand. On top of that, they get vacations paid 398 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,759 for all the booze they want to drink. All this 399 00:24:53,799 --> 00:24:57,599 stuff is coming from the taxpayers. Well, I just who 400 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,319 who's accountable for this? It's not the state audi there's 401 00:25:00,319 --> 00:25:02,599 they you know, every everybody in Raleigh seems to be 402 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,240 as corrupt as the next person. And it's not the 403 00:25:05,319 --> 00:25:08,519 legislators who who keeps an eye on these things? 404 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: Well? Like which kinds of things? So are you talking 405 00:25:13,039 --> 00:25:14,680 about the firms that. 406 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 2: Are talking about the I'm talking about the fat cats 407 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:19,720 that are involved in these people? 408 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:22,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, But when you say who are involved in the projects, 409 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:24,920 I'm asking like, are you talking about like private firms 410 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:29,680 that get contracted? Are you talking about government officials? 411 00:25:28,319 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 2: It's the closed network of private firms, right, It's it's 412 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:40,079 a it's just a circular laundering basically that's done legally 413 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:45,079 within the system. These these these firms, the contractors are 414 00:25:45,279 --> 00:25:49,160 way overpaid and who knows what's going back to the 415 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:53,079 people that make it available to them. It's just it 416 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,880 is just, Uh, these projects are just so bloated and 417 00:25:56,960 --> 00:25:59,039 there's there's no urgency to them. How long has that 418 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:02,920 darn bridge hanging over forty five and Valentine. They're just 419 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,640 I mean, they just they just linger there's no I mean, 420 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,440 it's just the whole thing is just ridiculous, and we 421 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:09,799 get to pay the bills. 422 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: Right. Well, the the issue you run into is that 423 00:26:12,759 --> 00:26:15,079 there are not a lot of firms that can build 424 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:19,480 a transportation system, that can and that can do this 425 00:26:19,559 --> 00:26:21,000 kind of work. So because you don't have a lot 426 00:26:21,039 --> 00:26:24,000 of competition for that work, they get to charge whatever 427 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,400 they want. And you know what if the city comes 428 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,119 in and says or cats comes in and says, no, 429 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:32,240 we're not going to pay that, we want a lower price, 430 00:26:32,279 --> 00:26:33,680 and they're like, well, no, we're not going to give 431 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:35,400 you a lower price. Like who do you Who else 432 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:36,000 do you go to? 433 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:39,519 Speaker 2: They're out there, I mean, we've got the whole country 434 00:26:39,559 --> 00:26:41,599 to work with. They're they're they're available. 435 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,640 Speaker 1: They're gonna well yeah, but you're you're asking. I mean 436 00:26:43,759 --> 00:26:46,359 we are. They are soliciting bids from all over the country, 437 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,200 but there are only so many firms that can do 438 00:26:48,279 --> 00:26:49,920 the work at this kind of a scale. 439 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,400 Speaker 2: You know, I don't I don't buy that part of 440 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:53,839 it now. 441 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 1: Okay, well I mean you don't have to. I just 442 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,240 remember when they were doing it the first time, like 443 00:26:57,319 --> 00:27:02,119 Siemens was it. Yeah, you know that then they sub 444 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,279 out like they have firms that they contract with and 445 00:27:04,279 --> 00:27:06,640 they sub it out. Like I'm not defending the amount 446 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:08,440 of money that these people make. I'm just saying, like 447 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,599 these are the This is the reality is that there's 448 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,319 not a lot of competition for the kind of work 449 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:15,359 and the kind of project management. Like there are not 450 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:17,759 a lot of entities that can do this large of 451 00:27:17,759 --> 00:27:20,400 a project. And so because you don't have this huge 452 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:24,559 supply of qualified firms, you end up picking from only 453 00:27:24,599 --> 00:27:27,599 a couple and then yeah, they know what each other charges. 454 00:27:27,759 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 2: So there's only a couple of firms work at all 455 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:33,880 these fast growing cities across the country. 