The St Louis Contrarian

Providing Independent and Intelligent Insight on St. Louis Public Policy Issues

Archive for the month “December, 2020”

31 Dec 2020

Hawley Does Something Terrible Again

Our Senator Josh Hawley has announced that he will state a formal objection to the electoral vote count in favor of Joe Biden. This action is a grandstanding move that will accomplish little except further delegitimize the government. Hawley is planning on running for President in 2024 and his actions are little more than grandstanding in relation to that effort. He has little regard for the constitution for which he took an oath to protect and defend. Written by Paul Dribin

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28 Dec 2020

St. Louis and Cincinnati

We are visiting our kids and grandkids in Cincinnati. This city is often compared to St. Louis as older river cities. This comparison is overly superficial. What we have noticed here in Cincinnati is the better quality of the neighborhoods in the city and the vibrancy of the downtown. A big difference we have observed is the riverfront. Cincinnati has miles of recreational land along the Ohio River which is beautiful, and free. Families actually come in from the suburbs to use the facilities, playgrounds, walkways, parks, etc. St. Louis has virtually no activity along the riverfront except for the arch grounds. This is a huge difference and speaks miles about the differences between the two cities. Written by Paul Dribin

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27 Dec 2020

Terrible Jobs Report for St. Louis

Jobs in St. Louis are down by an enormous amount due to the pandemic. It is highly unlikely they will all return. Even in normal times, job growth in St. Louis was half the national average. Another sign that does not bode well for our community. Written by Paul Dribin

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23 Dec 2020

Consultant Report Issued Critical of city and county Police Departments

Teneo a consulting firm hired by business leaders to evaluate policing in the St. Louis region issued their report yesterday. They were critical of both the city and county for antiquated systems, inadequate leadership etc. Today we found out the report never mentioned racism as an issue. That seems to be a big problem. This points out again how hopelessly divided and ungovernable our region is. Written by Paul Dribin

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22 Dec 2020

Loop Trolley Resurfaces?

Joe Edwards is still pushing to get this fiasco running. The community has lost millions of dollars and businesses have been disrupted. This should never have happened and now there is talk of taking out the tracks and cables. Let’s move on. Written by Paul Dribin

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21 Dec 2020

Marcia Fudge Draws Criticism as HUD Secretary

The affordable housing industry and academia are critical of her selection because she has little experience in the field. I tend to be more generous; if she hires good people and is a strong advocate she could be successful. HUD has not been a major player for years and is unlikely to be one moving forward. Written by Paul Dribin

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19 Dec 2020

Coronavirus and Evictions

All evidence shows that we are facing a huge volume of evictions caused by the economic decline related to the coronavirus. Some people urge moratoriums on evictions. The problem with this policy if that landlords are denied rent payments, they will suffer a significant loss of income and face foreclosure on their loans. The answer is simple, the government should make rent payments on behalf of eligible renters. This will solve the problem and not punish landlords. Written by Paul Dribin

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19 Dec 2020

Coronavirus Has Hurt Downtown St. Louis

www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/downtown-st-louis-started-2020-with-momentum-then-the-coronavirus-hit/article_99cdfaba-7a85-5116-aa47-a5803f09600e.html

A good article. about the problems businesses in downtown face. I am pessimistic about downtown St. Louis. More people will work from home requiring less office space and supporting businesses.

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18 Dec 2020

Post Dispatch Column on Centene Debacle

www.stltoday.com/opinion/columnists/antonio-french/antonio-french-centene-reminds-us-of-the-cost-of-a-divided-house/article_8ecb3050-85b8-5d29-ba73-6658afb501e4.html

Antonio French wrote a great column today in The Post Dispatch

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17 Dec 2020

Post Dispatch Editorial on Centenne and Crime

www.stltoday.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-dont-let-crime-or-need-for-transparency-drive-out-a-major-corporate-investor/article_b6e1eb36-6e27-5efe-8138-1b7a523ab533.html

Good article. Continues the conversation

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