Latest / Chuck Douglas / Voting and Cota

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Voting and Cota · Chuck Douglas

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Greeting salutations, my friends, welcome to another edition of the
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Power Hour. I'm chucked unless you know who you are.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: We take it from there. We get one hour together,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: which means I talk really fast and you must listen
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: even faster. My number eight two, one, nine, eight eighty
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  Speaker 1: six A two one wtv IN or one eight hundred
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: and sixty ten wtv IN. And I want to hear
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  Speaker 1: from you guys today because I need to feel like
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: I'm not alone. And I feel bad. I feel very bad.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: I feel I'm a bit melancholy about my state of
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  Speaker 1: mind right now. Tomorrow, of course, being a primary election
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  Speaker 1: here in the great state of Ohio, and I I'm
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  Speaker 1: having trouble motivating myself to go to the polls because
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  Speaker 1: I mean, really, I I don't there's nothing for me.
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  Speaker 1: There's nothing for me on the ballot tomorrow. I have
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  Speaker 1: three things to do if I go. I can choose
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  Speaker 1: one of three Democrats for Columbus City Council. I can
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: choose three of ten Democrats for Columbus City Schools. Or
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: I can vote no on a bond issue for the
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: City of Columbus, which will pass overwhelmingly anyway, because they
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  Speaker 1: always do. Because the people who don't have to worry
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  Speaker 1: about paying anything back with a bond has to be
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  Speaker 1: repaid are the ones who make it pass. So why
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  Speaker 1: go I mean, seriously, and I am all about getting
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: out and voting and participating in the process. I've said
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  Speaker 1: for many years, many times over, if you don't participate
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  Speaker 1: in the process, shut up. But I'm having trouble motivating
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  Speaker 1: myself to go to the polls tomorrow, and that makes
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  Speaker 1: me feel very bad. If there was one statewide issue,
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  Speaker 1: for goodness sake, just something something where I thought maybe
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: my voice would be heard, where I might make a difference.
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  Speaker 1: But I just I don't feel that way. Have you
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: looked at your sample ballot, Zach? Do you know what
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: do you have in front of you.
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  Speaker 2: I'm in the same I'm in the same thing you
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  Speaker 2: are because I don't not a lot, not a lot
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  Speaker 2: going on.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I vote all the time. I just I can't.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: I can't. I I just don't know what the point is.
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  Speaker 1: There's I mean, the two elected seats Democrat is going
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  Speaker 1: to be there, so there's no difference I can make.
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  Speaker 3: Well, maybe you could vote for the lesser of I.
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  Speaker 1: Could go write myself in there. You go. Now you
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: can do that. I guess I'll write you and you
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  Speaker 1: want to be on the school board or city council?
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  Speaker 1: Which one do you want?
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  Speaker 4: Uh?
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  Speaker 3: School board?
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  Speaker 1: Okay, you write me in for council. I'll write you
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  Speaker 1: in for school board.
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  Speaker 3: All right, that's I done and done.
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  Speaker 1: I mean playing games with the electoral process. I just
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  Speaker 1: I can't see myself up. I can't see myself doing
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  Speaker 1: that either. And for for anybody who thinks, well, you know,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: you never know, you might vote no on this bond
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  Speaker 1: issue and you might be the one vote. Now, look,
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  Speaker 1: this city, which cannot seem to elect anybody that doesn't
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  Speaker 1: have a D next to their name, is not going
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  Speaker 1: to turn down a bond issue brought to them by
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  Speaker 1: a bunch of people with ds next to their names.
