Senator Bill Nelson announced today that Florida would be getting an $800,000,000 grant ("free money") from the government - ain't it great?) from the feds for construction of a high-speed bullet train between Tampa and Orlando.
This project is fraught with issues. First it only takes a little over an hour to drive it now on I-4 with no traffic delays. The train would parallel the interstate (actually a misnomer since it only exists in Florida). How fast do you really need to make this trip anyway? 15 minutes?
Second, you have to have parking stations at each end and ground transportation to get people to their ultimate destinations. Clearly this is a political move by Nelson as the I-4 corridor is a battleground area for votes.
Third, what if no one or very few people ride it?
Fourth, Florida voters in 2004 voted 64% to repeal a Constitutional Amendment from 2000 allowing and funding bullet trains in the state.
Fifth, all Florida has to do it come up with a 10% match - but then there's that Constitutional issue. There is slso a promise of another $300,000,000 next year.
Sixth, we can't afford it even if it is allowed against the constitutional prohibition. Florida is fiscally restrained and facing a huge budget shortfall. It would be required to spend $80,000,000 that it doesn't have - and even if it did could use it elsewhere - to build a train that benefits only a few people, relatively speaking. It doesn't impact the rest of the state, yet all of us Floridians pay for it. It doesn't impact anyone in Hawaii or South Dakota, yet people from all over the country pay for it.
This is what is wrong with pork, pet projects, and earmarks - call it what you want. Interstate highways, bridges, commerical waterways, and interstate rail does serve a larger population - regardless of where the money is spent. This clearly is an in-state project that isn't needed at this time.
Thanks for nothing Bill, DOT, Congress, Obama (he supports it for political reasons and thinks this is the way to create jobs), and the other enablers. You are the problem.
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