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'Surplus' Claim Takes Sanity Off the Rails (NM-Richardson's Railroad)
The Albuquerque Journal ^
| November 5, 2010
| ABQJournal Editorial Staff
Posted on 11/05/2010 5:48:38 PM PDT by CedarDave
Only in government can you run almost entirely on taxpayer money, get not one but two emergency infusions, spend all but $250,000-or-so of your handouts, and have the audacity to claim you have a surplus.
If that's the track of reasoning the New Mexico Rail Runner really wants to travel, then officials owe New Mexico consumers a refund.
Yes, the commuter train's revenues outpaced expenditures by $254,481 for fiscal 2010 ($22,261,918 vs. $22,007,437).
But only $2.927 million of that revenue came from the fare box.
A big chunk $11.95 million came from a regional sales tax for mass transit. The rest came from a variety of sources, most also taxpayer funded including the feds, the state, the soon-to-be-empty coal-car that is the stimulus as well as the private and tax-supported railroads for use of the tracks.
~~snip~~
... claiming a surplus when officials simply failed to burn through all their taxpayer cash? That takes sanity off the rails.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: governmentunions; highspeedrail; railrunner; richardsonsrailroad; trains
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Good editorial. I expect the black hole known at the Rail Runner to be cut back drastically or to raise fares dramatically to weather the coming cash crunch in state government.
1
posted on
11/05/2010 5:48:41 PM PDT
by
CedarDave
To: LegendHasIt; Rogle; leapfrog0202; Santa Fe_Conservative; DesertDreamer; OneWingedShark; ...
NM list PING!
(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for anyone to use. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list. For ABQ Journal articles requiring a subscription, scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the article for free after watching a short video commercial.)
2
posted on
11/05/2010 5:50:04 PM PDT
by
CedarDave
(Juan Williams to NPR: "You and your far left-wing mob fired me. Wasn't that enough for you? ")
To: CedarDave; Willie Green
3
posted on
11/05/2010 5:51:50 PM PDT
by
Leisler
(They always lie, so much and for so long, that they no longer know what about.)
To: CedarDave
Cut back all of big Bill's boondoggles. Look out washington, here he comes...
4
posted on
11/05/2010 5:56:26 PM PDT
by
Spitzensparkin1
(Arrest and deport all illegal aliens. Illegal is not a race - it is a crime. WhooRaah! Arizona!)
To: CedarDave; Willie Green
"Yes, the commuter train's revenues outpaced expenditures by $254,481 for fiscal 2010 ($22,261,918 vs. $22,007,437). But only $2.927 million of that revenue came from the fare box. A big chunk $11.95 million came from a regional sales tax for mass transit. The rest came from a variety of sources, most also taxpayer funded including the feds, the state, the soon-to-be-empty coal-car that is the stimulus as well as the private and tax-supported railroads for use of the tracks."
Where is Willie just when one needs the leftist economics spin to 'splain how this works so well and puts it to the Koch oil men?
5
posted on
11/05/2010 6:15:18 PM PDT
by
Paladin2
To: CedarDave; Willie Green
Where’s Willie when you need him...
6
posted on
11/05/2010 6:18:47 PM PDT
by
PugetSoundSoldier
(Indignation over the Sting of Truth is the defense of the indefensible)
To: CedarDave
7
posted on
11/05/2010 6:23:08 PM PDT
by
Toddsterpatriot
(Math is hard. Harder if you're stupid.)
To: CedarDave
hey, it’s slightly more than 10% of the revenues coming from rider fares — the system is well on its way to becoming self-supporting!! </sarcasm>
8
posted on
11/05/2010 6:31:26 PM PDT
by
Enchante
(De-fund the "Corrupt Bastards" aka agitprop twits of NPR, PBS, and CPB now!!)
To: PugetSoundSoldier; Paladin2
To: NonValueAdded
10
posted on
11/05/2010 6:43:04 PM PDT
by
Toddsterpatriot
(Math is hard. Harder if you're stupid.)
To: Toddsterpatriot
"Hes just pouting."
Willie just finally got smacked hard enough to give it up here (for how long? Who knows?).
11
posted on
11/05/2010 6:45:45 PM PDT
by
Paladin2
To: CedarDave
Visited Santa Fe, NM last fall ... witnessed the Rail
Runner departing Santa Fe in the AM for Albuquerque and points south, the train was nearly empty. Live in CO and travel down to NM from time to time ... enough to know that there is no way the Rail Runner has a chance in hell of ever breaking even, much less making a profit. This is a government project that will be tax payer subsidized for decades ... guaranteed.
12
posted on
11/05/2010 6:57:07 PM PDT
by
BluH2o
To: NonValueAdded
Willie was banned.No, he wasn't banned -- just got warned by Jim that if he didn't give it up he would be zotted. As Jim put it: "Zip it or zot it." His profile is still active and includes his opus.
13
posted on
11/05/2010 7:27:38 PM PDT
by
CedarDave
(Juan Williams to NPR: "You and your far left-wing mob fired me. Wasn't that enough for you? ")
To: CedarDave
They could make more money if they sold popcorn and cold drinks on the train
14
posted on
11/05/2010 7:38:52 PM PDT
by
woofie
To: woofie
Maybe one car a lounge car with beer and wine for sale (one drink per customer, don’t want a DUI’s after arrival at the station).
15
posted on
11/05/2010 7:57:08 PM PDT
by
CedarDave
(Juan Williams to NPR: "You and your far left-wing mob fired me. Wasn't that enough for you? ")
To: CedarDave
Thanks for the ping on this.
I wonder what will happen to the Dollar Runner now that it’s lost Richardson [and his ‘successor’].
16
posted on
11/05/2010 8:12:44 PM PDT
by
OneWingedShark
(Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
To: CedarDave
$22MM in expenses to collect $2.9MM in revenues. Spend a buck to earn 13 cents.
It had no chance to start with. But that's even worse than we thought.
The new guv would be advised to ashcan the whole thing -- put up signs along the rusty rails identifying it as "The Bill Richardson Memorial Boondoggle".
17
posted on
11/05/2010 8:17:15 PM PDT
by
okie01
(THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance on Parade)
To: okie01
They need to $h!T CAN the whole thing. Though I think a weekend dinner train running from Albuquerque to Santa Fe would make some money. Privately financed of course!
18
posted on
11/05/2010 9:30:12 PM PDT
by
Kartographer
(".. we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.")
To: CedarDave
It is called the Rail Runner. But I think RailRoader is better. Think I did a back of thre envelope calculation that this $500 million boondoogle takes 2400 cars a day off a 75 mile stretch of I25... A HORRIBLE use of taxpayer funds.And the $500 Mill is only the capital outlay;not the operating losses. But libs everywhere love the chu-chu.
19
posted on
11/05/2010 10:05:02 PM PDT
by
joelt
To: CedarDave
20
posted on
11/09/2010 10:28:40 AM PST
by
GeronL
(http://libertyfic.proboards.com <--- My Fiction/ Science Fiction Board)
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