Cross posted from Blue Virginia
From the latest (3/24/13) Northern Virginia Tea Party Newsletter, these people are seriously - as in, this apparently isn't parody - opposing the proposed "Soviet" Arlington County streetcar project because of...wait for it...Agenda 21. What is this evil known as Agenda 21, you ask? How about "a non-binding, voluntarily implemented action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development?" Crazy, I know. And speaking of tinfoil-hat crazy, Glenn Beck opposes it because..."This used to be called America. Now it is just 'the Republic.' There is no president. No congress. No freedom. There is only Agenda 21." And it all starts with a seemingly innocuous streetcar line in Arlington County, Virginia. Shuddderrrrr... (snark)
P.S. Needless to say, I strongly urge non-Tea-Party Arlingtonians to come out in large numbers Wednesday evening to express your support for the streetcar, and to say NO to John Bircher/tinfoil hat nuttiness.
UPDATE: And now for some sanity from Arlington County Board member Jay Fisette:
Streetcar Town Hall - to be held on Wednesday, March 28, 6:30-9 pm at the Kenmore Middle School auditorium and dedicated to a discussion of the Columbia Pike Streetcar. The Town Hall is open to the public and will update the community on our planned streetcar system, discuss next steps and answer questions. After many years of planning and a multitude of community meetings, both the Fairfax and Arlington County Boards accepted our professional staff recommendations and chose the modern streetcar as the transit system for Columbia Pike in 2006. The streetcar will run about 5 miles from Skyline in Fairfax to Pentagon City, where it will connect to another streetcar line that will run through Crystal City to Potomac Yard. Both boards reaffirmed that choice in 2012 while applying for federal funding to help fund the streetcar.
The projected $250M to construct the Columbia Pike streetcar would be covered by federal (30%), state (14%), Fairfax (14%) and Arlington (42%). The Arlington funds would come from a dedicated Transportation Capital Fund generated from a state-authorized surcharge on commercial real estate. Despite widespread misunderstanding, these funds cannot be used for education, housing, public safety or anything except transportation.
I have supported the streetcar since 2006, though I know that some have questions or concerns. I encourage folks to attend this Town Hall. To learn more about the Columbia Pike Streetcar plan, visit here and here.