The Spectacle Blog
With newly elected GOP governors in Wisconsin (Scott Walker) and Ohio (John Kasich), Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (he was a Republican once too, you know) announced this week that he would take federal funds dedicated to those states for high-speed rail and send them elsewhere. WFAE reported LaHood’s remarks to politicos and business-folk in Charlotte, NC:
“There are a couple of governors-elect that have said they don’t know if they can afford to be in the high-speed rail business, and the reason I mention that is we are going to be reallocating money from Ohio and Wisconsin,” LaHood said. LaHood made no promises, but says North Carolina is in a good position to get a share of the money because the state (and Democrat Gov. Beverly Perdue) appears committed to high-speed rail.
Nice of WFAE to post Kasich’s letter to President Obama, which said:
I am writing to inform you that I upon taking office as Governor of Ohio…I will terminate work on Ohio’s passenger rail project…. Further, I have asked Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland to immediately terminate all contracts related to Ohio’s passenger rail project which received $400 million in federal funding through the High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program.
Passenger rail is not Ohio’s most pressing infrastructure concern at this time. Instead, Ohio’s existing freight rail and highway transportation infrastructure has significant upgrades needs. Therefore, I request that you make provisions for the $400 million to be used to support other vital transportation infrastructure projects in Ohio.
In the event that you cannot accede to my request, I ask that you take no actions to spend the funds allocated to Ohio so that these funds can go toward reducing the federal government’s $1.4 trillion deficit.
Jeff Taylor of The Meck Deck spotted the story, and wrote:
Of course our mentally deficient “leaders” took this as good news for North Carolina’s rail fantasy rather than wondering why those states are saying thanks but no thanks. No thanks when it comes to a black hole which does nothing to improve actual transportation in their states, states that just happen to have roads and bridges falling apart….
LaHood came to [Charlotte] to say the federal government will punish critical thinking and reward short-term sheep - and the Uptown crowd stood and cheered.
Like when Chris Christie said “thanks but no thanks” to that train tunnel from Jersey to New York. Let’s hope this trend picks up more steam.
Meanwhile, watch LaHood sing the praises of President Obama’s and Vice President Biden’s “vision” for “investment” of other peoples’ money in trains:
L A Stich| 11.19.10 @ 3:52PM
FWIW, Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) is of the opinion that LaHood can NOT merely 'transfer' the money to NC, CA, or NY.
The money was awarded by a process. Thus, if the Governor (Kasich, Walker) does not outright refuse the money, it will sit in limbo for quite some time.
IOW, LaHood is full of it AND aptly-named.
Oldefarte| 11.21.10 @ 11:06AM
LaHood [and the rest of the morons, especially the one at 1600] are running this country into the financial ground. Hopefully with the new congress effective 1/1/11, some of this excess federal funding [ie their non-stimulus, healthcare,etc] will be legislatively deleted, so that the defecit/debt can be eventually reduced/eliminated!!!!!!
Al Adab| 11.19.10 @ 4:04PM
Punish your enemies and reward your friends. Sounds like Andy jackson is back in town and in control of the Democrat party once again.
Can we not rid ourselves of this corrupt administration?
SCM| 11.19.10 @ 4:16PM
My Governor-elect (Walker) is absolutely doing the right thing. The avalanche of critical complaints he has gotten from Dems and the unions was to be expected. The whole way this was put together in Wisconsin does not pass the smell test. Why try to solve 21st century transportation problems with 19th century technology? Even with "high speed" rail, you'll still be able to drive from Milwaukee to Madison faster than taking the train. Huzzah for Walker, Kasich and Christie, too.
PattyMor| 11.19.10 @ 4:36PM
LaHodd is a RINO lackey; a useful idiot.
My hapless governor Quinn will keep the money and build the money losing choo choo to St. Louis that no body wants. Just think of all those union job they will "create" and all the patronage that will stem from running the inefficient thing.
I read recently that the U.S. choose to run freight on their tracks; but the Europeans people. These choo choos, will be not only inefficient, but probably also screw up the freight traffic.
Freddy| 11.19.10 @ 5:04PM
Come on guys, government would collapse if states did not use allocated federal funds as they were intended. It would be a non-stop pork-barrel fest. If they don't want the trains, fine, but the money needs to go to trains in other states. Trains in the Midwest is a bad fit anyway, and the funds are better spent in NY or CA.
Oldefarte| 11.21.10 @ 11:01AM
You apparently are ignorant of the fact that each and every state now has a state budget defecit [and that they are required to balance same]. If any state [ie NY, California] is extremely defecit unbalanced and thereafter defaults, then the federal government [and us taxpayers] will be asked to pay for the missing state funds to balance comply same!!!!!!!!
