Portland's much-touted light rail is back in the news today, and for the usual reason: a fight on an east-side train led to a shooting. Light rail provides an excellent venue for crime, as Portlanders are increasingly discovering. It's proving to be a really expensive means for centralizing crime.
Local government "planners", however, are undeterred. They're going to build more light rail, whether you like it or not. They have a "vision", you see. You are supposed to take little trains to get from place to place, and once you've arrived, you're supposed to visit an array of shops. You'll open your little string bag and insert a baguette from a bakery, a couple of pieces of fruit from the fruit merchant two blocks down, and a paper bag of granola from the granola merchant on the other side of the street as you make your way back to the light rail stop. After all, you have nothing better to do with your time. And even if you thought you did, the "planners" are "professionals" - so they know what's best for you.
Excuse me - I've just noticed that I'm running low on cereal, bread, coffee, and stuff for dinner. So I'm logging out and heading to Freddie's. One-stop shopping! Gotta love that. Unless you're a Portland bureaucrat intent upon remaking the city into a French village. Ooh! I wonder if Freddie's stocks white flags? I'll have to check.
