I am writing in response to Steve Jagler's blog about the Kenosha Racine Milwaukee (KRM) rail project.
I generally vote Republican, and I am a staunch supporter of both the proposed KRM commuter rail and expanded Amtrak service in Wisconsin. I am flummoxed as to why the conservative talk radio hosts recoil from commuter rail like the Wicked Witch from a pail of water.
The Republican Party is big on individual choice and freedom, and that's what commuter rail is all about.
It gives people more choices about where to work and what mode of transportation to choose to get there. The only reason I can think of for their pathological fear of commuter rail is that commuter rail is common in big cities, which are bastions of liberalism. Perhaps they fear that commuter rail will draw more -gasp!-liberals to Milwaukee.
I lived in Chicago for 15 years and took both Metra to Kenosha and Amtrak to Sturtevant many, many times. It was a fast, reliable and inexpensive way to travel. I didn't even own a car for 13 out of the 15 years that I lived in the city.
Last month I moved back to Racine and am now taking either the Amtrak or Metra train every day to Chicago. The train ride itself is fine. I can read, work on my computer, or doze. What is frustrating, though, is the limited number of daily trains. (By the way, the trains are packed.)
When I take Amtrak, for example, there's only one train in the morning that I can take - the 6:44 a.m. train from Sturtevant. In the evening, there's only the 5:08 or the 8:05. Metra offers more trains, but it is longer drive to Kenosha.
I have written to both Amtrak and the Wisconsin DOT about improving passenger rail service, and the answer is always the same: there is the desire to add more trains and start up the KRM commuter rail, but no money to do so.
According to information on the Wisconsin DOT web site, the state will spend more than $500 million over the next two years on highway projects in southeastern Wisconsin. Yet the state legislature, in all its brilliance, could not find a way to fund $4 million in annual operating costs for the KRM commuter rail? I agree with Jim Rowen. That is pathetic.
Julie A. Jacob resides in Racine.
14 Comments
The only thing pathetic is that you think I and every other taxpayer should have to pay for your transportation to and from work. If the riders of the train pay a ticket price that covers the whole expense of constructing and operating it than I am all for it!
Ms. Jacob,
After reading your blog, I can see you need some re-education in conservative values or you are just another Wisconsin RINO who feels my money is there for them to take and use as they see fit.
The reason that conservative talk radio and conservative individuals like myself opppose the KRM is that we are opposed to the fact that we, as taxpayers, will be subsidizing your method of transporation for the rest of our lives. One only needs to look at the Milwaukee County Transit System to understand how riders never pay their full share and taxpayers are left to make up the difference.
As one who can benefit from KRM (I live in Oak Creek and work in Racine), I can tell you I will not use this as a means to commute to work. I make my individual choice to use my car every day and as is the principle of the true conservatism, I pay the freight for my individual choice. I DON'T expect you to send me $1000 every year to subsidize my gasoline purchases (Would be nice though!).
If you support this plan and are a businessperson, I ask you to evaluate this as a businessperson. If you were asked to invest you own personal dollares into this, would you? If this is such a great idea, why are no investors or businesses stepping up to the plate and creating a private enterprise to make this happen. Because good business sense will tell you that from a dollars and cents perspective, this is a black hole and can not be done profitably.
If this goes through, hang on to your purse. This will just be another excuse for our local and state politicans to take some more of my money for their playthings.
Dean Popek
I always enjoy reading something that starts out: "I always vote Republican"..... This is not a Republican Democrat issue. It is a big tax and spend vs. stop spending money we don't have issue. You say people are afraid of another choice, this is not true. If you want a different choice on how to get to work go ahead but please pay for it yourself. The people in Waukesha and northern Milwaukee Counties do not benefit from you having subsidized transit.
You say it is a cheap way to travel. This is because 95% of the cost is subsidized by local and federal monies, not your ticket price. Metra and Amtrak are in dire need of cash as they are running huge deficits and they also need billions in repairs which have been deferred.
At some point people need to realize that more subsidized rail in this state is going to cause increased taxes and therefore less personal income and more companies fleeing this state.
