Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Brett Davis to run for lieutenant governor

Brett Davis, a Republican Assembly member from Oregon, has annouced that he will run for the seat of Lieutenant governor. The article from the Badger Herald describing the announcement can be found here: http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/02/23/new_candidate_joins_.php

Monday, February 22, 2010

The train is coming to Wisconsin...but are these really the right times?

This article was published in the Cardinal last week. Although the money may go to another state if we don't take it, the costs associated with a rail line are much more than just the initial development.

The government needs to do more research before just launching this project. Are people even going to use the line?  Perhaps need to do some statistical evidence before taxing citizens

Additionally, as Walker has noted other times when addressing this issues, cost for a project like this often runs 2 to 3 times higher than they are initially proposed - are these the right economic times for such a proposal? As Walker has pointed out, often times no rail line (or any other form of public transportation) can run without "substantial subsidy for operations." This is reflected in the proposed ticket prices. A $20 to $33 for ticket from Milwaukee to Madison will not cover operations, and will cost the state $7.5 million to run the rail, says the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Finally, will the funding for this transportation be siphoned from the already raided transportation fund which services our heavily used roads?

All are important things to think about before we rush into another very costly government funded program. Please comment if you wish.

The Cardinal article: http://www.dailycardinal.com/news/republicans-say-rail-line-may-cost-taxpayers-in-future-1.1159954