I'm angry that our federal government steals from the American people and then gives that money to states to build trains.

They should only be built in the private sector. that is not happening because it won't be profitable. its just like our federal government to that kind of money on something that wont be profitable. our government needs to stop wasting our hard earned dollars. but hey, they dont want to stop spending, because to stop spending means to stop buying votes. its all a con. the answer to them is "lets steal a higher percentage of money"

your thought process amazes me. its almost like you dont understand where the federal tax money comes from.

"dont do it yourself, force someone else to pay for it"

And your thought process amazes me.

Guess you didn't read my previous posts in the thread?

Guess not.

You know, where I said, "Now you'll just have to divide your personal cost share between the population of Wisconsin (dollars), rather than the population of the United States (pennies)"

200 million compared to 800 million. thats like $8 per taxpayer (more than pennies) when you consider the % of the country that doesnt pay taxes.

Wow - you are really ... guessing at that math, aren't you? LOL! You came up with .... oh, $8?

Just pulled that figure out of clear air, huh? :D

Try and follow this: Walker now has to borrow a little over $24 million to pay for necessary essential upgrades. That $24 million was in the federal grant.

Walkers state bonds don't get the rate US Treasury Bonds do for the cost of borrowing that money, btw. So it's more expensive money, to the citizens of Wisconsin, than taking the federal money. That's just a given up front.

The citizens of Wisconsin now have to pay for that $24 million on the state level, divided only among the taxpayers of Wisconsin.

Rather than pay their share of that $24 million through their federal taxes, divided among millions more people, the taxpayers of the United States.

Now, your argument is that it is better to pay their share of only $24 million, and not have the equipment upgrades, new trains, new track, new lines which you say won't make profit, jobs, etc; than pay their share of the greater cost among the 50 states. Well, Walker agrees with you.

thats not how it works, Ms person who skews everything to try and justify her garbage.

810 million dollar grant. thats what you've been arguing Wisconsin should have accepted the entire arguement. dont skew now.

810 millions dollars paid for by the maybe 100 millon taxpayers. $8.

i certainly didnt pull it out of thin air. I actually took it from you and only you.



Madison - The Legislature's budget committee voted 12-2 Tuesday to spend $31.6 million on the Milwaukee-to-Chicago passenger rail service, costs that could have largely been paid by a federal grant that would have extended passenger rail from Milwaukee to Madison.

Democrats backed the passenger rail measure. But they pointed to an estimate from the Legislature's nonpartisan budget office that found that at least $22.4 million of the additional costs stem from Republican Gov. Scott Walker's move to cancel an $810 million high-speed rail line connecting Madison to Milwaukee and Chicago.


Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) called the canceled contract an example of "Walker math" that is costly for the state.

"We had an opportunity to take advantage of federal funding in one of the tightest budgets in years," Taylor said.

[snip ... ]

That brings the total cost of the train car acquisition to roughly $70 million, about 47% more than the original $47.5 million price tag, according to the department's funding request.

But former Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi, who served under Doyle, has said most of the costs would have been covered by an $810 million federal stimulus grant awarded to Wisconsin last year to extend the Hiawatha to Madison, as part of a larger plan for high-speed trains connecting Chicago to the Twin Cities and other Midwestern destinations.

Walker, however, campaigned against the 110-mph route and after his election in November opposed it as governor-elect. The federal government then yanked the funds.

After the original grant was withdrawn, the Walker administration unsuccessfully sought $213.3 million in federal money earlier this year for Hiawatha upgrades, including additional trains, retrofitting the Talgo plant as a permanent maintenance base and improving the tracks between the plant and the downtown Amtrak station.

The costs of building and equipping both the temporary and permanent maintenance bases would have been covered by the $810 million federal grant. That grant also would have paid for more train cars and locomotives, which would have been serviced at a $52 million permanent base in Madison.

I didn't skew, Ms person who is spewing weirdness and apparently didn't read all my previous post?

I said: "Now, your argument is that it is better to pay their share of only $24 million, and not have the equipment upgrades, new trains, new track, new lines which you say won't make profit, jobs, etc; than pay their share of the greater cost among the 50 states. Well, Walker agrees with you."

Now, if you want to get an accurate number, don't forget to add interest to the $810 million grant, and spread it over 10 years.

I was wrong. 24 million, not 200 million.

24 million vs 810 million sounds a heck of a lot better to me.

you wanted them to take the 810 million for the high speed train.

are you seriously coming up with this now?????

:zz: I've always supported the high speed rail. The meeting where Walker needs to borrow just happened. It's in today's paper.

lol, typical crazy goverment math:

"we will save $50 this year by cutting this."

goverment:

"we will save 50 gazillion dollars over the next 100 million years by cutting this"

:zz: I haven't said anything about you pulling the $810 million out of thin air.

I said you were pulling the $8 out of thin air.

you said they should have used a small fraction (24mil) of the federal stimulus funds (810million) to pay for the upgrade.


I would rather a state come up with ways to fund 24 million than take 810 million from taxpayers wallets.

or in government terms:

all 50 states would pay 1.2 billion to upgrade existing trains

compared to

the government giving all 50 states 40.5 billion to build new trains.

I didn't say that. The article said that the $24 million he's now borrowing from scratch, would have been included in the federal grant (those funds, for the purpose he needs it, were included).

And now they will indeed have to do that.

Walker turned down the grant, then went and immediately tried to borrow the federal funds again. He doesn't have any real problem accepting federal grants (except during campaigns. Like Perry in Texas) He was turned down. Now the state has to pay for it.

The state will come up with a way to pay for it now. It's called taxes.

When you consider the population and number of travelers into/out of Chicago v. Madison the decision to wait on building a super expensive hi-speed rail system to Madtown, when technology is changing yearly, and the State wants to balance its budget not go more into hock, while going ahead with the section from Milwaukee to the IL border makes perfect sense. Again wish the President would learn a few things from WI and IL would become more self reliant.

On Wisconsin!

I personally find it to be highly responsible for Walker to only ask for 24 million compared to accepting 810 million. a guy who's actually looking out for the best interest of Americans, imagine that!

you know for sure it will be taxes?

they cant do the responsible thing... the thing that all Americans have to do... cut one thing to pay for another, more important thing?

thats the main problem today and why we are stuck in this mess, we cant seem to cut anything, but just want to steal more from the taxpayers and borrow more from China to pay for new things!!

politicians literally act like 15 year olds when it comes to spending.

You mean like how to refuse federal grants that would have paid for the massive immediate repairs your old rail system needs, then immediately beg for the federal grant again, then when you don't get the federal grant you said you'd refuse but begged for again, borrow millions you don't have and go into hock while busting your budget by $24 million?

Do you and reality have a serious relationship, or just the rare hook up?

No. It could be magic. Or voluntary donations.