Troy, Michigan — Beware feds bearing gifts. A Detroit suburb scored a national victory for fiscal sanity and handed President Obama’s Big Green Government scheme — and its establishment cheerleaders — a black eye Monday night when Troy’s city council rejected a multi-million-dollar, federally funded rail boondoggle as a waste of tax dollars. The decision sent a message to Washington where billions have been thrown at green zealots’ outdated mass-transit solutions: Enough.
The liberal Detroit Free Press could barely contain its scorn that local peasants would question Washington’s wisdom. “Leaders across the region considered (it) an important piece to boost mass-transit opportunities in metro Detroit,” the paper huffed. “Opponents called the $8.5-million, 2,500-square-foot center a waste of tax dollars, even though Troy City Hall would not have footed the bill.”
But Troy opponents knew that was a false promise.
From Denver to Portland to Detroit’s People Mover, as Randal O’Toole has thoroughly documented, rail systems have inevitably become fiscal black holes as local communities were left holding the bag for glitzy federal projects that never brought the ridership — and operating revenue — that initial studies promised.
Troy’s opposition was led by its new tea-party mayor, Janice Daniels, who had made defeat of the transit center the cornerstone of her election campaign. “The council was turned over to new council members and a new mayor because we campaigned on a pledge to stop this transit center,” she said Monday.
Desperate to feed at Obama’s stimulus trough, Michigan’s establishment had put its eggs in the Troy basket. But history shows pols have a bad case of Edifice Complex: They are all about ribbon cuttings — and clueless about long-term costs. Even the state’s Republican governor, Rick Snyder – who earlier this year had joined the state’s Democratic Washington delegation in grabbing millions more in stimulus dollars for a preposterous Chicago-Detroit high-speed rail project – had urged Troy to open the gates to Obama’s “gift.”
With Washington in the red and history as a guide, the rail Trojan Horse would have robbed Troy’s treasury as the feds cut spending, ridership failed, and maintenance costs soared. From Amtrak to Solyndra to Detroit’s People Mover, the landscape is littered with the failed green dreams of Washington bureaucrats.
The pols come and go — but the monuments to their egos rot on. Troy sends a message that America has had enough.
“Opponents called the $8.5-million, 2,500-square-foot center a waste of tax dollars, even though Troy City Hall would not have footed the bill.” The Detroit Free Press obfuscated the truth. Troy City Hall, like other municipal governments, never foot the bill - we taxpayers would have footed the bill just like we always do for the misbegotten schemes of politicians and bureaucrats. Mayor Daniels should be commended. I wish we had more of her kind in Cook County and the state of Illinois.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTrue enough, though as someone in Cook County who uses mass transit on a regular basis, I can't agree with the article's premise that they are a guaranteed boondoggle. Then again, I live in the city, not in a suburb.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI used METRA (Chicago suburbs) and it has ridership. Like all commuter projects, it cannot survive without special taxes. External Link
METRA uses existing rail and has riders that work in Chicago. That Detroit project certainly doesn't have a lot more people dying to work in downtown Detroit and the rail facilities may not be supported by freight rail operations as does my METRA line. And Detroit has the freeways.
Even though METRA is supported by special taxes and providers are required by law to produce 50% of operation (only) costs , my municipality just spent millions on a new station. By the looks of it, something of an edifice complex to it.
With this kind of mass transit project, every suburb should question why it should be committed to paying for rehabilitation of the major city and if it will even work. In the case of Detroit, that dying city is being propped up by federal partisan government and doesn't have its own heartbeat.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI heard METRA will be raising its fares by 30 per cent - that's gonna hurt! I'm so glad I no longer work or go to school in Chicago.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe New York City Metropolitan Area's public transportation system may have expenses that are greater than its revenue, if you net out the support provided by the taxpayers. However, the return the taxpayer gets on its investment dwarfs the amount of support it puts in. I, for one, save 2 hours each day, thanks to the railroad. I use those two extra hours to work. I pay taxes on the income I earn in those two hours. The extra taxes I pay more than offset the taxpayer's share of my train ride.
