I still can’t believe that Rep. Ted Poe (R-2) supports building another boondoggle rail line in Harris County. And his reasoning for that support doesn’t pass the smell test, so you have to ask yourself, what is this really about?
I can’t answer that one but I can debunk his argument that “his constituents” want it. Not a chance. His congressional district is comprised of 698,488 residents, of which 518,345 are of voting age. There are very few residences along the portion of that line that is included in his district. Very few residences means very few voters. Why is he favoring a few constituents over the vast majority?
The length of the proposed boondoggle rail line on Richmond Ave. that is included in Poe’s CD-2 is 1.7 miles:
To put that in perspective for his entire district:
The 1.7 mile length in his district would include four stops: S. Shepherd, Menil, Montrose, and Wheeler. If you live four blocks off Richmond and eight blocks between stops, are you going to walk twelve blocks in the Houston summer heat to catch a ride that goes a mile or so? Seriously?
Let’s think about those “constituents” in Atascocita and Kingwood? Are they “for” this boondoggle? Hardly. And there’s lots more of them. Or what about those in Spring? Are they “for” this boondoggle? Again, more of them.
Let’s say that you live up in Huffman near Gardenia Gardens and want to eat at Pepino’s Italian Restaurant on Richmond, right in the middle of Poe’s section of the boondoggle rail line. What is that $60 million per mile boondoggle going to do to help you? Nothing at all. You’ll drive the 41 miles and hope that the toy train hasn’t run over another bicyclist and shut down traffic on Richmond.
It’s like saying that Rep. Steve Stockman should support building a rocket launch pad in Shoreacres because his “constituents” in Shoreacres want one.
So let’s drop the whole “my constituents” want it. Because they don’t and Poe hasn’t done any research whatsoever to conclude that they do. His entire support is due to “dozens” of phone calls, “hundreds” of emails, some blockwalking by his staff (seriously, in this heat?), and over a thousand Facebook comments, all in the space of two days. Here is his comment posted on Facebook at 11:21 am on Wednesday, July 31st:
STATEMENT FROM CONGRESSMAN POE: “On Monday, I asked for your opinion on whether or not federal funds should be prohibited from helping to build the Richmond Rail in Houston. Over the past few days, my office has received dozens of phone calls, hundreds of emails and over one thousand Facebook comments on this issue. Many of you even took the time to speak to my staff in-person when they went door to door in the district to talk to those of you in the affected area. I thank you for all of your input on this issue. It’s simple: blocking federal funds from coming to Houston will not save any money. Instead, your money will be spent on building infrastructure in other cities. I look forward to working with Congressman Culberson, the Houston Congressional Delegation and METRO to find a solution that serves both the interests of our constituents and the City of Houston.”
Wow, two whole days of “research” before he decides to support it! Isn’t he the workaholic. And we know that many of those participating in his Facebook poll were constituents of the CongressWOMAAN! How bizarre.
On the other hand, you have Rep. John Culberson, who has been providing real transportation solutions in Harris County. Think I-10 West and the nightmare it used to be versus what it is today. Culberson is aware of the fact that it costs on average five times the amount per mile to build a rail line as it does to build a freeway lane and the freeway lane carries five times as many people. Do the math.
Culberson’s district includes a much larger segment of the toy train, about 6.3 miles. He is completely against it because his constituents don’t want it. And he actually polled the property owners, property lessees, and business owners along the line that would have to deal with the boondoggle train and increased traffic jams on a daily basis. Here is what he found:
Summary of Poll west of Shepherd (83{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} reached) – Property Owners
81{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} OPPOSE
17{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} SUPPORT
2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} UNDECIDED
Summary of Poll from the Loop to Main Street (81{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} reached) – Property Owners
76{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} OPPOSE
22{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} SUPPORT
2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} UNDECIDED
But hey, it isn’t a Facebook poll, so it doesn’t count.
Here is Ted Poe on the floor of the House trying to explain his support for the boondoggle toy train. Notice that his main argument is that someone else is going to get the money – not that it is a good idea, or that it is necessary, or that it makes sense. Nope, just spend the money before someone else does.
Has Ted Poe been in office too long?