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  Speaker 1: It's frustrating. It is frustrating. It's uh. It is a
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  Speaker 1: it's a sadness thing. And as usual I have to,
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: you know, hold the Franklin County GOP and uh and yeah,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: the Ohio GOP uh to task. We just we we've
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  Speaker 1: we've generated nothing, no momentum, no enthusiasm. The little, the
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: little neighborhood groups, the Dublin Republicans, the New Albany Republicans,
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  Speaker 1: the Gahanna Republicans, they're they're out there trying to beat
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  Speaker 1: the bushes and do things in their townships, and they're
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: they're school boards, their suburban school boards and so forth.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: But at the higher levels there's just no zest, there's
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  Speaker 1: no there's no enthusiasm, and it has resulted in putting
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  Speaker 1: an election in front of me that I just I
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  Speaker 1: just don't feel like participating in. I can't believe I
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: feel that way. I really it's heartbreaking. Also in the news,
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  Speaker 1: the CODA expansion of services, which again I don't get.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Did they just come to us for a levee or
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: were they just talking about it? I can't remember which
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  Speaker 1: it was.
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  Speaker 3: No, I think they were just talking about they.
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  Speaker 1: Haven't actually done it yet. Okay, because well, wait a minute,
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  Speaker 1: that's why our sales tax went up, wasn't it. Isn't
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  Speaker 1: that why we jumped to eight percent sales tax?
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  Speaker 3: We have it passed in April.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, So, so here's what CODA is planning on CODA
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  Speaker 1: the Central Ohio Transit Othoriday. They are going to extend
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  Speaker 1: bus service now on most routes past midnight. The changes
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  Speaker 1: are scheduled to begin on Monday today, with Coda aiming
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  Speaker 1: to eventually, Listen, offer a twenty four hour bus service
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  Speaker 1: in the coming years. Call me crazy, but I bet
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: you if I pulled out of this parking lot right now,
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  Speaker 1: the first Coda that I found would have less than
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  Speaker 1: three people on it.
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  Speaker 2: Listen, you mentioned this the other day, and I drove
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: around the city counting people over the weekend.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, there's almost half dozens of people.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: There are more people using the two million dollar toilet
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  Speaker 1: than are on your average Coda bus.
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  Speaker 3: There's more people using the line scooters, I think.
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  Speaker 1: And not only are you going to be paying now
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  Speaker 1: to run the buses overnight and eventually twenty four hours
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  Speaker 1: a day, paying for the fuel whatever they use for fuel,
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  Speaker 1: paying for the maintenance on the buses, new tires when
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  Speaker 1: they need them. Bus driver, you're going to need Code
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: of Security people out there twenty four hours a day
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  Speaker 1: to respond to any accidents and incidents. And the people
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  Speaker 1: who are riding the bus when they get to their destinations,
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  Speaker 1: which may not be the Hilton, they're still going to
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  Speaker 1: have to walk through the city of Columbus in the
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: middle of the night to get home or wherever it
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  Speaker 1: is they're going because the bus doesn't drive you to
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  Speaker 1: your door, you know, so you're still going to have
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: to walk through neighborhoods to get where you're going to go.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know about you, but you know the bus
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  Speaker 2: station right up here on a where is it?
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  Speaker 1: Which the CODA station?
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  Speaker 5: Yeah?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, you mean on McKinley, the big CODA headquarters.
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  Speaker 3: No, the bus.
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  Speaker 2: Station, the terminal all I'm thinking a Greyhound.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: Oh that's the one on Wilson Road, Yeah, yeah, which
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: is gone now they moved that to some They moved
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  Speaker 1: that back down to the Uh where'd they move that?
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  Speaker 1: The old Greyhound station, friends, which CODA is also taking over,
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  Speaker 1: which I don't know what's going to happen with the
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  Speaker 1: McKinley Avenue bus place, all the money they have put
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  Speaker 1: in there in the past couple of years and remodeling, rehabbing,
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: expanding and all that kind of stuff. But I understand
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Coda's supposed to be going into the Greyhound station down downtown.
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  Speaker 2: Well that's awesome. That's some pretty progressive steps forward.
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: We still had this antiquated bus route system where everything
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: wants to cycle through Broad and High in case no
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: one's noticed. There's nothing there anymore. There's nothing downtown anymore.
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  Speaker 1: People do not go to the downtown every day. You know,
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  Speaker 1: fifty years ago there was still shopping and and you know,
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: people will go down there to conduct business or for entertainment.
