[MiamiRob]

Rick Scott is an idiot! He just handed California $2.5 billion of our Federal money for their high speed rail and killed 24,000 thousand jobs for Florida. The connection to Disney alone would have made this profitable because Disney would have probaby set up cruise ships at the Port of Tampa and would have probably subsized many tickets. Rick Scott the jobs killer!

PS: To some of you who say use the money for roads or to repair bridges instead that money is coming from the Federail Rail Administration which can only allocate funds for High Speed Rail as written in the stimulus bill. That money can never be converted for anything else.

[bbronston]

What money? You mean the money we borrow from other countries because we don't actually have it? Great, more and more and more debt. I mean, who cares? Right? It doesn't matter....heck look at Wisconsin, Ohio and New Jersey. Now those guys know how to spend money without consequences....right?

[mango23]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

Rick Scott is an idiot! He just handed California $2.5 billion of our Federal money for their high speed rail and killed 24,000 thousand jobs for Florida. The connection to Disney alone would have made this profitable because Disney would have probaby set up cruise ships at the Port of Tampa and would have probably subsized many tickets. Rick Scott the jobs killer!

PS: To some of you who say use the money for roads or to repair bridges instead that money is coming from the Federail Rail Administration which can only allocate funds for High Speed Rail as written in the stimulus bill. That money can never be converted for anything else.

Your job is safe if you are a dealer for street drugs. The Governor has made sure he protected his buddies in the pill dispensing business. Almost all the drugs dispensed through pain clinics go to the street, that is just a fact. One of the guys arrested yesterday who owns a chain of these clinics does over a $100,000 a day in the business. Want to bet who he voted for. Scott is in a fact complicit in the murder of US citizens. I can't say it any more plain. This man is just as much a criminal today just as he has always been.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by bbronston

What money?

Also don't forget, we don't even have a Federal budget for this year yet. Obama's HSR money may get scrapped in the House, and there's nothing he can do about it...well...nothing constitutional, that is

[Kevin from Tampa]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I think so because many visiting utilize public transit at home. Tourists from the Northeast US and Europe come to mind when thinking of who would use the service without staring like it has two heads. Of course people aren't going to board a train wearing bathing suits, I mean really? People can and do pack for day trips when utilizing mass transit. You really should spend some time outside of Florida in a place where people use transit daily for all kinds of uses.

In terms of thinking it's for residents, are you that much without a clue? How much of the traffic here do you think is non-resident? Taking either residents or non-residents (or both) off the road is the goal of mass transit. Everyone benefits, including the oft-forgotten environment.

I don't want to start any sort of pissing match, but you're telling me I'm without a clue?

Many/most tourists do not come from areas with high speed rail lines...why? Because there are none in the US.

And if you really think tourists will use this thing in huge numbers...well, I'll withhold the clueless comments.

Please describe exactly who would use such a high speed rail, and why they would use it. You might want to read my "5 likely user scenaris" earlier in this thread and see if you agree or disagree with any of them.

The ONLY arguments that hold water for this thing are...

1-EVENTUALLY it might be useful.
2-It MIGHT make this area look progressive

However, in the meantime, it will rely on HUGE public subsidies as very few people would use it, and there is a good chance it would utterly fail and need to be shut down. If that happens, Florida taxpayers are on the hook for $2.5B.

[BucFan]

Heard on the radio the other day that FLA will overtake NY in population in the coming years. If that's the case, can you imagine the gridlock on our interstate and major roadways. That, and with the price of fuel, some sort of alternate transportation method might need to be available in the next 5-10 yrs.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa

I don't want to start any sort of pissing match, but you're telling me I'm without a clue?

Many/most tourists do not come from areas with high speed rail lines...why? Because there are none in the US.

And if you really think tourists will use this thing in huge numbers...well, I'll withhold the clueless comments.

Please describe exactly who would use such a high speed rail, and why they would use it. You might want to read my "5 likely user scenaris" earlier in this thread and see if you agree or disagree with any of them.

The ONLY arguments that hold water for this thing are...

1-EVENTUALLY it might be useful.
2-It MIGHT make this area look progressive

However, in the meantime, it will rely on HUGE public subsidies as very few people would use it, and there is a good chance it would utterly fail and need to be shut down. If that happens, Florida taxpayers are on the hook for $2.5B.

The point being many people visiting come from areas with some form of rail transit. Light Rail, Subway, Regional Rail, etc....they all run on tracks and don't require an orientation class to utilize. Outside of Florida many are familiar with it and often enthusiastic about it. I agree that HSR is probably not the best fit and unsure if other forms of mass transit (light rail?) could have been built with the stimulus money, but given the state's abysmal record with public transit and lack of support, not moving forward is going to prove to be a fatal error as any future federal projects are sure to swerve past Florida in the planning process. I'm sure the however the Governor already has a plan for alternate transportation plans ready to unveil in the near future...

Hahahahahahahaha....

[TB Fla]

We'll see how good of an idea it is to cancel another rail project when gas prices reach $5. Typical conservative BS holding up Florida from competing economically with other states.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

Rick Scott is an idiot! He just handed California $2.5 billion of our Federal money for their high speed rail and killed 24,000 thousand jobs for Florida. The connection to Disney alone would have made this profitable because Disney would have probaby set up cruise ships at the Port of Tampa and would have probably subsized many tickets. Rick Scott the jobs killer!

PS: To some of you who say use the money for roads or to repair bridges instead that money is coming from the Federail Rail Administration which can only allocate funds for High Speed Rail as written in the stimulus bill. That money can never be converted for anything else.

Let Disney pay for it - since they'll benefit most from the rail.

We as a nation can't afford the rail system. We already have a huge deficit.

[Pear Martini]

Originally Posted by sim123

I consider this type of High Speed Rail inferior because it IS inferior to what other countries have. Improve it or it will already be obsolete before it's built.

The public schools here are inferior to other countries, but people are more concearned with not paying taxes. Has any Florida tax payer ever had some sympathy for the Florida child that has go through this poor quality school system?