MAKE THE DEMOCRATS RENOUNCE THE PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT.

The upcoming Democratic National Convention will take place in Milwaukee just after Bastille Day, and the successor company to The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Electric Company, currently trading as WE Energies, will underwrite extended hours of service for the new Milwaukee streetcar.

There is a mayoral election in progress in the Cream City, and the streetcar continues to be a, well, political football.

One of [mayor Tom Barrett's]  opponents was quick to blast the streetcar news.

"The money that is going to be used on that streetcar could be used to address the poverty in our community," mayoral candidate Tony Zielinski said. "It could be used to address the plight of the African American population. It could be used to address public safety issues."

Riders remain divided about the future of the streetcar.

The Hop continues to be free after the city could not install fare collection equipment in time when the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino's free rides expired.

The casino pledged $10 million to support the streetcar system.

The continued operation of the streetcar, and possible expansion beyond the Near East Side routing, remain to be determined.

Once upon a time, the Power Company and the Transport Company were one company, but a New Deal reform intended to prevent future Enrons (see what I did there?) required the separation of  electric power companies from electric railway companies.

Is it too much to ask that one of the Hop cars (which bend the corner around) be wrapped in a way as to honor a past series of Milwaukee streetcars that also bent the corner around?

Unattributed "Where the Streetcar Bends the Corner Around" image retrieved from Google Images.

Green above the belt rail, yellow with a touch of orange below.  Interior car cards with the National Recovery Administration Blue Eagle optional.