On top of that, my business grows because I work during that time. My employees take public transportation, and also offset the cost of their subsidized train rides through taxes. We are looking to hire more people, who will create more income for me, for themselves, and for the taxpayer. We spend our money buying goods and services from other businesses. Those businesses hire people, who use the trains as an efficient way to get to work, which creates more jobs, more money, more wealth.
This pattern, when repeated, is "the economy." The trains don't do it all, but they certainly help.
On a more national level, I object to the effort to divert the transit money to pay down the deficit. The money is supposed to be used as leverage - the transit spending increases the earnings power of an employee, who both brings home more money and increases the amount he pays in taxes. Now, the increased earnings and tax revenues are lost. The economy is a little worse off, and my share of the deficit is a little higher, thanks to the mayor of Troy.
I'd throw away an "I Love Troy" bag in protest, but I don't think they make many of those. Maybe if they had better trains...
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Edifice complex" describes it perfectly. From school superintendents who want to have a photo of themselves in front of a nice, shiny, overpriced building, through the mayors who change road signs at the borders of their cities lest travellers be unaware of who they are, to those "stimulus" signs all over the nation's highways, elected hacks do their utmost to build something expensive and crude--anything, so long as it's big and cost a lot of money--that they can attach their names to. And their gone, but not missed, patron saint would fit into the words of Peg Bundy,
"All politicians are morons, and Robert Byrd is (was) their king."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnother obvious conclusion: Janice Daniels would make a much better governor than Rick Snyder.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMega, mega dittoes to the City of Troy, Michigan!! I give their new mayor credit for seeing behind the scam and seeing it for what it really is. More cities need to reject the Obama green agenda, which is nothing but a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe operating costs were projected to be $30,000 annually. That is a laughable under-estimate. The Chamber of Commerce pushed for the project, but would not let loose of a single penny of their own money towards it --- speaks volumes. Moreover, there was a cloud on the title to the land upon which it was to be built. Grand Sacwa was appealing a lower court decision, trying to re-gain title to the land. The infrastructure surrounding the proposed site would not have been adequate to handle the additional traffic of autos, let alone busses. The ridership was not there, the rails were not there (rail in Detroit would have needed repair and replacement), the destiniation was not there. But, all these problems would have magically disappeared according to our Chamber of Commerce and DDA, and we would have railed ourselves into prosperity ever after. ---Troy resident
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe operating costs were projected to be $30,000 annually. That is a laughable under-estimate. The Chamber of Commerce pushed for the project, but would not let loose of a single penny of their own money towards it --- speaks volumes. Moreover, there was a cloud on the title to the land upon which it was to be built. Grand Sacwa was appealing a lower court decision, trying to re-gain title to the land. The infrastructure surrounding the proposed site would not have been adequate to handle the additional traffic of autos, let alone busses. The ridership was not there, the rails were not there (rail in Detroit would have needed repair and replacement), the destiniation was not there. But, all these problems would have magically disappeared according to our Chamber of Commerce and DDA, and we would have railed ourselves into prosperity ever after. ---Troy resident
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe related, maybe not: Apparently Kwame Kilpatrick thinks Lil' Kim died...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIgnorance, arrogance and ideology run amok! These inter-modal stations have been hugely successful everywhere they have been built, revitalizing entire areas surrounding them. And Mayor Daniels is hardly someone to be held in esteem. This is the lady who said she would burn her I-love-New-York tote bag because "qu--rs can get married there." What a class act she is!.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI love people who have all the money they need screwing over people who could use a job, an improved transportation system and a healthy relationship with the whole nation they're supposed to be part off.
Please, please keep the Republican Party of these Confederate States in business. Well, they're not involved with business either; but, you know what I mean.
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