Make Up Your Mind, McIlheran!

Ever since politicians have started to speak more earnestly about developing a rail system, right wingers like Charlie Sykes, Patrick McIlheran and others in the Posse Comatose have told us that building a rail system would be a waste of money because no one would ride on it.

In Wednesday's paper, McIlheran is now griping about high speed rail because it might be too popular and take away riders from the airlines.

I wish he would make up his mind. It's getting so bad that he is even beginning to parody himself.

So doesn’t that make talk radio a bit like community organizing?

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett pointed out at a debate yesterday that Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s intransigence on developing new transit options seems to have more to do with appeasing his talk radio constituency than sound public policy.

Walker shot back that Barrett was must be beholden to his rail-supporting donors.

Barrett noted to a reporter later that his donors actually have diverse opinions on rail.

But Walker, in a move that would make his talk radio minders proud, refused to elaborate on his unfounded charge: “I'm not going to get into tit-for-tat."

Of course not.

That’s what Charlie and Mark are for.

Cross posted at Pundit Nation.

Excuse Me Sir, Is That The Chatteringhead Choo-Choo?

From the venerable James Rowen:

You hear it on talk radio all the time: No one will ride the train, blah blah blah.

Except...Amtrak is setting records between Milwaukee and Chicago.

Now imagine for a moment that you could ride the light rail from Brookfield or UW-M or King Drive, transfer at the InterModal station downtown, and continue on to Chicago via Amtrak, or south on the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter line?

Oh...I forgot...that wouldn't work here, because no one will ride the train.

Right Wing Radio: Out To Do Milwaukee In

From the Waukesha Freeman:

Community leaders said in a conference Wednesday that negative comments in the media toward the formation of a regional transit authority or extensive rail service here make movements toward those efforts more difficult.

The leaders, who were part of a panel discussing how to overcome the political boundaries of establishing an RTA at the Community Development Summit hosted by the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, said editorials in newspapers across the region have portrayed the effort in a negative light and talk radio personalities have unfairly condemned the idea.

In particular they repeatedly referenced a June 18 editorial column in The Freeman by talk radio personality Mark Belling in which he referred to mass transit users as “the fringe” and said transit issues fit into the “seven words you can’t say on talk radio.”

“I’m absolutely amazed by the negativity of people here,” said Donald Sykes, president and CEO of the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board.

Panelists said there are a lot of social and political boundaries halting the RTA in the eyes of the public and misconceptions cause a divide between citizens and businesses on the issue. Regional perceptions such as the stereotype of Waukesha County residents being unwilling to allow urban African-Americans into their community were also cited.

They said local lawmakers are also failing to listen to businesses in favor of rhetoric, which deepens the political divide.

It's true. Despite many business leaders, community leaders, and even a conservative transit authority have said that Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin will be in a world of economic hurt if something isn't done quickly to improve the transit system, the local squawkers keep their rants going. They would sacrifice the community they are supposedly standing up for, all for the sake of a couple of rating points.

Here is a prime example of someone not getting it.

H/T to James Rowen.

McBride rides the rails

Having had an eye-opening experience in Europe, Jessica McBride says she supports more, improved public transportation, perhaps even -- gasp! -- the dreaded light rail.

After I left Europe, I realized I’d used every form of transport - a taxi, a bus, a subway, a train, a boat ... even a gondola.

And then I arrived back in America and got back in my car, turning on talk radio. Really, what’s the other option?

Apparently she sees no irony in the fact that it is talk radio that has so politicized the issue and polluted the air in southeastern Wisconsin that it is impossible to have a rational conversation about rail.

More from McBride:

If we had a light rail system as effective as those in Europe,I’d ride it. We can quibble over the type and costs, but conservatives should join together with liberals and come up with a public transportation improvement plan.

Maybe she could start by talking with her candidate for governor, Scott Walker, who believes the ideal transportation system is for everyone to drive a car.

Conservatives Like High Gasoline Prices

From James Rowen:

Just for the record...let's remember that in 1997, it was then-Gov. Tommy Thompson, The Man Who Loved Trains And Later Yearned To Be US Secretary of
Transportation, who killed his administration's light rail plan for Milwaukee.

Had Tommy stood up to the local conservative talk radio hosts who still use "light rail" as an all-purpose anti-urban code phrase, workers and students commuting from Waukesha could be riding the rails with some of that $4-gallon gas money in their pockets.

You can read the rest here.

And for your homework, call or email Charlie, Jeff and Mark, and tell them thanks, and ask them where you can submit your request for reimbursement for the exorbitant amounts of money your paying for gasoline these days. I'm sure those fine, upstanding, take responsibility guys will stand up and do the right thing and pay us back for the consequences of their short-sightedness.

