the BScubed/Monkey Business Award goes to...

the news media (print, TV, radio, internet) which have, for more than a year, and hundreds of stories, reported all of the Baseless Self Serving Statements in Montgomery County press releases and public statements of County officials, but failed to report "the story behind the story" with the Silver Spring Transit Center, all the while touting that they report "in-depth" and ask "probing questions". 

http://silverspringtransitcenter.blogspot.com/2014/06/silver-spring-transit-center-how-it.html

Congratulations, news media. The BScubed/Monkey Business Award is yours.

On a personal note, it's been frustrating to read and listen to all the "experts" make public statements regarding the safety of the SSTC, and other matters, while lacking basic technical knowledge on the subject--"talking through their hats". Public officials making public statements, especially regarding the safety of the SSTC, should KNOW that their public statements are technically accurate BEFORE they make them. If public officials lack the technical knowledge in construction and engineering to know that the public statements that they make are accurate, then IMHO they shouldn't make them.

The news media have reported numerous times that David Dise, Director of the Montgomery County Department of General Services, says: “The SSTC will absolutely be safe”. HOGWASH! Dise can't guarantee that the SSTC will be safe, any more than ANYONE can predict the future. Dise may THINK that the SSTC will be absolutely safe; but, he doesn’t KNOW that the SSTC will be absolutely safe. It’s Dise’s OPINION that the SSTC will be safe. And, we all know what they say about opinions—they all stink. Stick to the FACTS, Mr. Dise. If you choose to make your OPINIONS public, then be clear to the public that it's your OPINION, NOT A FACT.

What news media haven't reported is the rest of the iceberg.

The public was promised a brand new, unflawed transit center. The public got a severely flawed, overbudget, overdue, $120+ million LEMON that needs more than $10 million in "repairs" (that don't address the source of the severe cracking--the SSTC's complete lack of expansion/contraction joints) before it even opens. What a ripoff!