Published in the Marin IJ - read it online
SMART train and economic issues
Article Launched: 09/30/2008 12:08:27 AM PDT
JOEL SMOLEN
MARIN and Sonoma County voters will be deciding on Nov. 4 if we want a commuter train as an alternative to autos along the Highway 101 corridor. ...
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_10597512?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Joel says it all
This two minute clip was made possible through KTVU political communications site.
To view the video of Joel's presentation, scroll through the menu of mini images to the right of the video window. Find Joel Smolen and click on his picture, to play the two-minute video clip.
To view the video of Joel's presentation, scroll through the menu of mini images to the right of the video window. Find Joel Smolen and click on his picture, to play the two-minute video clip.
SMART Train
The SMART Train and Economic Issues.
Marin and Sonoma County voters will be deciding on November 4th if we in the Community want a commuter train as an alternative to Autos along the Highway 101 corridor.
Does a 70 mile long 14 station line from Cloverdale to Larkspur provide enough of an advantage to justify its costs?
We have estimates of 2000 to 3000 riders (5000 to 6000 round trips) on weekdays and 1,000 riders (500 round trips) on weekends. Based on the costs per individual ride, ridership makes for a very expensive taxpayer subsidy indeed.
With even conservative estimates of $30.00- to $50.00 dollars cost each way and $60.00 to $100.00 per round trip( when construction, debt, maintenance, and other costs are considered), our community will be paying a lot for the privilege of getting to Larkspur. If the costs are as half as high as many have described, it would be cheaper to have a small bus pick up folks in Santa Rosa, and Novato, drop them off in San Francisco, pick them up after work and take them home.
Rail transit has recently had a sad history in our country. San Jose, our neighbor to the south, has a light rails system which put the city’s transit agency so far in debt, that when sales tax revenues fell short they were forced to cut bus and rail service by over 15% .
Denver has a voter approved 119 mile rail system which was to cost 4.7 Billion to built by 2017, it is now estimated to up to 7.9 Billion and may be delayed until 2030. Chicago estimates it needs 16 Billion to rehabilitate tracks and trains.
There is a rail transit open secret that the SMART proponents do not consider, and we tax payers should be very aware of. The train rail cars, electrical, facilities, and stations must be replaced about every 20 to 25 years. So the economic life this train system is relatively short, and SMART will be asking for more money 20 years from now. So we taxpayers will never get finished paying off the limited advantage of this train.
Let’s keep in mind that 1 Billion dollars can buy lots of buses, expanded highways, bike trails, health care, school and green education for our citizens.
The amount of green house gasses reduced is so small that effective bus transport, and ride sharing alone would make a greater difference, and at a fraction of the cost.
Don’t be out smarted by SMART.
Marin and Sonoma County voters will be deciding on November 4th if we in the Community want a commuter train as an alternative to Autos along the Highway 101 corridor.
Does a 70 mile long 14 station line from Cloverdale to Larkspur provide enough of an advantage to justify its costs?
We have estimates of 2000 to 3000 riders (5000 to 6000 round trips) on weekdays and 1,000 riders (500 round trips) on weekends. Based on the costs per individual ride, ridership makes for a very expensive taxpayer subsidy indeed.
With even conservative estimates of $30.00- to $50.00 dollars cost each way and $60.00 to $100.00 per round trip( when construction, debt, maintenance, and other costs are considered), our community will be paying a lot for the privilege of getting to Larkspur. If the costs are as half as high as many have described, it would be cheaper to have a small bus pick up folks in Santa Rosa, and Novato, drop them off in San Francisco, pick them up after work and take them home.
Rail transit has recently had a sad history in our country. San Jose, our neighbor to the south, has a light rails system which put the city’s transit agency so far in debt, that when sales tax revenues fell short they were forced to cut bus and rail service by over 15% .
Denver has a voter approved 119 mile rail system which was to cost 4.7 Billion to built by 2017, it is now estimated to up to 7.9 Billion and may be delayed until 2030. Chicago estimates it needs 16 Billion to rehabilitate tracks and trains.
There is a rail transit open secret that the SMART proponents do not consider, and we tax payers should be very aware of. The train rail cars, electrical, facilities, and stations must be replaced about every 20 to 25 years. So the economic life this train system is relatively short, and SMART will be asking for more money 20 years from now. So we taxpayers will never get finished paying off the limited advantage of this train.
Let’s keep in mind that 1 Billion dollars can buy lots of buses, expanded highways, bike trails, health care, school and green education for our citizens.
The amount of green house gasses reduced is so small that effective bus transport, and ride sharing alone would make a greater difference, and at a fraction of the cost.
Don’t be out smarted by SMART.
Monday, September 1, 2008
I’m Joel Smolen...
I’m Joel Smolen, Libertarian Candidate for the United States Congress for the 6th Congressional District
The Libertarian Party is called "The Party of Principle." We combine the best aspects of the Democratic and Republican platforms:
We are the true party of Peace - we want to see our country standing as a light of freedom and democracy through out the world, with our armed forces providing protection for our boundaries, not projection of military might. Where our economic strength and democratic ideals resonates for all the world's citizens. Where we compete economically with the rest of the world, which has been our historical strength, and has been admired and emulated by so many countries
Congress and the President over the past 8 years have created many bills which have eroded our Constitutional rights of privacy, and I will fight to protect our Constitutional freedoms which have been so seriously eroded over the past several years, and provide leadership to defend our free society.
We desperately need Educational reform, Tax Reform and fundamental Election reform.
