The St Louis Contrarian
Providing Independent and Intelligent Insight on St. Louis Public Policy Issues
Increase the Supply if Housing
www.city-journal.org/maxine-waters-down-payment-proposal-wont-solve-housing-crisis
A good article from City Journal
Vacancies and Crime
There is a major overlooked cause of crime in St. Louis, vacant foreclosed properties.
Much research shows that vacant properties not only cause deterioration of a neighborhood, but cause an increase in crime. These properties become attractions for criminals and vandals.
St. Louis has thousands of vacant foreclosed properties owned by a city agency, the LRA. These properties were usually foreclosed upon for non payment of taxes. This foreclosure process may take years, all the while keeping abandoned buildings on line. In addition, and equally important, it takes the city years to dispose of these properties, many of which should be razed. They lack the data systems to oversee this inventory and even know what they have in stock.
I worked for HUD selling foreclosed properties in Milwaukee. From that experience I learned certain lessons. Holding a property on the market in the hope of getting a better price is foolish, properties must be priced to sell quickly, investors must be activated to purchase properties,the private sector can be good partners, Urban Homesteading is a great tool to sell properties and bring homebuyers into the city, bulk sales are necessary, and good data and information is critical. Demolition must also be part of the mix. The City of St. Louis has done very little of these things. Written by Paul Dribin
Do We Need A Great Downtown
Much ado has been made of the crime and mayhem in downtown St. Louis. Billions of dollars have been invested in various projects in the area with little to show for it. I rarely go downtown except to a Cardinals or Blues game and am not alone.
A common bromide is that we need a great downtown to have a great city. That may have been true in the days when most office workers worked downtown, and shopping at department stores was common and indeed a treat.
Today most people do not work downtown and often work at home. The cultural institutions in St. Louis are not located downtown, so why try to develop it. More resources need to be put into neighborhoods with growth incurring more organically. Written by Paul Dribin
Why St. Louis is a Mess
Just some random examples of the mess we are in.
1. New mayor Tashaura Jones is elected, crime is at an all time high, and she wants to cut police budget.
2. The same mayor is trying to end support to the Foundary Project which is one of the few new projects in St. Louis and had already received city support. This decision makes no sense and puts ideology over practicality.
3. Metro Link, our light rail system is a haven of crime. Bi state which runs Metro Link won’t let cops carry guns while patrolling the trains. Furthermore, the three police departments who do this patrolling cannot communicate with each other over their respective radios.
4. There are concrete barriers blocking lanes on many of the streets in the downtown. Why? Because bad guys had been racing cars.
5. The covid vaccination program at the Dome was a big bust because we can’t get people from the black community to come down and get shots.
Written by Paul Dribin
Horrible Game Being Played with Medicaid in Missouri
Read this article. Republicans in legislature are tying up even routine funding of Medicaid over narrow interests concerning contraception and abortion. Missouri is just really fucked up. Sorry to use such crude language but that is the only description that is appropriate. Written by Paul Dribin
Illinois targets money to landlords to help tenants
A good idea. Much better than pure eviction moratorium which hurts landlords.
Coronavirus Vaccines and Masking
As someone who is fully vaccinated I was very pleased to see the CDC guidance that people who are vaccinated do not need to wear masks. This is what the science has shown through carefully constructed studies. What I am finding interesting, amusing, and frustrating is that many people, particularly on the left do not want to give up the mask even though it serves no purpose. I noticed students at St. Louis University last week walking around outside with masks which makes no sense at all even if you are not vaccinated. The mask has become a sign of social and political virtue on the left just as anti masking was a symbol of the right. I wish we could all be evidence and science based. Written by Paul Dribin
Metrolink says it is Making Progress on Security
There is a long way to go. Also important is that a lot fewer people are commuting to work
Medicaid Expansion in Missouri
Medicaid expansion in Missouri has reached a grinding halt. The voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment requiring the state to expand Medicaid in accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act. Most of the funds for the expansion are federal. The Republicans in the Missouri legislature have still blocked the expansion because they say there is no source of funding. This is appalling and a demonstration of why the public has lost faith in government. Ironically the rural communities represented by Republicans would benefit the most from expansion. Written by Paul Dribin
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