Posted on 08/31/2010 4:11:32 AM PDT by Willie Green
With the gubernatorial election looming, the candidates are sparring over their many differences. One of the main issues that has evolved over the past month between two candidates, Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, has been the proposed high-speed rail service. This would connect the already-existing Chicago-to-Milwaukee route with Madison and, eventually, the Twin Cities.
Walker is concerned about the price tag and feels that the money would be better spent on infrastructure, such as roads and bridges. Barrett feels that high-speed rail is the future, and he is right. With booming population growth, it is mystifying that right-wingers continue to hang onto the glory days of big oil.
Walker believes he can stop the train from happening, and that is absurd. The state has already committed to the project and has received federal money. Walker’s intention is to try to convince Congress to let the state repurpose the funding. If this fails, he wants Wisconsin to pay back the money it has already received for the project, which would do nothing but funnel the grant to another state’s high-speed rail system.
While it is necessary to maintain our roads, it is crucial to create other forms of transportation. Milwaukee and Chicago suburbs are already connected, and Madison will be next — transforming the area into a massive metropolis. We are going to have to come up with other ways of getting around besides using the already-overcrowded roads. It is time to move into the 21st century — or get stuck falling behind the times.
High-speed rail makes sense for several reasons. Pollution caused by excessive traffic is near the top of the list. With rapid population growth, it is not feasible to believe we can still comfortably live as we once did. With Walker and Co. wanting to expand roads to allow for more vehicle traffic, we’ll be getting more pollution, more traffic jams, and more accidents.
Over 6,000 teenagers alone are killed every year on the roads in Wisconsin. And the count for adults is not far behind. A new and competent transit system would not only save on pollution, but lives as well.
Critics of high-speed rail claim no one will take the trains and they will fall into disuse. But this has no grounds in reality. Amtrak’s route from Chicago to Milwaukee is highly successful, boasting over 700,000 passengers in 2009.
With stops in bedroom communities between Milwaukee and Madison, some fear an urban takeover. In other words, they fear that if transit is too accessible, residents of urban communities will invade their hometowns. They want to continue to hide behind their white picket fences, pretending the big bad world outside doesn’t exist. This is not a belittlement of suburbanites, but what is frequently presented as the thought process behind a sizeable minority, at least.
Walker’s team played on these fears recently in an anti-rail campaign ad on Twitter, which illustrated African American dancers from the classic show “Soul Train” singing “C’mon, Get on the Train.” This was originally tweeted by Walker aid Michael Brickman and retweeted by Walker spokeswoman Jill Bader. After accusations of racial overtones, Bader quickly took down the tweet, and Walker himself has yet to issue anything resembling an apology.
But the message was clear. This was a tasteless attempt to play on the aforementioned suburbanites’ fear. Walker and Co. deny these accusations, yet anyone with common sense can see through this poorly disguised facade.
It is amazing how Republicans continue to hinder progress. With all the issues that plague us due to the overuse of cars, new transit options are a must. We need to do something to curb our destructive behavior. While high-speed rail would not solve all these problems, it would be a good start. Republicans, like Walker, don’t care about the future. Hopefully voters remember this come November.
Well, at least when it falls on its @$$ you will have suitable rail infrastructure for “high speed freight” where you can put the shipping containers on flatbed rail cars and blast them into/out of state at 200+ MPH.
Get them damn trucks off the roads.
< /s >
And as one of those students in Milwaukee in the 80’s, a train from Madison after closing time there that arrived in Milwaukee before closing time would have been quite welcome!
But the legal age in Wisconsin back then was 18.
There’s congestion on some highways when Green Bay is playing a home game.
Otherwise...
What does this article have to do with RINOs?
The rail proposals for Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee and the car speed rail from Milwaukee to Madison are sheer idiocy.
The projected cost of a rail ticket from Milwaukee to Madison is over $30 each way. WHO,exactly, is going to pay that? To ride to the Madison airport?
It is a moronic idea, supported by morons.
Here in Michigan, the democrat’s favorite GOP nominee for governor is a big choo choo fan. Fortunately he’s finding that to stand a snowball’s chance in hell, he’ll have to chuck the rail fantasy in the trash heap of history.
BTW, I’m relying via my Windows Smartphone while riding a New Jersey Transit train!
Linux-enabled smartphones, led by the success of Google's Android, will comprise 33 percent of the worldwide smartphone market by 2015. With more than 60,000 smartphones shipping per day, Android has catapulted ahead of other Linux mobile platforms.
;^)
How ya doin Lou! Long time, no speak! I enjoyed workin with you on the 2004 W campaign. Hope you can purge the dems and rinos up there before they destroy what little is left.
I’m not from Wisconsin, but I saw the ad for Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker that someone posted on FR and it was one of those brilliant ads I have ever seen.
Our Senatorial candidate here in Washington, Dino Rossi could take a lesson from this ad. So far Dino’s single ad has been lame.
TV Ad: Scott Walker vs. President Obama
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/tv-ad-scott-walker-vs-president-obama/61550/
Wait until Windows Phone 7 comes out later this year. All the best train commuters will have one!
I doubt that I’ve ever read an article more shot through with illogic and outright lies in the last couple of months. Who is this Brian Holmes idiot?
I’m not from Wisconsin, but I saw the ad for Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker that someone posted on FR and it was one of those brilliant ads I have ever seen.
IMHO, Walker is Wisconsin's version of David Duke.
Wisconsin is well known for their drunk drivers, but 6000 a year for a sub group is a bit high¿?
Perhaps back when beer was served to 18 year olds and all the Illinois kids would head north.
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/traffic/crash/fatality.htm
Surfing the net paid for by the taxpayers...
No it doesn't. Are you referring to Madison, Wisconsin? Either way, UW students are well served now by the Badger Bus and other coach services that take students to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. This :freer: market solution has reached equilibrium with student demand at only a few buses per day to each destination. Adding billions of dollars of fixed, heavily subsidized infrastructure won't do anything but waste taxpayer money for empty train cars.
“Over 6,000 teenagers alone are killed every year on the roads in Wisconsin. And the count for adults is not far behind. A new and competent transit system would not only save on pollution, but lives as well.”
Over 300,000 teenagers a year in the whole USA dying in car accidents!! ?????? And 300,000 more adults???
No one challenges this laughable statistic???
The actual number seems to be way under
wait for it
100.
Wisconsin
Drivers & Vehicles >
Weekly fatality report
As of August 29, 2010
Fatalities
July 2010 fatalities* 51
August 2010 fatalities* 61
2010 year-to-date fatalities* 364
2010 year-to-date fatal accidents* 337
2009 year-end fatalities 542
2009 year-end fatal accidents 488
This includes bikes, motorcycles, walking (!!!!!!) , unknown, and many others.
At another spot they said 174 drivers died in one year .............
So
50 teenagers perhaps ???
The projected cost of a rail ticket from Milwaukee to Madison is over $30 each way. WHO,exactly, is going to pay that? To ride to the Madison airport?
It is a moronic idea, supported by morons.
Over 800K passengers rode Amtrak in Wisconsin last year.
They are not "morons".
No prejudice in this article, is there? No barf alert, Willie? What a crock of horse sh**.
No it doesn't. Are you referring to Madison, Wisconsin? Either way,
No I was referring to Milwaukee, but "something" scrambled my post and I didn't catch it in preview.
Madison has a student population of 50K at the 3~4 colleges located there (University of Wisconsin being the biggie)
But Milwaukee also has a very high concentration of students with 17 colleges and universities located there.
Sorry for the confusion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.