Scott Walker

The Capital Times is moaning about governor-elect Scott Walker’s decision to decline President Obama’a $800 million offer for the construction of a “high-speed” rail between Madison and Milwaukee.

Actually, it’s all in the details, and we all owe Scott Walker a BIG THANK YOU for saving our necks.

Japan's Shinkansen, 220 mph

The proposed rail is NOT high-speed; the top Madison-Milwaukee speed without yet additional Wisconsin spending (beyond anything now being discussed) is 79mph .  High speed rails actually  travel at 160-268 mph.

The proposed rail tickets would cost DOUBLE the Badger Bus tickets, and take 10 minutes LONGER than the Badger Bus to get to Milwaukee.  Who in their right mind would use this rail?

Badger Bus

Jobs will NOT be created unless Wisconsin foots the bill – if you do the math, $800 million over 10 years to create 15,000 jobs would only contribute $5,400 per job per year.  Wisconsin is expected to come up with the rest, which would be $2.2 BILLION more, to bring up that number of jobs up to the minimum wage .

If we can’t handle our snow removal bills now, and are projecting 15% cuts to all UW employee salaries, where do dreamers think the balance of the money will be coming from?

Scott Walker is taking the responsible adult position — you don’t start what you can’t afford.  Good luck to those states participating in this.  Perhaps they have a larger population traveling the rail line which might help it work financially.  Or, perhaps they are still thinking of the long-gone magic economic bubble for which we still have to pay.