The Rocky Mountain News is reporting that the metro mayors that are part of the North Area Transportation Alliance are backing giving RTD an opportunity to come at taxpayers for more money to fund the FasTracks / TaxTracks boondoggle.  This is hardly shocking news as local politicos and much of the metro area continue to have some bizarre fascination with all things FasTracks and seem willing to support it no matter how much it costs or how poorly managed the project and RTD are. 

I just don’t understand why folks are so intent on throwing good money after bad.  I am sitting here shaking my head trying to comprehend why folks want to pay taxes for a project that has not accomplished one thing and will do nothing to alleviate traffic congestion.  It is beyond me. 

I do commend the alliance and its members for holding RTD’s feet to the fire and helping to raise awareness of the disaster the project has become but the results of the meeting show that the end is a foregone conclusion.  Everyone talks tough about the project and yet they continue to run with it as it heads over a cliff. 

Certainly one benefit is that if RTD gets more tax money they can pay for more trips to China, get a few more $300 hotel rooms, pay for taxis to DIA and do all sorts of other great things.  Yup, you read that right.  Check out what Face the State found when they and Fox 31 investigated some of the expenses of the RTD board:

According to records obtained by Face the State, the RTD board of directors spent more than $54,000 on travel in 2008, including a trip to China, nights in a beachfront hotel and a dinner cruise. Records also indicate that members avoided RTD buses and light rail, opting instead to charge taxpayers for taxi rides and airport parking. Some of the spending may be in conflict with the board’s own policies. 

Click here for that story. 

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