I could turn Tony’s Rants into an RTD and FasTracks only website very easily if I wanted to – there is simply so much to write about the boondoggle.  Lately there have been a couple notable items come up that I thought needed mentioning.

First up, in a guest column in the March 11th edition of the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel, Noel Busck, RTD Director for the Thornton area, decided FasTracks’ new theme song should be “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”  Sure the project is billions of dollars in the hole and yes the north metro area is going to get the shaft but that shouldn’t concern us if you read the article.

According to Busck, RTD is doing a great job getting the project on course – for everyone except the north metro area.  The man who represents us brags in the column about how the district has managed to con the federal government into helping bail them out with tens of millions of dollars. 

Surely that money is coming to the north area – why else would he write about it?  Wrong.  Those are funds for other corridors and for Union Station. Let us also remember that money from the federal government comes from somewhere – the taxpayers’ wallet – you and I!

Busck does point out that RTD purchased right of way from Union Pacific for the north metro area last year – there is even a fancy new sign next to the old Eastlake depot saying so.  Of course this was something that had to be done anyway and reflects barely more than one tenth of one percent of what it will cost to complete the north corridor.  Ridiculous.

What about that doubling of the FasTracks tax that we all know is coming to a ballot near you?    Busck says that he thinks “the economy needs more time to recover” before they try to hit up taxpayers for more money for the boondoggle.  In other words, they know folks are wising up to this disaster and they are hoping if they wait we will forget.  Fat chance. 

What they of course don’t tell you is that if RTD waits until next year to put the issue on the ballot, it will add tens of millions of dollars to the cost of the project.  Great use of taxpayer funds, RTD! 

How about getting it out there NOW so we can vote on it one way or another and move forward or shoot this lame horse in its stall?  Let’s get it over with – To do otherwise is unfair to taxpayers and governments that want this resolved.

Second, and also in the same issue of the Sentinel, was the news that members of Thornton City Council and the city manager were going to fly to Washington D.C. to try to secure money for FasTracks in the north area. 

Yet another example of taxpayers – Thornton taxpayers – having to bail out RTD.  Because RTD presented bogus information to us in 2004 and has mismanaged the project since, we had to send our own elected officials to try to bail them out in an attempt get what was promised to us by the district. 

RTD should be writing a check to City of Thornton taxpayers for this trip! 

It should also be noted that RTD wasn’t to be outdone and they flew their board members and General Manager Phil Washington to the nation’s capital last week.  Of course they were on their hands and knees begging Obama administration officials to help them with the boondoggle as well. 

Any guesses who footed the bill for that trip too?  You and I of course.  No doubt the board enjoyed their taxpayer funded junket.  But, like Noel Busck says, Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

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