[Publius]

There's this amazing new discovery that is all the rage throughout the country. It's called "free-market capitalism", and by golly, it sure does seem to make things better in the long run.

And free market capitalism works just fine as long as some governmental entity isn't undermining it with hidden subsidies for a competitive mode. Check my earlier posts, and you'll find that the highway mode is subsidized in many ways, both at the federal and state levels. Some of these subsidies are overt, and many are covert, but one special interest or another will tell you just how important that subsidy is -- at least, to them.

Eliminate those highway subsidies, eliminate those hidden impediments like unions and the minimum wage, and then on a level playing field we shall watch individual and mass transportation compete. In densely populated areas, I can guarantee that mass transportation will win.

[WOSG]

http://www.southjerseynews.com/lightrail/

HEre is a one billion subsidy for a Light Rail project: WHO IS PAYING FOR IT?

How much of this Light Rail project was paid for by gas taxes? Ready to take a stab at it???


$1 billion cost. 4500 riders per day. Do you think that is worth it?



http://www.southjerseynews.com/lightrail/o032303a.htm

"But now comes word that the major drain on taxpayer funds won't end when the project is finished, nor at any other time in the foreseeable future. Though running the line would cost nearly $70 million a year in operational costs and debt payments, fares look like they'll generate only $2.5 million.

So NJ Transit needs to study this service for the first year or two of operation and decide a sad, sad question: Will we lose more money by ending the project or by keeping it alive? If the latter, we should mentally prepare to pull the plug and cut our losses."