SPLURGE CITY TAXPAYER MONEY WITH PEDAL PUSHER GOWEN

(Ed.'s Note: Here we go again using her public position to pilfer the taxpayers' dollars. City commissioner Rose Gowen, a self-styled nanny commissioner, will once again lead her upscale, silk-stocking groupies through town on a busy Friday evening to publicize her efforts to pedal away the health cares of local residents in the belief that it will sweat away obesity, diabetes, and all that is wicked and harmful in their physical well-being.

The not-so-svelte commish will once again place the resources of the city at her disposal and show the city, state, country, and international community that Brownsville is the leader in splurging good money

after bad and top of the millions she has already spent in her pet bike-and-hike trail projects by using city personnel, resources, and the Brownsville Police Department to circle around a few blocks and pretend that we all love to see city resources and personnel used to uplift the unwashed masses and thrust them into health and wellness once pedal thrust at a time. Oh, we forget, it's a "free" event.

In the graphic at right it shows that in just four years since her crusade began, millions have gone into the hike and bike trails and cyclobias. And this has happened every year since up to today. Every time there's an issue of Certificates of Obligation dealing with transportation, 10 percent of it goes to Rose's bike-and-hike trails slush fund. 

Must feel mighty good to have a historically designated home and pay no taxes for life to the city and then to foist her pet project upon local taxpayers.

Oh, yeah, Rose said the construction of the trials would lure "active tourism" that will bring millions into city coffers. 

So far, the only millions that have been spent have gone into the pockets of favored bike-and-hike vendors while local streets are in shambles, bus "shelters" are a bus sign on a weedy right-of-way, and the 35 percent of our residents in poverty can envy the well-heeled bikers as they cruise through the shut-down city led by our crusading anti-grease commissioner and her bods styling their newest bike accessories and Spandex outfits. 

On Sunday they will line up with everyone else for greasy barbacoa and tamales and remember themselves cruising through the barricaded streets breathing the evening air like knights riding and fearlessly vanquishing obesity one pedal push at a time. 

And the city's Dept. of Smoke and Mirrors (Dept. Of Marketing and Communications) will continue to be at her beck and call to make it, well, desirable and attractive to emulate her and her bike-riding minions. During her last election campaign, she claimed that her efforts had reduced the city's diabetes rate by pumping the city's resources into the trails.

Have we been transported to Austin or some affluent locale inhabited and controlled by the landed gentry? Are we still in the nation's poorest city? Beam me up, Scottie, this city's priorities suck.  What's wrong with this picture?)