Re: Rail Transit
Rail is expensive, but compared to what?
If spending taxes on government projects are a waste of taxpayer dollars, then why are my tax dollars being spent on schools on the neighbor islands? Why is it going toward paying for an airport on Upolu Point? Why should I help fund welfare cases living on the beach? I don't benefit from these projects so why should I care?
It's a social cost. As Americans we all agreed to stand by one another. If that weren't true, why are people enlisting in the military to risk getting torn to shreds? It's because they're willing to stand up for the rest of us. And in return, we support them with our tax dollars to get them the equipment and munitions they need to do their job.
So if you're going to declare rail a waste, then please stand and declare the entire military a waste, too. After all, the Marines aren't there in the kitchen helping to do the dishes, are they? So why would they deserve to get our money?
Oahu is getting very crowded. There was a time not long ago when places like Kaena Point, Makapuu Point and Hanauma Bay were deserted. Pearl City was the boonies. Today Pearlridge is almost considered "town".
The growing population requires an energy-efficient and space-efficient transportation solution. It won't be cheap. But the options aren't cheap, either. Cars can do it, but at what cost?
There's the obvious cost to the environment. Then there's the cost of accidents, the resulting injuries and loss of productivity. Reduce the injury and death rate from ordinary commuting, and you're already saving a significant amount of money each year.
Not everyone is able to afford to drive. And it'll only get worse. Last year the IRA increased the writeoff from 50.5 cents to 58.5 cents per mile. Almost a 16% increase. A 30-mile round-trip commute costs the average driver more than $17 a day. That's not a theory, that's real life. Right now. For someone making minimum wage, that could be 30% of that day's pay spent just to get to work! How does that make any sense at all? People talk about car pooling but that's often not practical and generally not practiced.
In 10 years expect the price of gas to be astronomical by today's standards. As this island gets even more crowded in the near future, efficient mass transit will not be optional. And you can't build it then. These need to be built starting right now. Today. Because tomorrow is too late.
Rail is expensive, but compared to what?
If spending taxes on government projects are a waste of taxpayer dollars, then why are my tax dollars being spent on schools on the neighbor islands? Why is it going toward paying for an airport on Upolu Point? Why should I help fund welfare cases living on the beach? I don't benefit from these projects so why should I care?
It's a social cost. As Americans we all agreed to stand by one another. If that weren't true, why are people enlisting in the military to risk getting torn to shreds? It's because they're willing to stand up for the rest of us. And in return, we support them with our tax dollars to get them the equipment and munitions they need to do their job.
So if you're going to declare rail a waste, then please stand and declare the entire military a waste, too. After all, the Marines aren't there in the kitchen helping to do the dishes, are they? So why would they deserve to get our money?
Oahu is getting very crowded. There was a time not long ago when places like Kaena Point, Makapuu Point and Hanauma Bay were deserted. Pearl City was the boonies. Today Pearlridge is almost considered "town".
The growing population requires an energy-efficient and space-efficient transportation solution. It won't be cheap. But the options aren't cheap, either. Cars can do it, but at what cost?
There's the obvious cost to the environment. Then there's the cost of accidents, the resulting injuries and loss of productivity. Reduce the injury and death rate from ordinary commuting, and you're already saving a significant amount of money each year.
Not everyone is able to afford to drive. And it'll only get worse. Last year the IRA increased the writeoff from 50.5 cents to 58.5 cents per mile. Almost a 16% increase. A 30-mile round-trip commute costs the average driver more than $17 a day. That's not a theory, that's real life. Right now. For someone making minimum wage, that could be 30% of that day's pay spent just to get to work! How does that make any sense at all? People talk about car pooling but that's often not practical and generally not practiced.
In 10 years expect the price of gas to be astronomical by today's standards. As this island gets even more crowded in the near future, efficient mass transit will not be optional. And you can't build it then. These need to be built starting right now. Today. Because tomorrow is too late.
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