93% of St. Louis Tea Party Respondents Oppose the Metro Tax
Citizens for Better Transit Kicks Off Campaign Against Prop A (Metro Tax)
Citizens for Better Transit (CBT) is kicking off its campaign against Proposition A, the proposed Metro tax. The kickoff will begin at 11:40 a.m. on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at the Shrewsbury Metrolink Station: 7201 Lansdowne Ave. St. Louis, MO 63119.
“John Nations and Charlie Dooley are being led by wealthy special interests rather than concern for the public,” says CBT spokesman John Burns. “Nations and Dooley have adopted a tired strategy of increasing taxes in the middle of a recession. Apparently, nobody ever told them that was a bad idea.”
Nations and Advance St. Louis claim that the light rail and increased mass transit spending will improve the St. Louis economy. Yet, at best the light rail line wouldn’t be completed for 5 years. Whatever the economic impact of the program, it certainly wouldn’t help ease the burden on middle class pocketbooks in the near term.
“This tax has special interests and lack of accountability written all over it,” says Burns. “Special interests are donating vast sums to the pro-tax campaign because they stand to make a lot of money at the tax payers’ expense. Special interests get fat while the tax payer gets thin.”
As of January, Advance St. Louis, the pro metro tax campaign had raised $178,000. Unsurprisingly, the donors all have a vested interest in a massive Metrolink project. From large construction companies, to development companies, to local and national union groups, special interests with much to gain are driving the Advance St. Louis campaign. They’re spending their money on high powered consultants from out of state in order to shape public opinion on the issue.
Metro has developed 4 potential light rail routes, but won’t say which route will be built – assuming the tax passes. “Voters are being asked to blindly fund a light rail line – the path of which, they will have zero ability to decide,” says Burns. “A cabal of elected and unelected officials will make the decision for the public instead of voters. Makes sense, why would a taxpayer in South County vote to tax herself for the purpose of building a light rail line she’ll never have the opportunity to use?”
Less than 2% of the St. Louis County workforce uses light rail. According to the US Census, approximately 10,300 St. Louis County commuters utilize any kind of mass transit. It would be cheaper to buy a $12,000 car for every St. Louis County mass transit commuter every few years, rather than build more light rail.
Light rail is not a success, and is a disastrous transit model. There isn’t a single revenue neutral light rail system in the US. The costs are severe, federal funding is uncertain, budget shortfalls are inevitable, and it takes years upon years to build even short light rail routes.
The proposed Prop A tax constitutes a 100% metro revenue increase from St. Louis County – in perpetuity, since the tax has no sunset clause. With the amount of money Metro would receive, St. Louis County could literally buy a new car for every mass transit commuter in St. Louis County – every year…forever.
Critical environmental impact studies – required by the federal government as a condition for consideration of federal light rail funds – have not been initiated. It’s very possible that even if the tax passes, the environmental impact study may fail – and federal funds wouldn’t come. “The plan put forth by Metro shows contempt for St. Louis County voters,” said Burns. “The plan has not been developed in good faith. Had it been, the environmental impact studies would already be complete and accepted by the federal government.”
Burns predicts failure for Prop A. “I think the County Council, Dooley, and Nations will find tax payers are mad as hell about the recent $250 million dollar cost overrun on the Shrewsbury light rail line. Why should any voter trust Metro’s word? Metro’s board wasn’t punished for its failures, and Metro isn’t held accountable to voters. Metro is in 30 years worth of debt over the Shrewsbury boondoggle.” The per mile cost was roughly $130 million dollars for that project. Yet, Metro now suggests a $60 million per mile figure for future light rail lines – a clear example of Metro duplicity.
2 Responses to “93% of St. Louis Tea Party Respondents Oppose the Metro Tax”
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“Less than 2% of the St. Louis County workforce uses light rail.”
How is this supposed to be an argument against more public transit? The percentage of county workers using light rail has a direct relation to the fact there is only one rail line extending a few miles through Clayton and into Shrewsbury, and misses the large population centers further west along the I-64 corridor, not mention I-170, I-70, and I-270.
Besides that, transit systems are intended elevate the local economy by better mobilizing the work force, and thus require subsidization. Just like how the highway and interstate systems depend on the fuel tax. This phenomenon is well understood in larger cities like Chicago and New York, who maintain their transit systems despite political whims.
No one made an argument against public transit. The argument is against Proposition A, a 14% tax increase in the middle of a recession in a region that’s shedding jobs like a snake its skin.
The people behind Metro are corrupt. That’s why MetroLink is a dismal failure. Bond houses like Edward Jones use YOUR TAX DOLLARS to RAISE YOUR TAXES. They make billions while you get poorer.
The people behind Metro transfer $9.3 million a year from people who need buses to get to work to wealthy Washington University students and faculty. Why? Because Wash U’s administration is part of the cycle of Metro corruption.
We are not opposed to public transit, and you damn well know it. We are opposed to crooks like Dooley using government to steal money for their own political benefit.
Finally, we are sick of the outright lies from John Nations and Charlie Dooley. There is no plan. They admit it in the same documents that scream “we have a plan.” Well, they don’t. At least half of the 14% tax increase will go to paying the sins of the past. The last expansion cost $650 million when we authorized only $400. Now they want another $300 million to cover their own corruption costs.