San Francisco smugly shows NYC what not to build

Check out Streetsblog's "San Francisco Mayor to NYC: 'Eat Your Heart Out'." I can count quite a few problems with that rendering just based on observing form vs. function:

1. It's big. It takes up five blocks. It disrupts the flow of pedestrian traffic for five blocks.
2. The park is high up and inaccessible.
3. The transit center probably doesn't need to be in downtown. Stops can be in downtown; transfers can be in downtown; the transit center is redundant.
4. If this is a terminal station, it's a real waste. There's no need to have a terminal station built in the most expensive part of the city.
   

Hispanic empowerment?

Imagine for a second that your home state Senate's major political party just shifted in last month's election. Then, a handful of gay senators announce they'll support the party that wasn't voted if they don't get handed a ton of power.

Well, cross out "gay" and replace it with "Hispanic," and that's what's happened in New York State. The "Gang of Three" holdouts in the Senate are partly motivated by empowering Hispanics. One in particular, Ruben Diaz, is also motivated by keeping gays disenfranchised, refusing to caucus with the Democrats unless he's sure gay marriage won't even be voted on.

So, Hispanic power: good! Homosexual equality: bad!

Ruben Diaz is an embarrassment to the state, just as James Dobson is an embarrassment to the country. How about worrying about real issues, like healthcare, transportation, and the budget?