LIght Rail Be Gone; The Story of Karen Jaroch

TAMPA - Tuesday not only will Tampa be voting on governors, senators and other elected officials, but it will also vote on an article of faith, light rail.  Light rail was put on the ballot in 2006 and it was soundly voted down.  Now, with a democratic administration in office, it once again rears it's ugly head.  Tampa is expected to vote for light rail and the tax increase it brings this time without a definite route for the train's destination and a vague at best budget summary.  In Phoneix, AZ  light rail planers are throwing up their hands and proposing to increase a 2% tax on groceries and other items to support their rail budget overruns. Welcome to government run amuck.

Karen Jaroch is the present day David and Goliath. Her story is a wonderful story of getting fed up with government and making a difference.  In the last two plus years her passion has been to stop Tampa's light rail project and we think she has a pretty good shot of making it happen.  

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DSMW has included a short interview with Karen and you can hear her story.  Besides working tirelessly on the NO Tax For Tracks light rail project, she is chairman of the Tampa 9-12 project.  The Tampa 9-12 Project is a perfect example of grass roots activism at its best and you can join.

Mass Transit: No light at the End of the Tunnel

 In cities across the country where there have been massive investments in light rail, from the Portland area to Tampa, Fl., and a host of others, the percentage of people taking transit has stagnated or even declined. Nationwide, the percentage of people taking transit to work is now lower than it was in 1980. In Europe light rail attracts only 6% of all travelers. Historically in the US, it operates in the red sometimes couched with off sheet balance misinformation but always funded by the taxpayer.

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The Runaway Subsidy Train

Only rail requires heavy subsidies. At the end of the day, the great danger is that true high-speed rail could cost taxpayers even more than the tens of billions in subsidies that have been paid to Amtrak since the 1970s.

Wendell Cox says high speed rail want be much faster than trains in the 1930s

Light Rail - Remember the Alamo?

By Randal O'Toole
As America's largest city without rail transit, some people want San Antonio to “keep up” by building light rail. You need to know only one thing: Light rail is really expensive. I mean, really, really expensive. The average mile of light-rail line costs two to five times as much as an urban freeway lane-mile.

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