Knee-jerk reactions are the hallmark of the political left, not clear-thinking conservatives.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't know enough about this issue to unravel all the ramifications.
Posted on 07/01/2011 1:53:23 PM PDT by walsh
TALLAHASSEE — In an affront to his tea party base, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday announced he will allow SunRail, a commuter rail project in Central Florida, to go forward.
(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...
He's approving a boondoogle?
I hope he's not weakening because "polls" say he's unpopular.
Rick Scott/Scott Brown...nope, no difference at all.
GOP: The Stupid Party rides again
i cant beleive this.
I'll reserve even much harsher words for light rail for a venue other than FR.
In fact the whole notion of "mass transit" or "public transportation" is contrary to freedom and personal liberty. In such forms of transit (light rail or otherwise), the individual is subservient to the masses aboard the vehicle. One must adhere to the schedule and the route instead of enjoying the freedom that a car brings. No wonder the leftists want to eliminate the car and get us all riding "public transit".
And I'm not even addressing the type of people found on subways, streetcars, light rail and buses. That's the form of transit favored by urban thugs, illegals (mostly Messkins), the filthy, homeless and other disgusting, malodorous lowlifes.
SunRail and other projects of that ilk are affronts to authentic Constitutional Conservatism. As we approach July Fourth, freedom and independence ought to be cherished. Mass transit is not independence by any means.
No politician can resist advocating and constructing a railroad. They are concrete visible objects presented to the eyes of the poor taxpayer. In addition, the construction of railroads give jobs to the preferred illegal aliens and “minority” contractors.
Not to mention if the people suddenly find themselves with no or unaffordable gasoline.
In this case, the state's cost is capped. Any overruns go to the local and county governments. And, if I understand the article correctly, about 1/3 of the state's cost will go to CSX for substantial upgrades of the rails..it's the railroad's payoff for contributing the tracks to the project. Freight rail tracks here are in awful condition..and as such are very underused. A better freight rail newtwork will benefit businesses in the region, better links to the ports in Tampa, and down to Miami..will benefit the area economy.
Look, Scot's NOT stupid. He can't possibly think that all those who despise him are now going to suddenly LOVE him because of this one decision. So maybe he feels it's a viable deal for the state.
In this case, the state's cost is capped. Any overruns go to the local and county governments. And, if I understand the article correctly, about 1/3 of the state's cost will go to CSX for substantial upgrades of the rails..it's the railroad's payoff for contributing the tracks to the project. Freight rail tracks here are in awful condition..and as such are very underused. A better freight rail newtwork will benefit businesses in the region, better links to the ports in Tampa, and down to Miami..will benefit the area economy.
Look, Scot's NOT stupid. He can't possibly think that all those who despise him are now going to suddenly LOVE him because of this one decision. So maybe he feels it's a viable deal for the state.
NOBODY wants a passenger rail in central FL.
CSX is just getting an upgrade at taxpayer expense.
I hate to be a skunk at the party. But are you sure this is such a bad idea? Maybe we should see more about what’s being proposed, where the fundings coming from, Where are the destinations etc. Florida might be well served by a rail service connecting the cities together. The only question is can they afford to build it themselves or will they be using federal funding. Then we can have that discussion.
I dont want to be a knee jerk anti infrastructuralist.
Actually, commuter rail could be very useful in Florida, where there are several large cities surrounded by developments. These are growing cities, especially with all the new jobs we have in Florida! Our highways are maxed out in certain areas and once the economy picks up and the new subdivisions (now stalled) are completed and people start moving into these areas, there will be serious gridlock that may prevent development.
The high-speed rail from Orlando to Tampa was a boondoggle (I never really figured out whose idea it was), but commuter rail could be a good thing for us.
And for those of you who seem to think that highways are free and are paid for by your tolls...they’re not. Huge amounts of federal and state money go into every mile of highway.
they have a commuter rail down south in palm beach broward miami.
it is a white elephant which few if any use.
it is a boondoggle since you need your car to get anywhere in fl.
FL is not manhattan.
I agree with you. Thank you for phrasing that so nicely.
Mega billion $ overruns on huge boondoggles are as common as pimples on a teenager. You're ok shoving that onto cities and counties - really?
The cities and counties here in central FL..begged for tis project..they were the ones who up front, first offered to assume responsibility for any overages....
Knee-jerk reactions are the hallmark of the political left, not clear-thinking conservatives.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't know enough about this issue to unravel all the ramifications.
but he defended it by saying SunRail was in the works before he became governor and was so far along he had no choice but to approve it.
He said his attorneys told him he would likely lose in court if he was sued for killing the $1.28 billion, 61.5-mile project.
All those hours you learned how to read needs to be exercised every once in a while...
Some form of local rail system has long been discussed and planned for the Orlando area since the 1970s, but various plans were killed by opposition from residential neighborhoods and from Disney, auto rental and taxi interests, subdivision developers, road construction contractors, and I-Drive merchants. SunRail is a limited system that is likely to succeed or fail mostly according to how high gasoline prices rise in coming years and on the level of support from large employers located along the route.
Orlando does not fit the aforementioned description.
I'm just glad they kept this blight out of my home town here in Tampa.
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