Posted on Friday, 10th December 2010 by Patrick Dorwin
The “not so” high speed choo-choo has been derailed… Just like Scott Walker promised it would.
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5 Responses to “The Choo-Choo has been derailed”
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December 10th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Don’t get too excited about this. Local Fox station here in Saint Louis reported that the federal funding for high speed rail intended for Wisconsin and Ohio (which both elected GOP governors) will now instead go toward high speed rail in Illinois. So the federal government is still wasting the (borrowed or printed) money, just in a different location.
But at least WI and OH won’t be on the hook for the operational, upkeep & maintainence costs, so that is a form of savings. But your federal tax dollars are still funding high speed rail, except it’s out of state.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not in favor of high speed rail. I’m just pointing out that it’s a bit of a hollow victory from a federal spending standpoint.
December 10th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
The federal funds that were going to be wasted on it are now going to be wasted in Iowa and Illinois, partially on a choo-choo to take kids from the Chicago suburbs to Iowa City. So it’s good for Wisconsin that we won’t get stuck with operating costs, but the impact on the national debt and the federal taxpayers (that’s us…) is the same. [insert cussing here]
Also, I don’t see anything about Talgo’s illegal discrimination against hiring black people in this JS story about them leaving WI, but I wasn’t expecting to see anything…
December 12th, 2010 at 2:27 am
@pigactor…how did your State/local politicians handle the planning and preparation for their rail project? Was it cloaked in backroom deals with foreign companies that did not have submit to a competitive bidding process? Were constituents allowed to ask critical or tough questions at open townhall meetings without being scolded like insolent children?
@heather…you could always add your two cents to the comments thread that is already packed with the whiners and criers bemoaning our neeeeeeeed for a car speed train from Milwaukee-Madison…or that somehow tons of people will neeeeeed to someday ride the rails from Fargo, ND to Chicago by rail.
December 12th, 2010 at 3:03 am
I don’t live in Illinois, so…
December 13th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
@Roland When I drive on I-94 between MKE and Madison, it’s because Madison is between MKE and my actual destination-I’d love to know what percentage of traffic on that stretch is the same, I’d bet it’s more than half. Especially for trucks.