PUERTO RICO: Congress approves $40 million for Urban Train project

WASHINGTON - Congress has approved an appropriation of $40 million for the island's Urban Train project, the Office of Resident Commissioner Anibal Acevedo Vila announced Tuesday.

The fiscal year 2002 outlay was part of legislation covering the U.S. Department of Transportation's appropriations for the fiscal year that begun Oct. 1.

The $40 million is part of the $307 million that the federal government has promised to invest over the years in the light-rail system, whose cost will be over $1 billion. The 2002 appropriations will bring the federal share paid out for the project to $193 million.

Puerto Rico had requested $153 million for the fiscal year, but the island had to compete with several expensive transportation projects that had gotten off the boards since Washington and San Juan signed the Full Funding Agreement in March 1996.

Some $165 million has been frozen for the project for the past two years because of cost overruns and defective construction. After an investigation, Congress held up $105 million in direct funds to Tren Urbano in fiscal 2000, and another $60 million in flexible highway funds that would have been used for the light-rail project.

The Calderon administration has been working for the past several months to get the frozen funds released. Neither Acevedo Vila nor any staff member could be reached Tuesday for comment on how that effort is coming.

In a prepared statement, Acevedo Vila said Congress approved the $40 million for the Urban Train project despite cuts to other important highway and transportation projects in stateside cities. The Bush budget had proposed $59 million for the project.

The resident commissioner pointed to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, and Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., a member of the House Appropriations Committee, as instrumental in getting the Urban Train funds approved for the island.

Can you believe this?

Congress takes money from the Patriotic and gives to the Seditionists.

-The residents of Puerto Rico burn the American Flag.

-They protest the American military's presence in Puerto Rico and the Navy's practice bombing on the island of Vieques of which we own 2/3's.

-Puerto Rican terrorists throw Molotov Cocktails at Navy convoys.

-The residents of Puerto Rico have voted against statehood (how many times?).

-They give their convicted criminals plane tickets to stateside cities instead of jail-time and didn't start informing local authorities until they got caught in the act.

-The list goes on and on.

All our pandering politicians continue to do is lavish more and more of our hard-earned tax-dollar$ on these ungrateful extortionists.

Invest in Krylon spray paint, huh?

Now that's what I call making lemons into lemonade. Genius, pure genius. Ha, ha.

How about local PR paramedics companies? That's going to be a booming business with all the new muggings that'll be taking place.

I want the stun-gun concession!

Sorry to disagree. While the residents of Puerto Rico aren't totally stupid, they are missing the boat on this one. They, for the most part, do not declare enough of their income to pay any income tax under our present tax laws. Every penny paid in would be refunded at the end of the tax year.

It's a joke in PR that none of their doctors can qualify for a home mortgage, because they declare so little of their income.

If PR became a state, the U.S. Taxpayers would have to shell out an additional $3 billion in welfare payments that the residents of PR don't presently qualify for.

We'd never be rid of the seditionistic ingrates.

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