Happy to pay for a Better Minnesota, again

An obvious benefit for residents of Maplewood, Cottage Grove and Blaine:

Facing growing urgency to secure local funding for the Southwest Corridor light-rail project, leading DFLers are proposing once again to hike the metro sales tax for transit.

The move comes as supporters of the Twin Cities’ largest transit project explore options for funding after Gov. Mark Dayton rejected borrowing money to pay for the state’s share of the project.

The Metropolitan Council, the agency overseeing the project, needs to prove by fall that it has commitments for enough local and state funding to qualify for matching federal funds and keep the project on track.

Yes, fine denizens of Oakdale and White Bear Lake, you need to pay more for the train you'll never use. C'mon, Rosevillians and Mounds Viewers, pry open that wallet a little more for that Shady Oak transit station!

We can already hear it -- come on, people; we can't give up the free gubmint money!

Southwest is among seven projects in the nation at the same stage of development that have gotten early green lights from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and are awaiting final approval. The agency’s support is crucial because Southwest is counting on the federal government to pay half of the project’s cost.

The Met Council needs to give the FTA commitments of local and state funding by this fall so Southwest can become eligible for President Obama’s next budget and for federal funding in 2016. The line is scheduled to open in 2018.

Hey, Uncle Sam already has taken the swag away from the folks in Laramie and Keokuk and Terre Haute to pay for this thing. We can't let the money go to some other town! You gotta pay to play, doncha know....

Besides, don't worry -- once we pay for this thing, they'll be choo-choos for everyone, right? You've seen the map, haven't you?

Bottineau Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight?

That blue line heading up to Brooklyn Park (the "Bottineau Line") is next. And those yellow lines going every which way? Those would be streetcars, or maybe something else. They'll be sure to tell us. And don't worry -- there will surely be free federal gubmint money for all of it! The people of Fort Wayne and Altoona can't wait to pay for the Bottineau Line!

But we have to do our part. So why not make the sales tax higher now, because it is quite possible you might get a street car or a solar powered bus rattling up your favorite transit corridor in 25 years, once the folks in Wichita and Boise get around to writing the check. After all, it's on the map, so it must be true.