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  Speaker 1: But most of that's gone now. So downtown is not
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  Speaker 1: the bustling metropolis that once it was. And we still
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  Speaker 1: route everything through Broad and High as if that is,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: you know, it is the geographic center of the city. Yeah,
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: but it's not. It's it just doesn't make sense. But
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  Speaker 1: this is going to cost more money, you know, to run,
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  Speaker 1: to staff, to protect, to maintain. And when you see
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: empty buses floating around all the time, it's a little
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  Speaker 1: hard to justify that.
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  Speaker 3: Why would we need to protect the buses.
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  Speaker 1: Or the bus drivers, the passengers on the bus while
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: they're on the bus, I mean, while they're walking four
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  Speaker 1: blocks to the house after they get off the bus
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  Speaker 1: at two am.
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  Speaker 2: I don't see any need for any protection services.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, not because Columbus is It's just it is
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  Speaker 1: such a a somber wyat bedroom community of a city
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: that we don't You're silly.
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  Speaker 3: You remember that movie Pleasantville.
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: Yes, I love that movie. Yeah, I do. Too.
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  Speaker 2: It's actually really good. But that reminds me of like
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  Speaker 2: walking in Columbus that night.
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure it does. Sixty years ago eight two one
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  Speaker 1: nine eight sixty two one WTV and go to the
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  Speaker 1: Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone lines. It's where we
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  Speaker 1: find Doug. How are you, Doug?
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  Speaker 3: Hey?
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  Speaker 5: Good, Thank you for taking my call.
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  Speaker 1: Well, thank you for making the call.
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  Speaker 5: Sure, I got to cook an analogy for you. We're
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  Speaker 5: over here to the wet to the east of you,
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  Speaker 5: in Licking County. We have a bus service. They're trying
• 9:34
  Speaker 5: to get together, and they issued a report, uh just recently,
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  Speaker 5: and they don't come right out and tell you. But
• 9:40
  Speaker 5: if you do the math, you find out that, uh,
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  Speaker 5: they're funded mostly by grants and they and if you
• 9:46
  Speaker 5: do the math, you find out that each writer, the
• 9:49
  Speaker 5: ride that each writer took fifty four dollars.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, that's cab fair. You could pay for a cab
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  Speaker 1: anywhere in Lincoln County for that.
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  Speaker 5: Oh yeah, well we don't have cabs anymore, you know,
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  Speaker 5: the private stuff.
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  Speaker 1: Sure, Oh, they don't have one cab service there.
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  Speaker 5: Nope, no, God, yeah, fifty four dollars a ride. I
• 10:10
  Speaker 5: thought that was pretty outrageous.
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  Speaker 1: That is crazy, absolutely crazy. I appreciate you, Doug. Thanks
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  Speaker 1: for calling in. John You're on six ten do w
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: UTVN Hi? Hey this calling in Chuck.
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  Speaker 5: Okay, so this code of thing, can you tell me
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  Speaker 5: what money CODO generates for this city? Zero we give?
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  Speaker 5: What do we get?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah? Well, I mean I've been asking that question for years.
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  Speaker 1: It's if it was a matter of packed buses all
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  Speaker 1: the time, people needing to get around, you know, if
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: we were if we were New York where driving and
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: parking is ridiculously inconvenient and or expensive, or Chicago where
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: there's traffic jams on the freeway on Saturday afternoon at
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: two o'clock. Maybe, but we're not. And and empty, empty
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  Speaker 1: buses during the day do not justify expanding service into
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  Speaker 1: the minule of the night, as far as I'm concerned, No.
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  Speaker 5: It does not.
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  Speaker 1: And I agree with you one hundred percent. Keep up
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  Speaker 1: the good job. I appreciate you, sir, Thanks very much.
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  Speaker 1: A two one nine eight eighty six A two to
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  Speaker 1: one WTV. And it's just you know, like I said,
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  Speaker 1: if we were really using it, it's at least worth
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  Speaker 1: a conversation. I just don't see where it's used to
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  Speaker 1: the point where where expanding service, especially with your eyes
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  Speaker 1: set on twenty four hours a day, makes any sense.
