Arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic

The city of Cincinnati is taking a page from the city of Detroit.

If the smell gets too bad, don't remove the dog crap in your room, just use more cologne.

Cincinnati City Council voted 6-2 Wednesday for a plan to build streetcar lines linking downtown, Over-the-Rhine and Uptown (the area around the University of Cincinnati), putting council on record as wanting to build the system.

But the vote left two question marks attached.

While the city has identified sources to pay for more than two-thirds of the initial line in the system, the plan calls for another $31 million from corporations and other private sources – money that has not yet been solicited.

Without the private money, the system can’t be built.

General thoughts

First, if there was a need for transportation from downtown to OTR and uptown, Metro would be servicing it already.

Second, there isn't a second. City resources are scarce. An investment on this boondoggle rivals fountain square west, the Freedom Center and Fifth & Race.

Fire, police and roads... the only things city government should be funding... Unless of course you are a "progressive" city, then you fund everything but....