Is anyone else in this state as exasperated as I am with our 6th rate regime of amateur politicians who seem to be more often than not on the wrong side of urgent economic development issues? I posit that a more clueless, hapless, inept, irrational group charged with making important decisions and providing leadership, has never been assembled. Why is our legislature constantly screwing up? They embarrass all of us with the budget fiasco, they tremble at the thought of eliminating wasteful programs and bureaucracies, they suckle at the teat of the sleaziest of lobby interests, they spread out the silk sheets for the unions, and they are on the wrong side of a variety of necessary economic initiatives and reforms - I challenge them to fund KRM and other commuter rail plans; reform the antiquated liquor license law from 1937 that prohibits the economic growth of dozens of communities throughout the state as it protects the tiny but resourceful Tavern League monopoly which funds the campaigns of so many assemblymen and senators; provide more alternatives to public education so parents can actually educate their kids while administrative costs of existing public school systems can be slashed; eliminate or curtail the regulatory burden imposed on our economy (we pay twice and sometimes three times for this penalty - once for the public administration of these regulatory burdens and once again as we pay higher prices for goods and services resulting from costs absorbed by businesses that are subject to excessive rules and regulations - and a third time when economic activity does not take place due to this nonsense and it otherwise would have); exempt the inner city chronically unemployed from state income tax if they hold a job continuously for at least one year and continue the benefit for every year thereafter; and stop pursuing socialist disasters-to-be like universal health care. This state will immediately be visibly and fiscally improved with implementation of just these few ideas. If I can figure it out...why can't our "pros?" Let's get it together Wisconsin!
This blog was right on. But just look at the pathetic comments. Typical. The reason these local conservatives don't like the KRM is because their knuckles would drag on the ground as they get on the train. Milwaukee is the ONLY large metropolitan area without some type of high-speed transit system. Wake up, ya freaks. Let's not let these dorks keep our region in the stone age.
John,
The reason these above local conservatives don't like KRM is because of the costs associated with subsidizing KRM. I do not recall any one of them complaining about hurting their hands as an issue. Perhaps you did not read their comments or interpret them correctly.
I am not certain about their knuckles dragging, but your reasoned defense of KRM is welcome.
Let's see what the reasoned defense was: "We are the only large metro area without some sort of high speed transit system". OK, others are doing it so we should do it as well. Not really well reasoned, but it is a defense of KRM.
"Wake up freaks" Not so well reasoned. Same thing I tell my kids in the morning every schoolday however.
"Don't let the dorks keep us down" Always good advice there. Avoid dorkiness. I tell my kids this as well.
Thanks for confirming what we already know. There is no reasoned arguement for KRM. We are again reduced to name calling. You rock, John!
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
Ms Jacob,
I will be as respectful as I can. You are obviously VERY NIEVE, or a RHINO. OR BOTH. I live in Racine and work in Waukesha. I have an idea. Let's build a train that goes from Racine to Waukesha to Chicago. It might even stop in Milwaukee, SOMWHERE NEAR THE DOWNTOWN. The ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY FUEL COST will be subsidixed by.....WHO? OR, You and I could form a corporation and build a train between your house and my house to Chicago and Waukesha. We could spend a million dollars on marketing to attract others who might want to ride on our personal train. I have an idea.. Keep it local. Go around to your neighbors and ask them to pay for a limo service for you to Chicago everyday. Same difference.
Art,
RIGHT ON!!!
Also, I'd like to point out to John that my knuckles will not be dragging on the ground as I get on the train, because as I said, I WILL NOT BE RIDING THE TRAIN!" In addition, John, I have no problem with having the KRM as long as the KRM pays for itself.
John, I think it would be best if you took the time to read the opposing blogs rather than thinking up what names to call your opponents. Name calling reduces your arguement to the rantings of lower educated individuals. Try to sway mw with the facts and maybe I change my mind. I consider myself an open minded person.
Dear Art, Dean, Michael, Dave, et al:
What planet are you guys living on? What special magic fairie dust builds, maintains and services the roads on which you guys drive your personal vehicles? Do any of you have any idea how much public subsidy funds your "free" ride? Do any of us have a clue as to how woefully underfunded the capital budgets are for maintaining our current lane miles let alone the ambitious additions thereto planned? If these costs were actually paid by you, as you've suggested a train passenger should do for their full ride cost, all of you would become instant pedestrians...or mass transit users. This is not rocket science. The future demands that we identify how we can move more people with systems less environmentally impactful, with lower ongoing maintenance costs, and lower public subsidy per passenger/per mile. Inefficient internal combustion, SUV's with one person riding, thousands of lane miles of concrete and huge, growing public subsidies represent very regressive thinking when discussing transportation solutions. You guys should really think about this a little more. For those of us who make wiser choices to frequently walk, bike, or use mass transit, how is it fair that we subsidize your wasteful preference? Americans are fat and getting fatter...we should all walk more and cut our health care costs at the same time.