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: It It just doesn't, or maybe that's just me A
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: two one nine eight eight six A two one WTV
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: and w R and six to ten WTV in height.
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: Hey, Chuck, Hey, you gotta vote tomorrow. And I'm having
• 11:48
  Speaker 4: a hard time getting up. But at least I don't
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  Speaker 4: to go in and vote early. But I don't, at
• 11:53
  Speaker 4: least I don't live in Columbus. But the Franklin County issue,
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  Speaker 4: the number two, that's know, it's number two because last
• 12:02
  Speaker 4: time we had number one, so it's called is GQO.
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  Speaker 4: Now I'm still on the fence about it and being
• 12:09
  Speaker 4: a homeowner and all that. My property taxes went up
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  Speaker 4: six hundred percent last year.
• 12:15
  Speaker 5: Wow, one hundred percent.
• 12:18
  Speaker 4: I'm telling you, man, that hurt me back. However, I've
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: been reading a lot about this issue, and it's a
• 12:25
  Speaker 4: bond issue, and it's promising with quotation marks around the world,
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: promising not to raise tax right.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: That's but Debbie, that's that's how they sell bond issues
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: to people all the time, and they always tell you
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: this will not increase your taxes. What it does, though,
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: is increase your water bill, your sewer bill, downtown parking meters,
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: permit fees for anything. You want to build a fence,
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: you want to build a deck at that house, you
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: just had a six hundred percent increase on the fees
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: for that. Are good. The bond is nothing more than
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: a loan. By approving a bond, what you're doing is
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: giving your government permission to go borrow money with you
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: as a co signer, and you're saying that whatever city
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: services I subscribe to, the fees will go up in
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: order to pay back this loan. That's what the proving
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: a bond issue is. So you're going to pay the money.
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  Speaker 4: No, I got you there. That's why I'm having a
• 13:20
  Speaker 4: real hard time with it. I'm having a hard time
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: and how I'm going to vote tomorrow.
• 13:25
  Speaker 5: But I still need to go vote.
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: And at least I don't have, you know, with the
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: code of stuff. You know, CODA used to run through
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: like two or three am in the morning before COVID
• 13:42
  Speaker 4: hit and all that, and we had to shut down.
• 13:44
  Speaker 4: And I'm not going to tell you if I agree
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: with that or not. I'm but Cody used to have
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: they want to go back to the old practice of
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: offering that service late at night for folks that were
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: second shift, third shift, what have you. And it's not
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: for me to say who who's going to use the
• 14:07
  Speaker 4: CODA service or not. But they want to go back
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: to the days before COVID when they had to actually
• 14:14
  Speaker 4: just shut down their service after eleven o'clock at night
• 14:18
  Speaker 4: because we all had to shut down. We were forced to.
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: But I didn't. I was working my butt off. But still,
• 14:28
  Speaker 4: you know that's don't they just want to take CODA
• 14:32
  Speaker 4: back to where it used to be. And don't get
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: me started on getting through with how he's trying to
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: run the city at Columbus. But I'm just wanted to
• 14:40
  Speaker 4: bring that aspect of the code of CODA to you.
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: They used to run those that way.
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: I'd love to see a lot of things go back
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: to the way they used to be, Debbie. But you
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: know it's since that time. You know, we went through
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: all the stuff with COVID and so forth. Uber and
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: Lyft are out there. You've got all kinds of things
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: that will take you right to the door. You won't
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: have to walk through the snow with the rain or
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: the bad neighborhood with the gunshots around you in order
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: to get where you're trying to get after you've taken
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: a bus. And I'd love to see an audit done.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: I would love to see an audit of Coda Ridership
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: between the hours of six PM and midnight right now,
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: because if there's, if there's five thousand people in the
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: city of Columbus on those buses between six and midnight,
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: I would be surprised.
• 15:24
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you're right about that, Chuck,