JOHN NATIONS NEEDS TO BE FIRED

I thought there was already a blog post with this title, and I was looking for it to add a few links. 

So here is the gist of what I thought I'd already posted:

Metro and Bi State need to be separated.  Metro carries the dinky little  Bi-State Development Agency (the airport, arch trams and parking, etc).  Metro needs to be run by people that have experience in Metro- in particular former drivers.  John Nations has ridden the bus a few times as publicity stunt.  A Metro executive told me that it wasn't feasible for someone like John Nations to commute from Chesterfield to Metro (via the Olive bus and the Metrolink).  Why?  Public transit in St. Louis is too slow.

The CEO appointment is to groom political careers.  John Nations wants to be governor.  Nations is famous for telling his drivers during negotiations that "As soon as I become Governor I'm changing Missouri to a Right To Work state and elimination the unions."

He gave himself a raise a while back.  For $325K a year heading an agency where ALL monies are public- $350 million a year in government subsidies and grants, and rider fares- he can't ride his own transit 4 hours a day to get to and from work?

The people that work in minimum wage job in Chesterfield and live downtown do.

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/08/26/big-raise-for-metro-ceo-angers-union-bus-drivers/

Metro's drivers went 6 years without a contract.  If you don't know about this please take a look:

From 2013:
http://labortribune.com/after-18-months-transit-union-talks-with-metro-going-nowhere/ 

2014 "oreo" incident:
http://fox2now.com/2014/09/12/racial-elements-fuel-dispute-between-metro-and-transit-union/#

"Rally for Respect" 2014
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-transit-union-approves-first-contract-metro-five-years-protests-oreo-incident

Page 5 of the doc, from the Union's magazine:
http://www.atu.org/atu-pdfs/SO_IT14_USWEB.pdf

Health care and pensions secure:
http://www.atu.org/media/releases/st-louis-metro-workers-declare-victory-secure-agreement-preserving-retirement-security

Don't forget that Metro is raising fares again this July.  They need $5 million, the same amount of money they spend every year in "contributions to outside entities".  This is usually political campaign contributions.  By appointing CEO, the governor guarantees a contribution to his campaign.  Call Metro if you think this is wrong.  Call them and demand an explanation.  Call them and demand the CEO salary be lowered - not to the $250K he received before, but 1/2 that- $125K.  Demand the CEO ride public transit at least once a week.

SOLUTIONS NOT COP OUTS

EDIT: Please see this post, too:
 http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2016/03/questions-for-saint-louis-teens.html

Instead of more cops, the same tired, ineffective response, over and over again, how about real solutions?

There are the obvious- put money into jobs and schools, etc.

But also GO ASK THESE KIDS WHAT THEY NEED.

http://www.kmov.com/story/31428741/group-of-juveniles-assault-rob-2-men-in-central-west-end

 http://www.kmov.com/story/31431838/police-teens-responsible-for-recent-crimes-in-u-city-are-from-east-st-louis

And then ask all the other kids, too.

Don't just stop with kids, ask every single person that ends up in trouble with the law.

Is there anything you would like to be doing with your time? Is there any activities that you would want to do with your free time? (Sing, Dance, Make movies, fly a kite, run a marathon?)
What would you need to be able to do that? (A ride, lessons, a video camera?)
Do you feel you have a meaningful life and a future ahead of you?
What would you need to feel that way?

Instead of more cops, ask every kid in every junior high and high school these questions.  There are actual solutions to these problems. 

(The job of everyone in prison should be to answer these questions, too. Just asking these questions would bring about results, even if the person did not answer out loud.)

Also, Metro can barely pay the interest on its' bond debt with payments they get from St Louis County Prop A.  Steve Stenger says more cops on Metrolink will be covered with Prop A.  Please ask him how that is possible?  Please ask how much of that money goes to Metro already and what do they spend it on?   St. Louis really can't afford anymore bonds.

http://www.kmov.com/story/31424328/county-executive-pushes-to-double-number-of-officers-on-metrolink-lines

Or cops. More cops almost never reduce crime.  In fact, more cops usually means more crime.

Solve the real issues. Make real changes.