Thank you Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Biernat and Mr. Wolters for taking the time to show a view point outside of the stereotypical outdated "brain box" that most Wisconsin residents conveniently choose to live in. One of the best points that came out of Ms. Jacob's blog was that she lived somewhere besides Wisconsin for 15 years. I am not a Wisconsin resident, but I have ended up spending the adult half of my life here and this state is most disappointing in the fact that ideals are almost always 10 years behind. I want Milwaukee to become the economic hub that the state needs it to be so that I can make more money, and there will be more success state wide. With that Milwaukee needs to "get with the times" to become competitive with other major metropolitan areas, especially in the Midwest. As a young professional I am continuously sickened at the ridiculous mentality of the "elders" of this city and state. The KRM rail was not drafted to waste tax payers money, it was developed to provide a cleaner and more efficient way to travel between Chicago and Milwaukee, therefore opening opportunities for people to travel effortlessly both ways. I currently commute from Lake Country into Milwaukee daily, and I can guarantee that the buses are always filled during major traffic times with happy riders because we don't have to deal with bad drivers (which Wisconsin ironically has the worst, and I have traveled extensively and driven elsewhere), and we're doing something positive for the environment. The environment should be the number one reason for KRM, that's Wisconsin's biggest tourism money maker and is currently the ONLY thing that keeps many young professionals in this state.
To Brian,
If you did a bit research before writing your comments, you would realize that we have this thing called the gas tax in Wisconsin, which coincidently is one of the highest of any state in the country, which is used to pay for my concrete roads. So every time I put gas in my car, I am actually paying for the upkeep of the roads for my car and your buses. Also, the gas tax has historically created a surplus in the state cofers. You only need to look back to the 2005-2006 state budget to see how Gov. Doyle used that surplus to wipe out his budget deficit. So I would say my gas tax subsidized some other state programs.
Sunny, your comments interest me in that you, living in Lake Country, would not be served by the KRM. Therefore, I am sure you will at some point in the future be asking for the rail to be extended west into your area. Do you know what that means? More tax dollars needed to be sucked out of our pockets. The KRM is not going to make Milwaukee an economic hub. If Milwaukee wants to become an economic hub, the crime problem needs to be fixed. If economic growth is to happen in Wisconsin, we need a business friendly climate, not the tax hell we currently live in.
Okay, enough already with the name calling. Both sides can do that - and throw "facts" around all day long. I would only ask everyone who drives a car (and I'm included) to consider - CONSIDER! - two things. First, the cost of driving is going nowhere but up. This country built a system of highways because the Big 3 meant jobs for all of us. That system is getting more and more expensive to maintain. And those jobs are going overseas. Not to mention the global conflict over oil and the fact that the price is going nowhere but up. Throw in pollution, congestion and deaths on the highway (remember those?) and ask yourself what the future holds for highways.
We love our cars - I certainly do. But we have to consider all alternatives.
Second (and sorry, here I have to use a fact). Denver lost the battle over the Boeing headquarters because they lacked a cohesive and effective transist system. Since then, they got their act together combining numerous government agencies and made it a reality.
Consider whether Miller/Coors is going to look upon us as being able to do the same. Or
are we just about name calling? Keep your cars, folks. I plan to keep mine. But we need KRM.
And we need Michael Cudahy's vision for urban transportation. It's not Republican. It's not Democrat. It's not right or left. It's business. It's growth. It's needed.
To Dean P.,
You are correct in assessing that I would back the KRM in order to eventually establish a commuter rail from Madison to Milwaukee. I love the beauty of Wisconsin's environment (I have chosen to live in Lake Country), and I want to preserve it for future generations by making sustainable choices daily. And considering that the Coach bus lines that I use to commute daily are packed - other people would use the rail as well. I would also like to point out that we ALL pay taxes for services that we don't use, so there's some irony in me not complaining about the taxes that I pay so that your kids can go to school, or for Medicare to cover all the overweight people in this state (who would benefit from a brisk daily walk using public transportation). So I believe that you, and all the others who share your view, should stop whining about your tax dollars and start thinking long-term. That includes getting Milwaukee up to speed with the new millennium (i.e. making positive environmental and economic choices), and being able to finally promote Milwaukee in a positive light. Then, and only then will a business friendly climate take place. People laugh at how backwards our state is, especially with anti-environmental comments that are posted with positive ideas such as the KRM and other rail initiatives.
I vote democrat like Ms. Jacobs votes Republican. I find it funny that Ms. Jacob talks about choice and has made the choice to move to Racine and commute to Chicago, but wants to compel the taxpayers to make her commute easier.
The problem with Wisconsin is that we have blown our money on a fat, bloated government with over-generous government programs, govt. employee pay, and benefits. So now we are taxed to the hilt and don't have any spare money to spend on a rail transportation system that will have to be subsidized by the taxpayers.
Also, if there was such a significant demand for additional rail service between Milwaukee and Chicago, Amtrak would ask for it and we would hear about packed trains. But there isn't.
Finally, Wisconsin's median household income is falling behind the rest of the country and we will continue to have problems funding every liberal's wish list of new government programs as we have tapped-out the taxpayers. Get used to it, the taxpayer piggy bank is nearing empty.