PrintNovember 2, 2010
Democrats railroad Wisconsin taxpayers on eve of election
A little more than three months ago, Mr. Obama’s Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood went to Milwaukee to proclaim that Obamarail was coming to Wisconsin and there would be no stopping it. In spite of strong opposition from the already overburdened people and the Republican leadership, the Obama and Doyle administrations decided to move forward with the unpopular project.
With Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker (an Obamarail opponent) well ahead in the polls and the potential for the Republican party to gain control of one or possible both houses of the state legislature the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has learned that:
Just days before an election that could decide the fate of a planned high-speed rail line, state and federal administrators quietly signed a deal to commit the state to spending all $810 million of the federal stimulus cash allocated to the Milwaukee-to-Madison route, transportation officials confirmed Monday.
The stealthy agreement will empower the lame-duck Doyle administration to sign contracts for most or possibly all of the rail construction. The agreement between the Obama and Doyle administrations will commit the state to the construction of the new rail line and would make it virtually impossible for the new governor and legislature to halt the project without being required to repay all of the funds expended to that point.
Walker, the GOP candidate for governor, blasted the deal, saying, “This is just raw political power at its worst. This is why the Doyle administration is corrupt and unwilling to listen to taxpayers.”
The new high-speed rail line is projected to begin service in 2013 and will operate as an extension of the existing Amtrak Hiawatha line. The high-speed (?) line initially will travel at a top speed of 79 mph and make 6 round trips between Milwaukee and Madison each day, a distance of 77 miles each way. Operating costs are estimated to be 7.5 million per year above and beyond projected fares, it is hoped that federal tax dollars will cover 90% of the cost, leaving Wisconsin taxpayers on the hook for a mere 750K each year.
Democrat gubernatorial candidate and Obamarail supporter Tom Barrett did not comment on the new agreement, however Barrett’s spokesman Phil Walzak said that while he was unaware of the deal, he was certain that proper procedures were followed. Word of the agreement can’t be good news for the Barrett campaign. It would seem highly unlikely that news of this pre-election deal was ever intended to be made public until after the votes had been counted.