456 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,519 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, because I mean you think about it, 457 00:27:35,519 --> 00:27:37,240 I mean they sub them out. Don't get me wrong, 458 00:27:37,279 --> 00:27:39,920 Like they have subcontractors and firms that they deal with. 459 00:27:40,759 --> 00:27:43,839 But again, like, how many companies do you think produce 460 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:45,440 light rail train cars? 461 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:49,440 Speaker 2: Well? How many? I mean, there's an infinite supply of 462 00:27:49,839 --> 00:27:55,559 engineers to design projects. Okay, so there, I mean they 463 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,839 on your end with the contractors. I don't know, but 464 00:27:59,079 --> 00:28:02,319 I know that there's there's major road projects happening all 465 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:03,119 over the country. 466 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,119 Speaker 1: Well, those are road projects. I'm talking about the trans 467 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:08,519 I'm talking about the light rail lines. I'm talking about 468 00:28:08,519 --> 00:28:09,279 the train projects. 469 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a boondog as well. 470 00:28:12,519 --> 00:28:16,839 Speaker 1: Oh, I thought your beef is on the roadside. 471 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:22,279 Speaker 2: My beef is the bloat and the abuse of taxpayer dollars. 472 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,079 And it is blatant. It is blatant, and I just 473 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:28,440 I would love I'll nominate Pat McCrory to be the 474 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:29,839 guy to go to look into that. I don't think 475 00:28:29,839 --> 00:28:33,680 he's doing anything else these days, but somebody please, well look. 476 00:28:33,519 --> 00:28:35,480 Speaker 1: And you should call in Tony, I would say, call 477 00:28:35,519 --> 00:28:38,880 into the State Auditor's tip line. The State auditor has 478 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,119 a tip line. If you've got something you want the 479 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,200 Auditor's office to look at, definitely use that. I appreciate 480 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:46,160 the call. Good to hear from you, sir. You know, 481 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:48,720 stories are powerful. They help us make sense of things, 482 00:28:48,759 --> 00:28:52,200 to understand experiences. Stories connect us to the people of 483 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,559 our past while transcending generations. 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They'll be ready in a week or two. 493 00:29:25,599 --> 00:29:30,839 Memorial videos for your loved ones, videos for rehearsal, dinners, weddings, graduations, Christmas, 494 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:35,119 family vacations, birthdays, or just your family stories, all told 495 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:38,880 through images. That's what your photos and videos are. They 496 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,759 are your life told through the eyes of everyone around 497 00:29:41,759 --> 00:29:44,039 you and all who came before you, and they will 498 00:29:44,039 --> 00:29:47,400 tell others to come who you are. Visit creative video 499 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:53,920 dot com. A message from Russ who says, my wife 500 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:55,960 and I grew up in Charlotte. Even though we moved 501 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,279 a mile across the border almost twenty years ago, we 502 00:29:58,319 --> 00:30:01,240 still mostly live our lives in char We're friends, a 503 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,680 lot of entertainment and shopping. For years, we've bought big 504 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:07,519 ticket items though in South Carolina. One of the few 505 00:30:07,559 --> 00:30:10,559 good things about the COVID restrictions was learning we could 506 00:30:10,559 --> 00:30:14,200 easily adapt to doing everything in South Carolina instead of Charlotte. 507 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:16,799 We've gone back to a lot of our pre pandemic 508 00:30:16,839 --> 00:30:20,079 behavior since, but switching back if the new tax goes 509 00:30:20,079 --> 00:30:28,599 into effect will not be that difficult. Regarding Tony's call, 510 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,759 there this message from Kenny who says it sounds like 511 00:30:31,799 --> 00:30:34,480 that guy's mad that engineers make a fair amount of money, 512 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,599 does it? Yeah, and look, I don't know anything about 513 00:30:39,599 --> 00:30:41,720 the going rate of an engineer. I don't He said, 514 00:30:41,839 --> 00:30:44,440 you know, the supply of engineers is infinite. I don't 515 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:48,559 believe that. I think there is a finite I don't 516 00:30:48,599 --> 00:30:49,880 know what the number is, but I think there is 517 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,839 a finite number. Bo, Welcome to the show. 518 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 2: Hello, Bo, Hey, good good as How are you? 519 00:30:56,319 --> 00:30:58,400 Speaker 1: I'm well, how are you well? 520 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:00,839 Speaker 2: I'm slightly injured because fell out of my chair. 521 00:31:01,279 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 1: Uh oh yeah. 522 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 2: When the guy said that we should call Pat McCrory 523 00:31:05,599 --> 00:31:09,920 to help us, you'll look into some boon doggles. I 524 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:15,519 think I've injured multiple pieces and parts. I'm on the 525 00:31:15,559 --> 00:31:19,200 impression we got the biggest boondoggle potentially. That's the still 526 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:21,160 on record, although I think they're trying to challenge that. 527 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:24,680 When we got the McCrory line after we voted that 528 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:26,920 we didn't want it. I think Pat's writing a book 529 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,680 on how to get boon doggles after you're considering. 