Gary Kavanagh| 11.19.10 @ 5:30PM
If some states would prefer to keep their infrastructure in the past, states like California that are planning for a more energy independent future will gladly use the funds for high speed electric rail service. The project to connect San Fransisco to Los Angeles has broad political support with local voter authorized matching bonds, and is very far a long in planning. It will be a huge boon toward economic recovery for the state, and I'm sure will pay for it self in the long term.
Oldefarte| 11.21.10 @ 10:58AM
Yeah, Gary, when California defaults through bankruptcy on their now $20 billion defecit and the federal government is asked by that moronic state to supply Ohio,etc taxpayers' funding to balance same, who then gets screwed?????????
Al Adab| 11.19.10 @ 5:39PM
Freddy, Gary:
You guys miss the point. By what power of government is my property (my money) taken from me and spent for the benefit, albeit questionable, of some other people or state?
The Domocratic Presidential candidate in 1924, John W. Davis said, "To tax one person, class or region to provide revenue for another is robbery."
Monies allocated, however speciaously, for pork projects should, if refused by the recipient, be returned to the general fund. Certainly allocation based on political favoritism is undesireable.
Hank| 11.19.10 @ 9:23PM
It's a good thing today's Republicans weren't in charge when our parents and grandparents built the great roads, bridges, train lines, canals, dams, and other great infrastructure projects. What a mediocre country we're becoming. Cowardly, hysterical, conspiracy-minded, distrustful, mean, small. Pray God weak men don't sire weaker sons.
Oldefarte| 11.21.10 @ 10:54AM
It's a damned shame that those same Republicans could not have had the opportunity to TAKE A PASS as TAXPAYERS on paying for those same roads, bridges,etc; and possibly used their privately earned [through their hard work] money in financially supporting much better constructed roads, bridges etc [than those crappily built by the government using their stupid indigent labor unionized work forces], huh???????????
bluecollarbytes| 11.19.10 @ 10:11PM
states like California that are continuing on with Federal-like spending habits will gladly use the funds for high speed electric rail service, or any other thing they can spend on. The project to connect San Fransisco to Los Angeles has broad political support with local voter authorized matching bonds, and is very far a long in planning, anda wishin anda hopin. It can't hurt, or if it does at least some good may come out of it, or barring that it's going to put dollars into some pockets.
Oldefarte| 11.21.10 @ 10:49AM
Yeah, the morons in California are now sitting on a $20 billion state bedget defecit too [which the taxpayers of this country are no doubt going to be asked to pay for in the near future]!!!!!!
Dean| 11.19.10 @ 10:54PM
People do not realize fully the enormous cost of a genuine high-speed rail system. Existing rights-of-way could not be used because of the numerous grade crossings. Imagine a train traveling in excess of 150 mph striking a vehicle at a crossing.
An entirely new right-of-way would have to be built that was free of grade crossings. This would involve huge costs in land acquisition and constructing the necessary grade-separated road crossings. The costs and disruptions of the environment would be astronomical, and for a very limited passenger load.
Long Ben| 11.20.10 @ 1:48AM
We in flyover country are tired of being put to tribute for the benefit of the likes of California and New York .
Oldefarte| 11.21.10 @ 10:46AM
This is typical of what's occurring within this country. Ohio, etc rejects federal project money because it would require a state to match it with their own non-existent funding. Since states are constitutionally required to balance their annual budgets [while the federal government sadly is not so required], these states take a pass. The accepting states [ie NC] are simply adding to their defecits by doing so, and will no doubt thereafter be pleading with the federal government [and taxpayers] to bail it out when they cannot balance due to their shortfall of state revenues. Any such states arbitrarily adding to its defecit by accepting federal project money should be hauled into court by the US Justice Dept [but of course, Holder is in charge of same, so that's impossible]!!!!!
Drew| 1.1.11 @ 12:05PM
So what do you suppose we do when gas eventually hits $4, $5 a gallon? It's not going to last forever. Are we going to burn corn in our tanks?? HA! Being from Ohio, its a damn SHAME that the train money is being rejected - we need OPTIONS here, not political football. I'm not some environmental extremist - I just want to see my state move forward with transportation projects that give people OPTIONS. I was living in Atlanta a couple years back when the gas shortage hit the southeast. That was one of the scariest experiences ever, realizing that (upon looking at hundreds of cars lined up at gas stations) our country's transportation infrastructure is dangerously vulnerable and dependent on oil. It was close to madness. I don't care what anybody says, rejecting that money for trains was a BAD idea. The project would have created JOBS, something Kasich seems to care nothing about. I love how train critics say, "well, send the money to places that need it, like New York or California." And then people wonder why all the young people (ahem, in search of J-O-B-S) always MOVE to those states and never stay in Ohio.
Its because this state SUCKS and always seems to lagging behind in everything. Goddamnit Kasich.