*Metra Rail would change this community overnight and for the better. Dollars would travel both ways. We’d have people living in Rockford, spending money here, but earning Chicago and suburban salaries. That increases our local tax base and gives us more ability as a community to improve our infrastructure, schools, recreation, etc. And, we’d have people who live in Chicago and the suburbs coming out to Rockford to take advantage of golf courses, MetroCentre, Coronado, Anderson Gardens, shopping, etc. Again, all adding to the tax base which we then use to build a better community.

Metra is cheap, clean, efficient and so much less stressful than driving into Chicago, worrying about gas, tolls, parking etc. I’ve taken it dozens of times from Elgin over the years and it’s a great way to travel.

*Buses are more susceptible to traffic issues, weather, etc. and are not nearly as quiet and comfortable as rail. Say what you want, but express buses are not the answer.

*As to the Amtrak question. I’ve taken Amtrak from Chicago to both Washington and Philadelphia over the years and it’s a fairly nice way to travel. Coach seats are roomier than on a plane. But, service is spotty, food is not that great and it’s a lonnnnng ride. Be ready for that.

*One final thought on a theme that always seems to dominate these discussions and that’s how tax dollars are spent. I’m a homeowner in Rockford so I do have skin in the game. Bottom line: We have to spend money to make money. I’m OK having my taxes raised if I know that it’s going to fund something that will make our community better and raise my standard of living. Burying our heads in the sand and refusing to take risks is what brought our community to the precarious state it is in right now. Don’t liike the way government is spending our money. Then, as voters, we have a responsibility to vote ‘em out.

With any sort of mass transit, getting passengers from the terminals to their final destinations also has to be figured into the equation.

So what if Joe Laptop and Sally Briefcase take a fast train to Big Timber but then have to dilly-dally around to get to their final suburban destination because they don’t have their cars!

We could open up a couple new oil refineries. But the problem is “who wants an oil refinery in their backyard?” There are congressmen who pay lip service to a better energy policy, but would be foaming at the mouth if an oil refinery were proposed in the Chicagoland area.

Chuck is right that there is sort of a “stigma” attached to busses. But honestly, if you sit on any mode of transportation for over an hour, your derriere will be sore…and that includes planes and trains. If you have ever flown AirTran, you know what I’m talking about.

I know you’re right on your second point. $5 gas is just around the corner. Manzullo’s outdated ideas on our energy policy are just that, outdated. We’ve got to quit talking about scraping the bottoms of our oil barrels and seriously work on alternatives. It’s not as though no one knew that these energy problems would arise.
The suspension of the gas tax, which is supported by Manzullo, McCain, and Clinton, is one lame excuse for action. It rates right up there with the “tax rebate” con the Bush Administration calls “incentive” or that wonderful idea that a Riverwalk will bring peace and prosperity to Rockford. We’ve got to develop and return to alternatives to our dependence on the automobile as our means of travel. And, we’ve got to do it now.

For a small fraction of what it would cost to build this rail boondoggle, one could perhaps create bus-only lanes on I-90 and subsidize bus transport to Dubuque/Galena and other points west of here.

Once folks get used to using a reliable and fast bus service, one can begin to look at rail, or light rail or some other higher density option