Soonerguru,
I like Betts analogy as well but have a different view of it. Our walls are falling down, the plumbing is in need of repair and burglars have kicked the doors in to our home. Now is not the time to put up a big screen tv in every room, close the doors and watch re-runs of gilligans island. It's time to shore up what broke.
VOTE NO. Not This Maps

I think it's time to take a serious look at what the policemen and firemen are asking for, and make sure they need what they are asking for. I think it's time to take a serious look at the organization of the fire department and try to make it better. We may not need all those new employees. But, that's after the election tomorrow, when I've got a bit more time.

Oklahoma City is behind most cities of comparable size. Most of them have better mass transit, bigger convention centers, better facilities to encourage healthy living and exercise. The one place we aren't behind is in crime statistics. We have a better per capita crime record than most comparable cities. Before MAPS 1 we were sitting at the bottom of the proverbial cliff. We dragged ourselves to the top and are hanging on by our fingernails. There are a few people in the country who longer think we're a redneck inhabited dustbowl, with no reason to consider visiting. But, most still have that impression of us. We have to make bigger strides than other cities, because we have to catch up. A rising tide lifts all boats, and the projects outlined in MAPS 3 will help us increase private development, increase tourism, increase the number of college graduates who choose to stay here, increase the number of people who, after a job interview, are willing to consider living here.

What precisely does the failure of MAPS to pass guarantee us as citizens of Oklahoma City? Nothing. Not one job, not one civic improvement, not one positive piece of press in the national news. Zip, nada, nothing.

The NO voters have nothing positive to offer Oklahoma City. They are FOR nothing.

Officers Catch Babies In Apartment Fire
Firefighters Blame Children Playing With Lighter
POSTED: 9:21 am CST December 5, 2009
UPDATED: 10:23 am CST December 7, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Police officers rescued babies from a burning apartment building early Saturday.
Officer Anthony Pundsack and his partner were driving in the area of Northwest 10th and Purdue streets when they noticed smoke coming from an apartment building. When they got closer and spotted flames, they rushed to the building to alert anyone who might be inside.
Tenants on the second floor had to escape through their balconies. Pundsack said that he and other officers helped to catch babies that people dropped from those balconies.
"They were holding them by the arms. They were pretty frantic and pretty scared," he said. "At first, we thought they were going to drop them. We were yelling commands to them to just slow down, but they ended up dropping a couple. We were able to catch them, luckily."
Everyone made it out of the fire safely. Firefighters said they were able to contain the fire to two apartments, but two adjacent units sustained smoke damage.
Apartment managers said that children playing with a lighter started the fire.
"When they got home, that's when they started playing with the lighters in the bedroom and set the mattress on fire," said resident Marsha Smith.
Crews said that a broken hydrant in the area slowed their ability to start putting out the flames. First things first
Last weekend, an 8-year-old boy playing with a lighter set fire to his friend's house.

Why was the hydrant broken and how long had it been broken? Had that been reported?

Why was the hydrant broken and how long had it been broken? Had that been reported?

Good questions.

How would one go about reporting something like that? Would it be possible for the average citizen to check the functionality of a hydrant in thier neighborhood? How hard is it to be trained to check?

Is it a viable & cost-effective measure to allow neighborhoods to periodically check these things and report them on their own, taking the burden off the Fire Dept?

Vote yes tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!

Vote yes tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe it's unlucky, and maybe I'll be a sad little boy tomorrow night, but I'm optimistically putting together a little celebratory blog post which I hope is not in vain ... the tune I've selected for a small flash file is Bachman Turner Overdrive's You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet. Here's hoping I get to use it the way I hope to!

If any of you want the tune, you can play and/or download the mp3 file by clicking here (http://sites.google.com/site/dougdawgzmusic/home/youaintseennothingyet.mp3?attredirects=0&d=1) (left-click to play; right-click to save).

out of curiosity, what tune are you going to select if the initial version of MAPS3 loses the vote?

out of curiosity, what tune are you going to select if the initial version of MAPS3 loses the vote?
Well, I hadn't thought about it, but Poor Jud Is Dead comes to mind.

Did we forget that last summer several triathletes got sick from swimming in the nasty OKLAHOMA RIVER!! Now tell me that you would go do the water rapids, this will be a project that will not be built !

There have been many sad attempts to influence against a YES vote. Few sadder than this bit of fluff. Dead wrong point notwithstanding, welcome to OKCTalk all the same.

There have been many sad attempts to influence against a YES vote. Few sadder than this bit of fluff. Dead wrong point notwithstanding, welcome to OKCTalk all the same.

Well, it is a "closed course" utilizing fresh, chlorinated water. So getting sick will be his own doing.

Why was the hydrant broken and how long had it been broken? Had that been reported?

They usually get hit by cars. Not so much that it'd be noticable to the eye. Nobody ever reports it because they don't want to be charged for the repairs. If there were enough water department employees, they should flow these yearly, thereby finding the damaged ones. Unfortunately they usually get found when the FD hooks up to them and they won't turn on due to the stem being broken below ground. That's not the best time to find them but usually how it works out.

They usually get hit by cars. Not so much that it'd be noticable to the eye. Nobody ever reports it because they don't want to be charged for the repairs. If there were enough water department employees, they should flow these yearly, thereby finding the damaged ones. Unfortunately they usually get found when the FD hooks up to them and they won't turn on due to the stem being broken below ground. That's not the best time to find them but usually how it works out.

Kinda what I was wondering but didn't know.

They usually get hit by cars. Not so much that it'd be noticable to the eye. Nobody ever reports it because they don't want to be charged for the repairs. If there were enough water department employees, they should flow these yearly, thereby finding the damaged ones. Unfortunately they usually get found when the FD hooks up to them and they won't turn on due to the stem being broken below ground. That's not the best time to find them but usually how it works out.

yup great planning...
ever heard of this?
p3=p3
actually its more like a Capital P and a small 3
anyways (piss poor planning leads to piss poor performance)

Well, that does it. I"m not voting for MAPS until the mayor appropriates enough money to hire more water department employees!

All City of OKC Departments are short handed, could use new and additional equipment and supply's, it's just that there is only a couple of Departments that are whining about it in public and using their VOTE to try and get their way.

its alot better then beating the holy crap out of the members of the City Council.
I would only contributed (to the defense fund), if they would get a few licks on Micky..lol

For being able to make the decision so far in advance, you're a better man than I. I just now have come to a decision about how I'll vote on the subject based on all the information and opinions out there.

All City of OKC Departments are short handed, could use new and additional equipment and supply's, it's just that there is only a couple of Departments that are whining about it in public and using their VOTE to try and get their way.

I was being facetious.