Odd Citizen
An Odd Citizen’s Search For Vanishing Freedoms

Feb

18

TIP & The Tucson Trolley

Filed Under Uncategorized

Taxpayers are spending $150 million (including a $63 mil federal grant) for 4 miles of street car line. That’s $37.5 million per mile! According to the Arizona Daily Star article the city could not get the boodle B.O. (Before Obama) because it simply didn’t make economic sense. But now it does?

The city had sought federal money before with no success, in part because the project did not meet U.S. standards for cost-effectiveness - although those standards were just waived by LaHood.

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Tucson, is a key vote on the President Obama’s health-care bill, and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords faces a tough re-election fight. Both backed the city’s request.

The trolley line is to run between the university and downtown. Aside from the fact that university types have little reason to go downtown and downtown types don’t generally use the university, this is brilliant. (See also Coyote Blog’s series of articles on the economics of light rail in Phoenix) I’m sure that the next thing will be a $50 Million grant to treat obesity of those students at the university and those downtown bureaucrats who can’t walk or bicycle the 4 miles. And it is right in line with the downtown politicians’ vision of a new

downtown as Disneyland - also to be paid by public funds for the greater glory of the mayor and city council.

Oh the wonders of TIP, Totally Irresponsible Politics!

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