BACK TO...    The protection of transit funds must be made public

"NO" -- to discrimination and the regression of wages and jobs.

Livonia, Michigan, U.S.A. circa November 8, 2005

This nearby suburb of Detroit, Michigan allowed residents to stay with the regional transit provider of SMART or operate a city transit system. A proposal to eliminate line bus service to pay for emergency vehicles and community transit with property taxes.

The proposal passed as the facts and the myths became separated

The loss of state revenue sharing to SMART in conjunction with federal grants for new I-94 freeway lanes in Detroit and rail expansions is against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Section-602. The SMART Middlebelt 285 bus line must remain intact to comply with this act to qualify for these funds. This detachment and the 18 miles of new freeway lanes along I-75 in Oakland county remains as no other choice was given by state officials at city hall. It was not empty buses as stated by council members. Freeways are empty at certain times of the day also, just like a bus and the people know this and they wanted SMART to stay. But the majority of voters wanted mass transit leadership and not more promises and fairy-tales.

The linked publications are to educate the public primarily to show morality and wage Discrimination*. These are confronted by capping county taxes to defeat false propagandas. Do we want the world's best bus system or many that will bring jobs back to Detroit? It was industry speakers from Wal-Mart that openly rejected bus service. --- They did not listen to "www.savethefueltax.org" and many others. So, people came out to vote "NO" on the massive concrete parking lots that have already destroyed parts of nearby Detroit. Traffic congestion? No problem, just add another lane. Statistics show that a little more work from primarily state officials would have saved the bus contract. This is because SMART increased rider-ship by working with local citizens and provided reliable service.

Discrimination shall not occur in connection with Federal financial assistance

The passage of the Livonia proposal requires $2 Million per year in CTF funds (state fuel tax) from the Michigan Department of Transportation - MDOT to legally comply with disability and civil rights laws. The splitting into pieces of the 285 metropolitan airport bus line is against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Section-601 as it will be abolished. This has excluded persons based national origin primarily along I-94 in the city limits of Detroit in connection to the bus line. The state can abrogate the fuel tax as defunct. This is because the passage of county taxes such as Proposal S (SMART property) in August 2006 can qualify as an alternative for the I-94 project (RTP 935) to receive federal funds unless formally challenged to the United States Department of Justice. Please protect the fuel tax for SMART, if you agree

The vast majority of Livonia voters want to save SMART

The only city to defeat Proposal S in 2002. A result of the Devolution * of funding for community transit. We want action to protect the city of Detroit and Michigan from Lansing's unfunded mandates. We voted to "opt-out" to stop the DARTA takeover agreement. This was inclusive of the proposal by public knowledge. A set of accords described in the next section. We voted to challenge our leaders to "restore" our rights and freedom from the lack of competence and compliance to bring back decent jobs to our inner cities and to protect the disabled. The newpapers made it known that the state was not able to coordinate bus routes and funds and this is more reason to deny federal funds to expand freeways in Michigan until minimum conditions as described in the website or similar are met. DARTA is NOT the answer or by definition an alternative to replace existing conditions. See "failure to comply" under Section 602 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 at link above.

Save the Fuel Tax opposed the proposal to "opt-out" because city council members raised property taxes to replace state funds without supporting the citizens petition drive to protect the handicapped or similar competent efforts. Neither choice given was acceptable.

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