What Will Chuck Do for Rail Link?
Commercial real estate reporter Matt Schuerman says that Washington Republicans have forced Chuck Schumer into a bind, forcing him to choose between tax cuts (which, in this case, he opposes) and transportation money (which, in almost any case, he badly wants).
Here's Schuerman's take:
With the passage of the so-called "Trifecta" bill in the House early last Saturday -- higher minimum wage, but with a series of tax cuts and a lowering of the estate tax -- Schumer must now do one of the following: vote against the legislation, and miss the best opportunity so far to advance $2 billion for the JFK Rail Link, which is one of his pet projects and is included as an amendment in the bill, or vote for it and undermine his party's opposition to the lower estate tax.We're waiting for a comment from Schumer's office. -- Josh BensonA cloture vote is expected Thursday or Friday, and Republicans need five Democrats to defect to even get the bill on the table. But even the most stalwart downtown boosters of the rail link, at least the ones we talked to, are doubting that Schumer will break party ranks. (It seems pretty unlikely to us too, for that matter.)
why build a rail line for rich people and cut their taxes at the same time?
This is a ring of hell for Schumer--he has to choose between what is the right thing for New York State and what his colleagues in the Senate Democratic Conference want; because they made him their campaign chair. After he votes against the bill and hurts New York, he will play the martyr role of sacrificing for the " greater good" of a Democratic Senate next year.We should then collectively throw up!
Rich people aren't the ones who would take a train to JFK, sweetie. Poor and middle class people take plane flights now, too -- just as we enjoy using our telephones, televisions, and electricity. Well, most of the time, anyway...
Plus, the estate tax wouldn't touch most of the well off downtown (especially if it is changed). Anyways, the "right thing for New York State" isn't the JFK Rail - it's the estate tax.
A perfect opportunity for Senator Schumer to abandon the so-called JFK rail link. Not a gigantic waste of money as far as transportation projects nationwide go, look at the bridge to nowhere in Alaska and many of the new starts. But in NY it doesn't come remotely close in transportation value to three other huge ticket items, East Side Access for the LIRR, 2nd Ave Subway and 7 Train extension of the TA. And still that leaves nothing for Metro North except to plug along as the best performing commuter rail operation in the country, no new projects though.
A few weeks ago Governor-to-be Spitzer announced HIS top 3 transportation funding priorities: (1) The Second Avenue Subway; (2)East Side Access;(3) Replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge. However it remains to be seen if the Republican majority in Congress would let Spitzer/Schumer flip the JFK Link/ Liberty Bond $$$ to these projects. The Liberty Bond $$$ was all about rebuilding Downtown.