530 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:35,200 Speaker 1: Well, no, now that was the arena referendum, so too. Yeah, yeah, 531 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:38,440 that was the arena referendum for a new uptown arena 532 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:41,880 and a new ballpark uptown for the Charlotte Knights, and 533 00:31:42,119 --> 00:31:46,359 a new Mint Museum and a new Afro Am Museum 534 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:50,319 and a new Discovery Place, and voters rejected that. I 535 00:31:50,319 --> 00:31:53,880 think it was two thousand or maybe two thousand and one, 536 00:31:54,799 --> 00:31:56,680 And then, of course nine to eleven happened. The financial 537 00:31:56,759 --> 00:31:58,839 markets were wreck and so it actually turned out to 538 00:31:58,839 --> 00:32:00,599 be a very good thing that we did not start 539 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:04,480 taking out a lot of debt. But then, yes, right 540 00:32:04,559 --> 00:32:08,519 after that vote, then there was another city council election, 541 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:13,480 and literally the night of the election, the winning candidates 542 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:17,200 started saying they're going to bring back the arena projects, 543 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,079 and lo and behold, all these years later, they got 544 00:32:20,119 --> 00:32:22,799 every one of those projects done. They built every one 545 00:32:22,839 --> 00:32:24,920 of the things that voters said no to. 546 00:32:25,799 --> 00:32:28,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, we really need to reach out to Pat right away. 547 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,599 Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, And now, look in Pat's defense, and I 548 00:32:31,599 --> 00:32:36,640 had many discussions and arguments with him after city council 549 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,279 meetings during this time period when I was reporting, and 550 00:32:39,279 --> 00:32:40,680 I would go up to him and I would ask him, 551 00:32:41,039 --> 00:32:43,039 you know, questions during the interviews, and then when I 552 00:32:43,079 --> 00:32:46,240 would stop, the interview would be over, and then you know, 553 00:32:46,279 --> 00:32:47,839 we would go back and forth and he'd make fun 554 00:32:47,839 --> 00:32:49,759 of me for being a libertarian and that sort of thing. 555 00:32:50,279 --> 00:32:53,000 And I will say, though, he was always consistent that 556 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,920 the light the South Quarter light rail line was in 557 00:32:57,039 --> 00:33:01,880 order to provide options to the congestion. Right, it was 558 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,599 never going like the argument that people were making pro 559 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:07,160 transportation people make is that it's going to take cars 560 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:11,160 off the road. That has never been, in my mind, 561 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:14,440 has never been a persuasive argument, because what happens is 562 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:16,680 you end up with a lot of transit oriented development 563 00:33:16,799 --> 00:33:20,200 around the lines, and those people then also have vehicles, 564 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,680 maybe not as many, but they will have vehicles. So 565 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:25,200 when you pack in the development which we see on 566 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:28,519 the South Line, there are people that have cars down there, 567 00:33:28,519 --> 00:33:31,559 and South Boulevard is now even more congested than it 568 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,799 was before it got completely built up with all of 569 00:33:33,799 --> 00:33:36,960 the apartments. Right. But it's to provide the option. 570 00:33:37,839 --> 00:33:41,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, it is. You know, Charlotte has not is not 571 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:44,720 has not been designed to be a walkable city, right 572 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:46,200 and won't be in my. 573 00:33:46,279 --> 00:33:49,720 Speaker 1: Lifestyle, no, right, because it was not originally. There was 574 00:33:49,799 --> 00:33:54,920 another story from that time period was when they brought 575 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:59,079 a guy named Andres Dewane to town and he is 576 00:33:59,519 --> 00:34:02,599 the sort of the pioneer, if you will, in neo 577 00:34:02,759 --> 00:34:05,920 urbanism design when it comes to like planning and zoning 578 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,239 and that sort of thing. And if you've ever seen 579 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,039 the movie The Truman Show, it takes place down is 580 00:34:11,039 --> 00:34:12,880 a real life town. That's a real life place. I 581 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:16,719 think it's called Seaside in Florida. And that was the 582 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:20,119 first big neo urbanism project and you see a lot 583 00:34:20,119 --> 00:34:23,440 of Burkdale Village. They did Burkdale Village then, and he 584 00:34:23,519 --> 00:34:25,320 came to town and he was talking about you know, 585 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:27,840 development and that sort of thing. And it was in 586 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:31,719 one of those meetings where they explained, like why do 587 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:35,559 our roads, why are our roads laid out as they are? 588 00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:39,000 It's because they followed the old trading paths and then 589 00:34:39,039 --> 00:34:41,639 they just would pave the trading paths. Well, where did 590 00:34:41,639 --> 00:34:46,719 the trading paths come from? Well, they came from hunting paths. 