Ramsey County has abandoned plans to build a “streetcar” line from St. Paul’s Union Depot down West Seventh Street to the airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington. Despite at least five years of promotion and study, probably longer, we were never quite clear what was meant by streetcar, but we knew it was unnecessary, unwanted and obscenely expensive. We knew it in our heart of hearts.

We also learned, amazingly enough in the very same week, that a majority of the Maplewood City Council no longer intends to support the “Purple Line,” the bus rapid transit line that was to have operated between Union Depot and White Bear Lake, it too being unnecessary, unwanted, obscenely expensive and hardly rapid, not with 21 stops.

Thank you.

Good leadership should more often mean not spending our money.

These ridiculous behavioral prompts were disguised as green and thus meaningful to a large and bustling metropolis teeming with commuters who couldn’t get from downtown to the airport or the suburbs north and east of St. Paul.

The next thing you know, we’ll have another miracle. We will gather ourselves and stop pretending. There isn’t anybody downtown. Buildings are closing. Real estate is for sale. Restaurants are hanging it up. There is no traffic. Our political capital and imagination should be spent on solving the disappearing city, not trying to accommodate the travel needs of non-existent commuters.

Maplewood, just like White Bear Lake previously, came to its senses. Maplewood Mayor Marylee Abrams cited traffic concerns, negative impacts on businesses and neighborhoods, not to mention reduced ridership projections.

“And I think just using common sense,” Abrams said, “an investment of $450 million and great disruption to our community, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

What that lady said!

The Metropolitan Council, an unelected body that shouldn’t be spending our money so incompetently, vows to fight on. But they are clinging only to their bromides and their boilerplate, not reality. In fact, they have, what else, a vision.

“We look forward to advancing a regional transit vision that will connect our communities,” said Terri Dresen, a Met Council spokeswoman, “and ensure future prosperity and we remain steadfast …” And yada, yada, yada

Prosperity? All the Met Council does is blow big dough, hundreds and hundreds of millions of the beleaguered taxpayers’ money. The Southwest light-rail line is a case study of alarming incompetence. We don’t want your transportation visions.

Ramsey County at least cut its losses. After years of study and untold millions spent on planning, Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega, the county’s rail chairman, finally threw in the towel on the $2.1 billion project and did the right thing. That wasn’t easy for Ortega. The streetcar, or whatever it was, was his baby.

“For me, to continue to spend taxpayers’ money without solid support from our agency partners,” Ortega said, “didn’t seem like the prudent thing to do.”

What that man said!

If we listed 100 problems faced by the Twin Cities, and St. Paul in particular, more public transportation would be 101st.

Good leadership should more often mean not spending our money.

Joe Soucheray can be reached at jsoucheray@pioneerpress.com. Soucheray’s “Garage Logic” podcast can be heard at garagelogic.com.

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