An interesting article from the Detroit Free Press tells us how Detroit’s dream of a choo choo train died and was killed off due to “doubts that Detroit could pay operating costs over the long term for the light-rail line because of its and the state’s financial problems…”
While we in Clark County aren’t in quite as severe financial problems as is Detroit and the state of Michigan, we do continue to see middle class taxpayers struggling well into our 3rd year of double digit unemployment, not helped by the recent slate of tax and fee increases handed to us by the state, county and city.
We also have the little matter of strong opposition still to the Loot Rail aspect of the CRC and that recent polls indicate how SW Washington remains strongly opposed to tolling. None of that seems to matter to ‘Boss Leave-it’ as he remains determined to tax and toll us to ensure he gets his choo choo train from Portland.
Currently, ‘Boss Leave-it’ is hell bent on cutting out as many voters from voting on an operations and maintenance tax, which places doubts of Vancouver’s ability to raise enough funds to pay for the operations and maintenance of the choo choo train from Portland.
Realizing too that loot rail remains unpopular north of the river and the distinct possibility of the tax increase failing, ‘Boss Leave-it’ says, “Given the fact that we are going to find a way to fund operations and maintenance of the light rail component of the CRC, there will be a Plan B of some sort.”
KPAM 860’s Victoria Taft tells on Detroit, “Poor leadership, poor transit and the attempt to kill the auto industry –all under Democrats–have left the Motor City residents desperate for ways to get to their suburban jobs. As mentioned above, many people are reliant on the subsidized elevated train and overworked bus system. A so called ‘People Mover’ choo choo is neither and has been nothing but a waste of money.”
Of note too, after ‘Leave-it’s’ lies on fighting tolls to get elected, the many claims of tolls could not be used to fund loot rail seems to be another lie as we read in the Couve.com article linked above, “The group spent a fair amount of time discussing the idea of a new bi-state agency managing light rail and adding a surcharge for operation and maintenance onto the $1.3 billion worth of tolls already slated to help pay for the CRC Light Rail project.”
“Leavitt wondered if the Washington State Transportation Commission had the authority to allow tolls to pay to operate light rail.”
It appears that ‘Boss Leave-it’ hasn’t a care in the world on just how much he will destroy the community or further bankrupt middle class taxpayers. Just as long as he gets his choo choo train.
Maybe Santa never brought him the Lionel set he asked for when he was little boy.
If Detroit can see their boondoggle die, there remains hope we struggling taxpayers can see some of our paychecks saved too from the likes of ‘Boss Leave-it’s’ dream of a choo choo train that we have repeatedly indicated we do not want.