Let's not lose our way in this country with both Democratic and Republican Hollywood political campaigns, spending billions of dollars on Presidential and local candidates, when we have a war going on with tragic loss of human life, and many desperate and poor people in our communities in need.
It is time to look to a serious and forceful candidate who will provide fresh ideas, renewed energy, and will work diligently for the citizens of Marin and Sonoma counties.
The Libertarian Party is called "The Party of Principle." We combine the best aspects of the Democratic and Republican platforms:
We are the true party of Peace - we want to see our country standing as a light of freedom and democracy through out the world, with our armed forces providing protection for our boundaries, not projection of military might. Where our economic strength and democratic ideals resonates for all the world's citizens. Where we compete economically with the rest of the world, which has been our historical strength, and has been admired and emulated by so many countries
Congress and the President over the past 8 years have created many bills which have eroded our Constitutional rights of privacy, and I will fight to protect our Constitutional freedoms which have been so seriously eroded over the past several years, and provide leadership to defend our free society.
We desperately need Educational reform, Tax Reform and fundamental Election reform.
Let's not lose our way in this country with both Democratic and Republican Hollywood political campaigns, spending billions of dollars on Presidential and local candidates, when we have a war going on with tragic loss of human life, and many desperate and poor people in our communities in need.
It is time to look to a serious and forceful candidate who will provide fresh ideas, renewed energy, and will work diligently for the citizens of Marin and Sonoma counties.
- If you support the traditional Democratic belief in protecting civil rights and liberties, personal choices, and individual freedom.
- if you support the traditional Republican advocacy of small government, low taxes and a competitive economy.
- and if you value a transparent and responsive government
Friday, August 29, 2008
Nothing new
"The budget should be balanced; the treasury should be refilled; public debt should be reduced; and the arrogance of public officials should be controlled." -- Cicero. 106-43 B.C.
“Obamanomics” in Six-Minute Sound Bites
From EconomistMom.com …where analytical rigor meets a mother’s intuition
There are a number of good points in the commentary. Obama and company get the issues, but their solutions are problematic.
There are a number of good points in the commentary. Obama and company get the issues, but their solutions are problematic.
- McCain’s [economic philosophy] – which lately seems to be quite straightforward ... “cut taxes and grow the economy; cut spending and shrink the deficit.”
- ... a new car, a nicer house — a better life than their parents had. Americans have still been buying such things, but they have been doing so with debt. A big chunk of that debt will never be repaid, which is the most basic explanation for the financial crisis.
- slow unraveling of the employer-based health-insurance system and the fact that, come 2011, the baby boomers will start to turn 65, setting off an enormous rise in the government’s Medicare and Social Security obligations. ... Americans seem to realize that something has gone wrong.
- [asked about] Reagan’s simple call for less government and lower taxes. [Obama] paused for a few seconds and then said ... Ronald Reagan ushered in an era that reasserted the marketplace and freedom. He made people aware of the cost involved of government regulation or at least a command-and-control-style regulation regime.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Greatest economic challenges
Question: What do you see as one of the greatest economic challenges we face in this country?
In the near future, our citizens face a federal and state debt of shattering proportions. And our current legislatures are again sweeping the story and its impact on all of us under the rug.
It was reported in USA Today last week, that we collectively are on the hook for over $57 trillion in federal liabilities alone, That’s to cover the life-time benefits of Medicare, Social Security, and other government programs. That adds up to $500,000 per household.
The Federal Government does not report the rule of life-time counting of obligations for programs and only counts the cost of the benefit for the current year.
So what does it mean?
We need to address our obligations with a serious deficit reduction plan. Get rid of Farm Subsidies (a bill just signed for 300 Billion and sent to the White House by Congress), Ear marks for hundreds of billions of dollars, foreign wars that cost us hundreds of Billions (every year). A purging of wasteful duplication and most importantly, requiring the Federal Government to balance the federal check book. They require us to do be fiscally responsible, so it’s past time we ask them for the same.
Then maybe, with full disclosure to our citizens of the problems of defect spending, and a true effort to have deficit reduction, we can have a balanced budget. So instead of devaluation of our currency, and its inflationary results, we can have economic expansion and a return to the ideals of savings, responsibility and accountability.
If you want a future that is true and honest and focused on a smaller, and efficient, and accountable government, then VOTE for me - Joel Smolen, in November!!!
In the near future, our citizens face a federal and state debt of shattering proportions. And our current legislatures are again sweeping the story and its impact on all of us under the rug.
It was reported in USA Today last week, that we collectively are on the hook for over $57 trillion in federal liabilities alone, That’s to cover the life-time benefits of Medicare, Social Security, and other government programs. That adds up to $500,000 per household.
The Federal Government does not report the rule of life-time counting of obligations for programs and only counts the cost of the benefit for the current year.
So what does it mean?
We need to address our obligations with a serious deficit reduction plan. Get rid of Farm Subsidies (a bill just signed for 300 Billion and sent to the White House by Congress), Ear marks for hundreds of billions of dollars, foreign wars that cost us hundreds of Billions (every year). A purging of wasteful duplication and most importantly, requiring the Federal Government to balance the federal check book. They require us to do be fiscally responsible, so it’s past time we ask them for the same.
Then maybe, with full disclosure to our citizens of the problems of defect spending, and a true effort to have deficit reduction, we can have a balanced budget. So instead of devaluation of our currency, and its inflationary results, we can have economic expansion and a return to the ideals of savings, responsibility and accountability.
If you want a future that is true and honest and focused on a smaller, and efficient, and accountable government, then VOTE for me - Joel Smolen, in November!!!
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