Mono(rail)mania
You would have thought that The Simpsons' episode "Marge vs. the Monorail," would have killed off publicly funded boondoggles such as this train-of-the-future wreck playing out in Seattle.
But no, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Monorail leaders yesterday unveiled hypothetical scenarios designed to show that even with less tax revenue coming in, the Ballard-to-West Seattle line can still be built.
But the hypotheticals aren't pretty. They assume that the expensive tax on vehicles would remain in place for 40 years and tens of millions of dollars would be shaved from the $1.75 billion plan voters approved last year.
Monorail officials said they're still months away from coming up with a concrete plan to deal with the unexpected revenue shortfall. By releasing the possibilities, Monorail board Chairman Tom Weeks said the agency was trying to ease concerns the project could not be built because the agency is collecting about 30 percent less in taxes than it anticipated.
All together now:
Well, sir, there's nothing on earth
Like a genuine,
Bona fide,
Electrified,
Six-car
Monorail! …
[Link via Free-Market.net]