591 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:49,320 That was initially like they would have hunting paths and 592 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:51,360 they were just kind of worn down. Where did the 593 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:55,679 hunting paths come from? Animals? Where the herds moved, so 594 00:34:55,760 --> 00:35:00,280 basically like animals designed our road system here, it has 595 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,880 never been I mean except for like Center City where 596 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:05,519 you actually have like a grid pattern going on. But 597 00:35:05,559 --> 00:35:07,599 then they ran interstates right through it because they thought 598 00:35:07,599 --> 00:35:09,239 at the time that that was the thing to do, 599 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:11,440 that that was going to get people to, you know, 600 00:35:11,599 --> 00:35:13,800 pull off the interstate and stop in their town. And 601 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:17,480 that's been a mess and absolutely well tithe. 602 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:20,840 Speaker 2: The good thing is is that Charlotte, particularly parts of uptown, 603 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,239 is going back to the animals, so you know we 604 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:24,360 do have that going. 605 00:35:25,079 --> 00:35:27,480 Speaker 1: It is going back to nature. Oh I appreciate the call, sir, 606 00:35:27,519 --> 00:35:33,079 have a good weekend. Yeah, it's nature's healing itself. Yeah. 607 00:35:33,079 --> 00:35:34,320 This was one of the things I learned when I 608 00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:36,159 was up in Asheville. They did the exact same thing. 609 00:35:36,199 --> 00:35:40,280 Two seventy seven. The interstate that runs no sorry, I 610 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:44,000 was going to confuse. Two forty runs right through Ashville, 611 00:35:44,199 --> 00:35:47,360 and they built that because they thought our downtown is dying, 612 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:49,719 mainly because they went bankrupt during the Great Depression because 613 00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:52,039 they spent way too much money, took out all these bonds, 614 00:35:52,079 --> 00:35:55,360 they went bankrupt. State had to bail them out, and 615 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:59,000 they thought, well, our downtown is dead, So what do 616 00:35:59,039 --> 00:36:01,440 we do to get people to come into our downtown 617 00:36:01,519 --> 00:36:05,760 spend money? And they thought, well, we'll have an interstate 618 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,679 run right through it, and then people will see the 619 00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:12,280 downtown and want to pull off. And then, of course, 620 00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:15,199 as you know, people began moving back after they got 621 00:36:15,199 --> 00:36:19,039 out from under the bankruptcy. They you know, now you 622 00:36:19,159 --> 00:36:22,199 just sit in traffic, not moving while you look at 623 00:36:22,199 --> 00:36:25,159 the downtown and then you're like, yeah, I got to 624 00:36:25,159 --> 00:36:26,280 get out of here. And then you get into the 625 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:28,360 downtown it's like, oh my gosh. These roads are terrible too. 626 00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:30,840 But they I mean, they got geographical problems because it's 627 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:34,000 the mountains. You know, there's very few straight lines you 628 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,559 can draw between point A and point B because you 629 00:36:36,639 --> 00:36:40,679 got to go around a mountain to get there. You know. Yeah, 630 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:45,840 bad planning decisions made long ago. They we are still 631 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,559 suffering those effects. I mentioned this the other day. You know, 632 00:36:49,039 --> 00:36:52,880 Highway seventy four Independence Boulevard, and they keep widening that 633 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:55,480 and widening that, and I've seen signs for twenty years 634 00:36:55,519 --> 00:36:57,840 that's say future seventy four. So they want to turn 635 00:36:58,159 --> 00:37:00,440 they want to turn that into an interstate at some point, 636 00:37:00,599 --> 00:37:03,320 you know, and they're making it more and more lanes 637 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:05,559 wide because they build all the strip malls along there, 638 00:37:05,559 --> 00:37:08,840 and this whole idea that like, look, I am of 639 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:12,199 the mindset that you take your interstate type roads and 640 00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:15,800 you keep them away, you keep them away from towns, 641 00:37:16,039 --> 00:37:19,599 away from cities, and then you have loops, you have 642 00:37:19,679 --> 00:37:22,960 branches that come off of there take you a couple 643 00:37:23,079 --> 00:37:26,679 miles to get into that city, because the interstates are 644 00:37:26,679 --> 00:37:29,280 supposed to be where people could just move quickly and 645 00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:32,639 get between cities. And then you if you want to 646 00:37:32,679 --> 00:37:34,440 go to the city along the way, then you would 647 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:36,519 pull off and you would take another access road all 648 00:37:36,559 --> 00:37:40,119 the way in rather than running like seventy seven right 649 00:37:40,199 --> 00:37:42,840 through the center of the city of Charlotte. And every 650 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:45,519 single time I'm on seventy seven, it is a mess. 651 00:37:45,559 --> 00:37:49,280 Doesn't matter the time of day anymore. All right, that'll 652 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:51,960 do it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. 653 00:37:52,039 --> 00:37:54,199 I could not do the show without your support and 654 00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:56,960 the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, 655 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,320 So if you'd like, please support them too and tell 656 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:01,119 them you heard it here. You can also become a 657 00:38:01,159 --> 00:38:05,239 patron at my Patreon page or go to dpeecaalnarshow dot 658 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,079 com Again, thank you so much for listening, and don't 659 00:38:08,119 --> 00:38:13,239 break anything while I'm gone.