But don't hold your breath while you're waiting for that to happen.

Sykes Finally Gets It

He finally named a post appropriately, when he discusses Scott Walker's plans for public transit.

How Did He Miss This Story?

McIlheran hates taxes...unless he is for them, like when it comes to giving extra tax money to the road builders to build bigger highways, even if they're not needed.

He goes to great lengths of logic and illogic to try to convince his reader that it is an absolute necessity to build bigger and wider and more costly highways. So it is no small wonder that he avoided this story (emphasis mine):

The perfect commute is easy, inexpensive and reliable. In cities boasting
such factors, like Buffalo, N.Y., Salt Lake City and Milwaukee the trip to work is a breeze. But for commuters in Atlanta, Detroit and Miami, the daily grind is just that, thanks to bad traffic, insufficient infrastructure and drivers who resist carpools and public transportation.

and later in the same article:

A high efficiency rating also affects cost. Driving alone is more expensive than carpooling, which is typically more expensive than public transit, which is more expensive than walking. Sweet crude oil is currently selling at more than $110 a barrel, and the less dependant commuters are on it, the cheaper the commute.

Of course, being a good member of the right wing local media, he wouldn't want you to know that, would he?

Empathy Deficit Disorder-Textbook Case

This is also a bit dated, but being a King is busy work.

On Wednesday, McIlheran wrote two posts on different topics, but with the same theme.

In his first post, he complains about how Milwaukee isn't just getting out of the way for the residents of Waukesha County so that they can have access to our water. These are the same people that chose to kill bus route #9, because the working poor in Milwaukee aren't worth the money, just so they can get to and from their jobs. So why would they deserve our water, Patrick? Oh that's right, because they're richer than us.

In his second post, McIlheran talks about how China is now having traffic jams. Although he never explicitly states what his point is, he does imply how wonderful cars are and the need to have more of them, burn more gas, have more pollution and to build more roads. As opposed to something so silly as mass transit.

He quotes a man from China who is happy that he can see his relatives in far away places. That is nice. The King of the Hate Left and his beautiful queen enjoy that luxury too. The difference is that we understand that those are blind, physically disabled, or have some other reason that they cannot drive, also have a right to see their loved ones. We recognize that for some people not as fortunate as ourselves, just getting to the local grocery store or pharmacy can require a lot of time and effort, even with mass transit, and would be impossible without it.

So, two different topics, cars and water, but the same theme. McIlheran suffers from Empathy Deficit Disorder.

H/T to James Rowen for the diagnostic guide.

Saving the Number 9

McIlheran has stated that he is all for raising taxes if it means building bigger and faster freeways. He's probably all for the Pabst Farm Interchange as well. Since Paddymac is all for throwing millions after millions of dollars at needless road constructions, I hope he wouldn't mind (actually I don't care if he minded or not) if a mere $100,000 dollars were diverted to save the #9 bus route that services Milwaukee workers who have jobs in Waukesha.

For the want of $100, 000, Dan Vrakas, Waukesha County Executive, is willing to let this route disappear at the end of 2007.

James Rowen makes some clear, logical points on how and why this should be done, which I am sure would be lost on the right wing media, especially McIlheran.

But I like Gretchen Schuldt's suggestion as well. There is something appealing about the thought of knocking Scott Walker's and Dan Vrakas' heads together in an effort to knock some sense into them.

Why Do We Need Bigger Highways, Patrick?

Whallah! has already pointed out that McIlheran has found a tax that he actually likes. He wants to put tolls on the highway so that people can go real fast. Perhaps he should start listening to Jeff Wagner instead of Charlie Sykes. After all, even Jeff know that speed kills.

But that is beside the point. Sprawled Out has a post pointing out that there really is no need to expand the highway. It is already one of the best in the land.

So is McIlheran just another tax and spend conservative?

H/T James Rowen

He Was Against Them Before He Was For Them

We have already talked about how McIlheran does a mean flip-flop. Now he is committing a reverse flip-flop.

McIlheran, like the rest of the right-wing squawk brigade, doesn't like fees imposed by the government. "They're just another word for taxes" they squawk.

Now, we find that McIlheran actually likes fees. In fact, he is suggesting them. Channeling his inner Tom Reynolds, McIlheran is suggesting that the Dept. of Transportation expand the I-94 system to eight lanes, with the extra lanes being for high speed travel. He further explains that this could be paid for by use of a special toll fee.

I guess some fees are OK, as long as they benefit your Big Business buddies. James Rowen and Sprawled Out share their thoughts on this matter as well.